Senate Bill 2160c1
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Florida Senate - 1998 CS for SB 2160
By the Committee on Education and Senator Campbell
304-1975A-98
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to education; amending s.
3 229.551, F.S.; providing for nonpublic
4 postsecondary education institutions to use the
5 common course designation and numbering system
6 used by public institutions; amending s.
7 240.115, F.S.; providing guidelines for
8 awarding credit for transfer students; amending
9 s. 246.013, F.S.; providing institutional
10 qualifications for participation in the common
11 course designation and numbering system;
12 exempting certain institutions from payment of
13 costs; providing an effective date.
14
15 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
16
17 Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 229.551, Florida
18 Statutes, is amended to read:
19 229.551 Educational management.--
20 (1) The department is directed to identify all
21 functions which under the provisions of this act contribute
22 to, or comprise a part of, the state system of educational
23 accountability and to establish within the department the
24 necessary organizational structure, policies, and procedures
25 for effectively coordinating such functions. Such policies
26 and procedures shall clearly fix and delineate
27 responsibilities for various aspects of the system and for
28 overall coordination of the total system. The commissioner
29 shall perform the following duties and functions:
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1 (a) Coordination of department plans for meeting
2 educational needs and for improving the quality of education
3 provided by the state system of public education;
4 (b) Coordination of management information system
5 development for all levels of education and for all divisions
6 of the department, to include the development and utilization
7 of cooperative education computing networks for the state
8 system of public education;
9 (c) Development of database definitions and all other
10 items necessary for full implementation of a comprehensive
11 management information system as required by s. 229.555;
12 (d) Coordination of all planning functions for all
13 levels and divisions within the department;
14 (e) Coordination of all cost accounting and cost
15 reporting activities for all levels of education, including
16 public schools, vocational programs, community colleges, and
17 institutions in the State University System;
18 (f) Development and coordination of a common course
19 designation and numbering system for postsecondary education
20 in school districts, community colleges, participating
21 nonpublic postsecondary education institutions, and the State
22 University System which will improve program planning,
23 increase communication among all postsecondary delivery
24 systems community colleges and universities, and facilitate
25 the transfer of students. The system shall not encourage or
26 require course content prescription or standardization or
27 uniform course testing, and the continuing maintenance of the
28 system shall be accomplished by appropriate faculty committees
29 representing public and participating nonpublic institutions.
30 Also, the system shall be applied to all postsecondary and
31 certificate career education programs and courses offered in
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1 school districts and community colleges. The Articulation
2 Coordinating Committee, whose membership represents public and
3 nonpublic postsecondary institutions, shall:
4 1. Identify the highest demand degree programs within
5 the State University System.
6 2. Conduct a study of courses offered by universities
7 and accepted for credit toward a degree. The study shall
8 identify courses designated as either general education or
9 required as a prerequisite for a degree. The study shall also
10 identify these courses as upper-division level or
11 lower-division level.
12 3. Appoint faculty committees representing both
13 community college and university faculties to recommend a
14 single level for each course included in the common course
15 numbering and designation system. Any course designated as an
16 upper-division level course must be characterized by a need
17 for advanced academic preparation and skills that a student
18 would be unlikely to achieve without significant prior
19 coursework. A course that is offered as part of an associate
20 in science degree program and as an upper-division course for
21 a baccalaureate degree shall be designated for both the lower
22 and upper division. Of the courses required for each
23 baccalaureate degree, at least half of the credit hours
24 required for the degree shall be achievable through courses
25 designated as lower-division courses, except in degree
26 programs approved by the Board of Regents pursuant to s.
27 240.209(5)(e). A course designated as lower-division may be
28 offered by any community college. By January 1, 1996, The
29 Articulation Coordinating Committee shall recommend to the
30 State Board of Education the levels for the courses. By
31 January 1, 1996, The common course numbering and designation
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1 system shall include the courses at the recommended levels,
2 and by fall semester of 1996, the registration process at each
3 state university and community college shall include the
4 courses at their designated levels and common course numbers.
5 4. Appoint faculty committees representing both
6 community college and university faculties to recommend those
7 courses identified to meet general education requirements
8 within the subject areas of communication, mathematics, social
9 sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. By January 1,
10 1996, The Articulation Coordinating Committee shall recommend
11 to the State Board of Education those courses identified to
12 meet these general education requirements by their common
13 course code number. By fall semester, 1996, All community
14 colleges and state universities shall accept these general
15 education courses.
