Senate Bill 2350c1
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Florida Senate - 1998 CS for SB 2350
By the Committee on Education and Senator Cowin
304-2075A-98
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to education; amending s.
3 229.57, F.S.; authorizing the Commissioner of
4 Education to establish criteria for exempting a
5 student from taking certain parts of the high
6 school competency test; amending s. 232.2466,
7 F.S.; modifying the criteria for awarding a
8 differentiated college-ready diploma; providing
9 an effective date.
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11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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13 Section 1. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section
14 229.57, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
15 229.57 Student assessment program.--
16 (3) STATEWIDE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM.--The commissioner is
17 directed to design and implement a statewide program of
18 educational assessment that provides information for the
19 improvement of the operation and management of the public
20 schools. The program must be designed, as far as possible, so
21 as not to conflict with ongoing district assessment programs
22 and so as to use information obtained from district programs.
23 Pursuant to the statewide assessment program, the commissioner
24 shall:
25 (c) Develop and implement a student achievement
26 testing program as part of the statewide assessment program,
27 to be administered at designated times at the elementary,
28 middle, and high school levels to measure reading, writing,
29 and mathematics. The testing program must be designed so
30 that:
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1 1. The tests measure student skills and competencies
2 adopted by the state board as specified in paragraph (a). The
3 tests must measure and report student proficiency levels in
4 reading, writing, and mathematics. Other content areas may be
5 included as directed by the commissioner. The commissioner
6 shall provide for the tests to be developed or obtained, as
7 appropriate, through contracts and project agreements with
8 private vendors, public vendors, public agencies,
9 postsecondary institutions, or school districts. The
10 commissioner shall obtain input with respect to the design and
11 implementation of the testing program from state educators and
12 the public.
13 2. The tests are criterion-referenced and include, to
14 the extent determined by the commissioner, items that require
15 the student to produce information or perform tasks in such a
16 way that the skills and competencies he or she uses can be
17 measured.
18 3. Each testing program, whether at the elementary,
19 middle, or high school level, includes a test of writing in
20 which students are required to produce writings which are then
21 scored by appropriate methods.
22 4. A score is designated for each subject area tested,
23 below which score a student's performance is deemed
24 inadequate. The school districts shall provide appropriate
25 remedial instruction to students who score below these levels.
26 5. All 11th grade students take a high school
27 competency test developed by the state board to test minimum
28 student performance skills and competencies in reading,
29 writing, and mathematics. The test must be based on the skills
30 and competencies adopted by the state board pursuant to
31 paragraph (a). Upon recommendation of the commissioner, the
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Florida Senate - 1998 CS for SB 2350
304-2075A-98
1 state board shall designate a passing score for each part of
2 the high school competency test. In establishing passing
3 scores, the state board shall consider any possible negative
4 impact of the test on minority students. The commissioner may
5 establish criteria whereby a student who successfully
6 demonstrates proficiency in either reading or mathematics or
7 both may be exempted from taking the corresponding section of
8 the high school competency test or the college placement test.
9 A student must earn a passing score or have been exempted from
10 on each part of the high school competency test in order taken
11 to qualify for a regular high school diploma. The school
12 districts shall provide appropriate remedial instruction to
13 students who do not pass part of the competency test.
14 6. Participation in the testing program is mandatory
15 for all students, except as otherwise prescribed by the
16 commissioner. The commissioner shall recommend rules to the
17 state board for the provision of test adaptations and
18 modifications of procedures as necessary for students in
19 exceptional education programs and for students who have
20 limited English proficiency.
21 7. A student seeking an adult high school diploma must
22 meet the same testing requirements that a regular high school
23 student must meet.
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25 The commissioner may design and implement student testing
26 programs for any grade level and subject area, based on
27 procedures designated by the commissioner to monitor
28 educational achievement in the state.
29 Section 2. Section 232.2466, Florida Statutes, is
30 amended to read:
31 232.2466 College-ready diploma program.--
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1 (1) Beginning with the 1997-1998 school year, Each
2 school district shall award a differentiated college-ready
3 diploma to each student who:
4 (a) Successfully completes the requirements for a
5 standard high school diploma as prescribed by s. 232.246;
6 (b) Has achieved a 3.0 weighted grade point average,
7 or its equivalent, in high school courses that are adopted by
8 the Board of Regents and recommended by the State Board of
9 Community Colleges as college-preparatory academic courses;
10 and. Among courses taken to fulfill the 24-academic-credit
11 requirement, a student must take:
12 1. Two credits in algebra and one credit in geometry,
13 or their equivalents, as determined by the state board.
14 2. One credit in biology, one credit in chemistry, and
15 one credit in physics, or their equivalents, as determined by
16 the state board.
17 3. Two credits in the same foreign language, taken for
18 elective credit. A student whose native language is not
19 English is exempt from this requirement if the student
20 demonstrates proficiency in the native language. American sign
21 language constitutes a foreign language.
22 (c)(b) Has obtained at least the qualifying score for
23 the Florida Merit Scholars award on the combined verbal and
24 quantitative parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the
25 Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered Scholastic
26 Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination, or an
27 equivalent score on the American College Testing Program.
28 Takes the postsecondary education common placement test
29 prescribed in s. 240.117, or an equivalent test identified by
30 the State Board of Education, before graduation and scores at
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1 or above the established statewide passing score in each test
2 area.
3 (2) For purposes of calculating the grade point
4 average to be used in determining eligibility for a
5 college-ready diploma, the department shall assign additional
6 weights to grades earned in courses identified in the Course
7 Code Directory as Advanced Placement, pre-International
8 Baccalaureate, or International Baccalaureate. The department
9 may assign additional weights to courses, other than those
10 described in this subsection, which are identified by the
11 Articulation Coordinating Committee as containing rigorous
12 academic curriculum and performance standards. The additional
13 weight assigned to a course under this subsection must not
14 exceed 0.5 per semester per course.
15 (3)(2) A college-ready diploma entitles a student to
16 admission without placement testing to a public postsecondary
17 education program that terminates in a technical certificate,
18 an associate in science degree, or an associate in arts
19 degree, if the student enters postsecondary education within 2
20 years after earning the college-ready diploma.
21 (3) The Department of Education shall convene a task
22 force of educators and employers to recommend additional
23 incentives for students to pursue a college-ready diploma.
24 The incentives may include awards and recognition, preference
25 for positions in firms, and early registration privileges in
26 postsecondary education institutions.
27 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 1998.
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Florida Senate - 1998 CS for SB 2350
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1 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
2 SB 2350
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4 The committee substitute removes from the bill sections
providing specific authority for the State Board of Education
5 to adopt rules affecting dual-enrollment programs for high
school students and the articulation of foreign language
6 competency between secondary and postsecondary schools.
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