Senate Bill 1794er

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.





    ENROLLED

    1999 Legislature                        SB 1794, 1st Engrossed



  1

  2         An act relating to postsecondary remediation;

  3         amending s. 239.301, F.S., relating to adult

  4         general education; revising a provision

  5         relating to funding for college-preparatory

  6         classes; amending s. 240.1161, F.S., relating

  7         to district interinstitutional articulation

  8         agreements; authorizing the provision of

  9         performance incentive funds for the effective

10         implementation of remedial reduction plans;

11         providing that interinstitutional articulation

12         agreements include a plan outlining the

13         mechanisms and strategies for improving the

14         preparation of elementary, middle, and high

15         school teachers; amending s. 240.117, F.S.,

16         relating to common placement testing for public

17         postsecondary education; revising a provision

18         relating to funding for college-preparatory

19         classes; amending s. 240.124, F.S.; providing

20         exceptions to the requirement that students

21         enrolled in the same course more than twice pay

22         the full cost of instruction and not be

23         included in calculations for state funding

24         purposes; providing an effective date.

25

26  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

27

28         Section 1.  Paragraph (d) of subsection (4) of section

29  239.301, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, is amended to

30  read:

31         239.301  Adult general education.--


                                  1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.




    ENROLLED

    1999 Legislature                        SB 1794, 1st Engrossed



  1         (4)

  2         (d)  Expenditures for college-preparatory and lifelong

  3  learning students shall be reported separately. Allocations

  4  for college-preparatory courses shall be based on proportional

  5  full-time equivalent enrollment. Program review results shall

  6  be included in the determination of subsequent allocations.  A

  7  student shall be funded to enroll in the same

  8  college-preparatory class within a skill area only twice once,

  9  after which time the student shall pay 100 percent of the full

10  cost of instruction to support the continuous enrollment of

11  that student in the same class;  however, students who

12  withdraw or fail a class due to extenuating circumstances may

13  be granted an exception only once for each class, provided

14  approval is granted according to policy established by the

15  board of trustees. Each community college shall have the

16  authority to review and reduce payment for increased fees due

17  to continued enrollment in a college-preparatory class on an

18  individual basis contingent upon the student's financial

19  hardship, pursuant to definitions and fee levels established

20  by the State Board of Community Colleges. College-preparatory

21  and lifelong learning courses do not generate credit toward an

22  associate or baccalaureate degree.

23         Section 2.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (2) of section

24  240.1161, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

25         240.1161  District interinstitutional articulation

26  agreements.--

27         (2)  The district interinstitutional articulation

28  agreement for each school year must be completed before high

29  school registration for the fall term of the following school

30  year. The agreement must include, but is not limited to, the

31  following components:


                                  2

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.




    ENROLLED

    1999 Legislature                        SB 1794, 1st Engrossed



  1         (c)  Mechanisms and strategies for reducing the

  2  incidence of postsecondary remediation in math, reading, and

  3  writing for first-time-enrolled recent high school graduates,

  4  based upon the findings in the postsecondary

  5  readiness-for-college report produced pursuant to s. 240.118.

  6  Each articulation committee shall annually analyze and assess

  7  the effectiveness of the mechanisms toward meeting the goal of

  8  reducing postsecondary remediation needs.  Results of the

  9  assessment shall be annually presented to participating

10  district school boards and community college boards of

11  trustees and shall include, but not be limited to:

12         1.  Mechanisms currently being initiated.

13         2.  An analysis of problems and corrective actions.

14         3.  Anticipated outcomes.

15         4.  Strategies for the better preparation of students

16  upon graduation from high school.

17         5.  An analysis of costs associated with the

18  implementation of postsecondary remedial education and

19  secondary-level corrective actions.

20         6.  The identification of strategies for reducing costs

21  of the delivery of postsecondary remediation for recent high

22  school graduates, including the consideration and assessment

23  of alternative instructional methods and services such as

24  those produced by private providers.

25

26  Wherever possible, public schools and community colleges are

27  encouraged to share resources, form partnerships with private

28  industries, and implement innovative strategies and mechanisms

29  such as distance learning, summer student and faculty

30  workshops, parental involvement activities, and the

31  distribution of information over the Internet. The Legislature


                                  3

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.




    ENROLLED

    1999 Legislature                        SB 1794, 1st Engrossed



  1  may provide performance incentive funds for the effective

  2  implementation of remedial reduction plans developed and

  3  implemented pursuant to this paragraph. The district

  4  interinstitutional articulation agreement shall include a plan

  5  that outlines the mechanisms and strategies for improving the

  6  preparation of elementary, middle, and high school teachers.