16 5. Appoint faculty committees representing both
17 community colleges and universities to recommend common
18 prerequisite courses and identify course substitutions when
19 common prerequisites cannot be established for degree programs
20 across all institutions. Faculty work groups shall adopt a
21 strategy for addressing significant differences in
22 prerequisites, including course substitutions. The Board of
23 Regents shall be notified by the Articulation Coordinating
24 Committee when significant differences remain. By fall
25 semester, 1996, Common degree program prerequisites shall be
26 offered and accepted by all state universities and community
27 colleges, except in cases approved by the Board of Regents
28 pursuant to s. 240.209(5)(f). The Board of Regents shall work
29 with the State Board of Community Colleges on the development
30 of a centralized database containing the list of courses and
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1 course substitutions that meet the prerequisite requirements
2 for each baccalaureate degree program; and
3 (g) Expansion of the common course designation and
4 numbering system to include the numbering and designation of
5 college credit postsecondary vocational courses and facilitate
6 the transfer of credits between public schools and community
7 colleges. The Articulation Coordinating Committee shall:
8 1. Adopt guidelines for the participation of public
9 school districts and community colleges in offering college
10 credit courses that may be transferred to a certificate or
11 degree program. These guidelines shall establish standards
12 addressing faculty qualifications, admissions, program
13 curricula, participation in the common course designation and
14 numbering system, and other issues identified by the Task
15 Force on Workforce Development and the Commissioner of
16 Education. Guidelines should also address the role of
17 accreditation in the designation of courses as transferable
18 college credit. Such guidelines must not jeopardize the
19 accreditation status of educational institutions and must be
20 based on data related to the history of credit transfer among
21 institutions in this state and others.
22 2. Conduct a study identifying postsecondary
23 vocational programs offered by community colleges and public
24 school districts. The study shall also identify postsecondary
25 vocational courses designated as college credit courses
26 applicable toward a vocational degree. Such college credit
27 courses must be identified within the common course numbering
28 and designation system.
29 3. Appoint faculty committees representing both
30 community college and public school faculties to recommend a
31 standard program length and appropriate occupational
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1 completion points for each postsecondary vocational
2 certificate program and degree. A course designated as
3 college credit may be offered by a public school district or
4 community college, provided the standards established in
5 subparagraph 1. are met; and.
6 (h) Development of common definitions necessary for
7 managing a uniform coordinated system of career education for
8 all levels of the state system of public education.
9 Section 2. Subsections (1) and (2) of section 240.115,
10 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
11 240.115 Articulation agreement; acceleration
12 mechanisms.--
13 (1)(a) Articulation between secondary and
14 postsecondary education; admission of associate in arts degree
15 graduates from Florida community colleges and state
16 universities; the use of acceleration mechanisms, including
17 nationally standardized examinations through which students
18 may earn credit; general education requirements and common
19 course code numbers as provided for in s. 229.551(1)(f)4.; and
20 articulation among programs in nursing shall be governed by
21 the articulation agreement, as established by the Department
22 of Education. The articulation agreement must specifically
23 provide that every associate in arts graduate of a Florida
24 community college shall have met all general education
25 requirements and must be granted admission to the upper
26 division of a state university except to a limited access or
27 teacher certification program or a major program requiring an
28 audition. After admission has been granted to students under
29 provisions of this section and to university students who have
30 successfully completed 60 credit hours of coursework,
31 including 36 hours of general education, and met the
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1 requirements of s. 240.107, admission shall be granted to
2 State University System and Florida community college students
3 who have successfully completed 60 credit hours of work,
4 including 36 hours of general education. Community college
5 associate in arts graduates shall receive priority for
6 admission to a state university over out-of-state students.
7 Orientation programs and student handbooks provided to
8 freshman enrollees and transfer students at state universities
9 must include an explanation of this provision of the
10 articulation agreement.
11 (b) Any student who transfers among regionally
12 accredited postsecondary institutions that are fully
13 accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency
14 recognized by the United States Department of Education and
15 that participate in the common course designation and
16 numbering system shall be awarded credit by the receiving
17 institution for courses satisfactorily completed by the
18 student at the previous institutions. Credit shall be awarded
19 if the courses are judged by the appropriate common course
20 designation and numbering system faculty task force
21 representing community colleges, public universities, and
22 participating private postsecondary education institutions to
23 be academically equivalent to courses offered at the receiving
24 institution, including equivalency of faculty credentials,
25 regardless of the public or nonpublic control of the previous
26 institution. The Department of Education shall ensure that
27 credits to be accepted by a receiving institution are
28 generated in courses for which the faculty possess credentials
29 that are comparable to those required by the accrediting
30 association of the receiving institution. The award of credit
31 may be limited to courses that are entered in the common
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1 course designation and numbering system. Credits awarded
2 pursuant to this subsection shall satisfy institutional
3 requirements on the same basis as credits awarded to native
4 students.
5 (2) The universities, community college district
6 boards of trustees, and district school boards are authorized
7 to establish intrainstitutional and interinstitutional
8 programs to maximize this articulation. Programs may include
9 upper-division-level courses offered at the community college,
10 distance learning, transfer agreements that facilitate the
11 transfer of credits between public and nonpublic postsecondary
12 institutions, and the concurrent enrollment of students at a
13 community college and a state university to enable students to
14 take any level of baccalaureate degree coursework. Should the
15 establishment of these programs necessitate the waiver of
16 existing State Board of Education rules, reallocation of
17 funds, or revision or modification of student fees, each
18 college or university shall submit the proposed articulation
19 program to the State Board of Education for review and
20 approval. The State Board of Education is authorized to waive
21 its rules and make appropriate reallocations, revisions, or
22 modifications in accordance with the above.
23 Section 3. Subsection (1) of section 246.013, Florida
24 Statutes, is amended to read:
25 246.013 Participation in the common course designation
26 and numbering system.--
27 (1) Nonpublic colleges and schools that have been
28 issued a regular license pursuant to s. 246.081(2), or
29 nonpublic postsecondary colleges that are exempt from state
30 licensure pursuant to s. 246.085(1)(a) and that are fully
31 accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency
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1 recognized by the United States Department of Education, by a
2 member of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern
3 Association of Colleges and Schools and accredited nonpublic
4 postsecondary colleges exempt from state licensure pursuant to
5 s. 246.085(1)(a) may participate in the common course
6 designation and numbering system pursuant to s. 229.551.
7 Participating colleges and schools shall bear the costs
8 associated with inclusion in the system and shall meet the
9 terms and conditions for institutional participation in the
10 system. The department shall adopt a fee schedule that
11 includes the expenses incurred through data processing,
12 faculty task force travel and per diem, and staff and clerical
13 support time. Such fee schedule may differentiate between the
14 costs associated with initial course inclusion in the system
15 and costs associated with subsequent course maintenance in the
16 system. Decisions regarding initial course inclusion and
17 subsequent course maintenance must be made within 360 days
18 after submission of the required materials and fees by the
19 institution. The Department of Education may select a date by
20 which colleges must submit requests for new courses to be
21 included, and may delay review of courses submitted after that
22 date until the next year's cycle. Any college that currently
23 participates in the system, and that participated in the
24 system prior to July 1, 1986, shall not be required to pay the
25 costs associated with initial course inclusion in the system.
26 Fees collected for participation in the common course
27 designation and numbering system pursuant to the provisions of
28 this section shall be deposited in the Institutional
29 Assessment Trust Fund created by s. 246.31. Any nonpublic,
30 nonprofit college or university that is eligible to
31 participate in the common course designation and numbering
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1 system shall not be required to pay the costs associated with
2 participation in the system. The Legislature finds and
3 declares that independent nonprofit colleges and universities
4 eligible to participate in the Florida resident access grant
5 program pursuant to s. 240.605 are an integral part of the
6 higher education system in this state and that a significant
7 number of state residents choose this form of higher
8 education. Any independent college or university that is
9 eligible to participate in the Florida resident access grant
10 program shall not be required to pay the costs associated with
11 participation in the common course designation and numbering
12 system.
13 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 1998.
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15 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
16 SB 2160
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18 The proposed Committee Substitute amends laws to authorize
nonpublic colleges to participate in the common course
19 numbering system. Nonpublic schools will no longer be
authorized to participate.
20
It authorizes colleges to be exempt from costs associated with
21 the common course numbering system if they are:
22 - Not-for-profit, nonpublic colleges,
23 - Accredited by a national or regional accrediting
association, and
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- The accrediting association is recognized by the United
25 States Department of Education.
26 It assures that an institution will not be required to accept
credits from any other institution unless the Department of
27 Education assures that faculty credentials are comparable to
those required by the receiving institution's accrediting
28 association.
29 It allows review of new requests for courses to occur in
1-year cycles. Any request that is submitted after the date
30 set by the department may be delayed until the next year's
cycle.
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