  7  Effective collaboration among school districts, postsecondary

  8  institutions, and practicing educators is essential to

  9  improving teaching in Florida's elementary and secondary

10  schools and consequently, the retention and success of

11  students through high school graduation and into postsecondary

12  education. Professional development programs shall be

13  developed cooperatively and include curricular content which

14  focuses upon local and state needs and responds to state,

15  national, and district policy and program priorities. School

16  districts and community colleges are encouraged to develop

17  plans which utilize new technologies, address critical needs

18  in their implementation, and include both preservice and

19  inservice initiatives.

20         Section 3.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of section

21  240.117, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

22         240.117  Common placement testing for public

23  postsecondary education.--

24         (4)(a)  Community college or state university students

25  who have been identified as requiring additional preparation

26  pursuant to subsection (1) shall enroll in college-preparatory

27  or other adult education pursuant to s. 239.301 in community

28  colleges to develop needed college-entry skills.  These

29  students shall be permitted to take courses within their

30  degree program concurrently in other curriculum areas for

31  which they are qualified while enrolled in college-preparatory


                                  4

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.




    ENROLLED

    1999 Legislature                        SB 1794, 1st Engrossed



  1  instruction courses.  A student enrolled in a

  2  college-preparatory course may concurrently enroll only in

  3  college credit courses that do not require the skills

  4  addressed in the college-preparatory course.  The State Board

  5  of Community Colleges shall specify the college credit courses

  6  that are acceptable for students enrolled in each

  7  college-preparatory skill area, pursuant to s. 240.311(3)(q).

  8  A student who wishes to earn an associate in arts or a

  9  baccalaureate degree, but who is required to complete a

10  college-preparatory course, must successfully complete the

11  required college-preparatory studies by the time the student

12  has accumulated 12 hours of lower-division college credit

13  degree coursework; however, a student may continue enrollment

14  in degree-earning coursework provided the student maintains

15  enrollment in college-preparatory coursework for each

16  subsequent semester until college-preparatory coursework

17  requirements are completed, and the student demonstrates

18  satisfactory performance in degree-earning coursework.  A

19  passing score on a standardized, institutionally developed

20  test must be achieved before a student is considered to have

21  met basic computation and communication skills requirements;

22  however, no student shall be required to retake any test or

23  subtest that was previously passed by said student.  A student

24  shall be funded to enroll in the same college-preparatory

25  class within a skill area only twice once, after which time

26  the student shall pay 100 percent of the full cost of

27  instruction to support continuous enrollment of that student

28  in the same class and such student shall not be included in

29  calculations of full-time equivalent enrollments for state

30  funding purposes; however, students who withdraw or fail a

31  class due to extenuating circumstances may be granted an


                                  5

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.




    ENROLLED

    1999 Legislature                        SB 1794, 1st Engrossed



  1  exception only once for each class, provided approval is

  2  granted according to policy established by the board of

  3  trustees. Each community college shall have the authority to

  4  review and reduce fees paid by students due to continued

  5  enrollment in a college-preparatory class on an individual

  6  basis contingent upon the student's financial hardship,

  7  pursuant to definitions and fee levels established by the

  8  State Board of Community Colleges. Credit awarded for

  9  college-preparatory instruction may not be counted towards

10  fulfilling the number of credits required for a degree.

11         Section 4.  Section 240.124, Florida Statutes, is

12  amended to read:

13         240.124  Funding for continuous enrollment in college

14  credit courses.--Beginning fall semester 1997, A student

15  enrolled in the same undergraduate college-credit college

16  credit course more than twice two times shall pay

17  matriculation at 100 percent of the full cost of instruction

18  and shall not be included in calculations of full-time

19  equivalent enrollments for state funding purposes.  However,

20  students who withdraw or fail a class due to extenuating

21  circumstances may be granted an exception only once for each

22  class, provided that approval is granted according to policy

23  established by the board of trustees of the community colleges

24  or the Board of Regents for the State University System. Each

25  community college and state university shall have the

26  authority to review and reduce fees paid by students due to

27  continued enrollment in a college-credit class on an

28  individual basis contingent upon the student's financial

29  hardship, pursuant to definitions and fee levels established

30  by the State Board of Community Colleges for the community

31  colleges and the Board of Regents for the State University


                                  6

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.




    ENROLLED

    1999 Legislature                        SB 1794, 1st Engrossed



  1  System. For purposes of this section, first-time enrollment in

  2  a class shall mean enrollment in a class beginning fall

  3  semester 1997, and calculations of the full cost of

  4  instruction shall be based on the systemwide average of the

  5  prior year's cost of undergraduate programs for the Community

  6  College System and the State University System. The Board of

  7  Regents and the State Board of Community Colleges may make

  8  exceptions to this section for individualized study, elective

  9  coursework, courses that are repeated as a requirement of a

10  major, and courses that are intended as continuing over

11  multiple semesters, excluding the repeat of coursework more

12  than two times to increase grade point average or meet minimum

13  course grade requirements.

14         Section 5.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999,

15  and shall apply beginning with the Fall term in 1999.

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31


                                  7