House Bill 2221
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Florida House of Representatives - 1999 HB 2221
By the Committee on Education/K-12 and Representative Diaz
de la Portilla
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to definitions of education
3 terms; amending s. 228.041, F.S.; revising
4 definitions of "dropout," "graduation rate,"
5 and "dropout rate"; amending s. 236.1228, F.S.,
6 relating to statewide education accountability
7 indicators; correcting a cross reference;
8 conforming terminology; providing an effective
9 date.
10
11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
12
13 Section 1. Subsections (29), (40), and (42) of section
14 228.041, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, are amended to
15 read:
16 228.041 Definitions.--Specific definitions shall be as
17 follows, and wherever such defined words or terms are used in
18 the Florida School Code, they shall be used as follows:
19 (29) DROPOUT.--A dropout is a student not subject to
20 compulsory school attendance, as defined in s. 232.01, who
21 meets any one or more of the following criteria:
22 (a) The student has voluntarily removed himself or
23 herself from the school system before graduation for reasons
24 that include, but are not limited to, marriage, or the student
25 has withdrawn from school because he or she has failed the
26 statewide student assessment test and thereby does not receive
27 any of the certificates of completion;
28 (b) The student has not met the relevant attendance
29 requirements of the school district pursuant to State Board of
30 Education rules, or the student was expected to attend a
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Florida House of Representatives - 1999 HB 2221
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1 school but did not enter as expected for unknown reasons, or
2 the student's whereabouts are unknown;
3 (c) The student has withdrawn from school, but has not
4 transferred to another public or private school or enrolled in
5 any vocational, adult, or alternative educational program; or
6 (d) The student has withdrawn from school due to
7 hardship, unless such withdrawal has been granted under the
8 provisions of s. 322.091, court action, expulsion, medical
9 reasons, or pregnancy; or
10 (e) The student is not eligible to attend school
11 because of reaching the maximum age for an exceptional student
12 program in accordance with the district's policy.
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14 Students not exempt from attendance pursuant to s. 232.06 and
15 who are subject to compulsory school attendance under s.
16 232.01 and who stop attending school are habitual truants as
17 defined in subsection (28) and are not considered dropouts.
18 The State Board of Education may adopt rules to implement the
19 provisions of this subsection.
20 (40) GRADUATION RATE.--The term "graduation rate"
21 means the percentage of students, not counting students who
22 transfer out of the student population to enroll in another
23 school system; students who withdraw to enroll in a private
24 school, a home education program, or an adult education
25 program; or deceased students; who graduate from high school
26 upon receiving:
27 (a) A standard high school diploma, as provided in s.
28 232.246, within 4 years of entering ninth grade for the first
29 time;
30 (b) A special diploma, as provided in s. 232.247,
31 within 5 years; or
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Florida House of Representatives - 1999 HB 2221
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1 (c) A high school equivalency diploma, as provided in
2 s. 229.814, if the student is 19 years of age or younger
3 calculated by dividing the number of entering 9th graders into
4 the number of students who receive, 4 years later, a high
5 school diploma, a special diploma, or a certificate of
6 completion, as provided for in s. 232.246, or who receive a
7 special certificate of completion, as provided in s. 232.247,
8 and students 19 years of age or younger who receive a general
9 equivalency diploma, as provided in s. 229.814. The number of
10 9th grade students used in the calculation of a graduation
11 rate for this state shall be students enrolling in the grade
12 for the first time.
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14 Upon enrollment, incoming transfer students are to be included
15 in the count of the class with which they are scheduled to
16 graduate.
17 (42) HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT RATE.--The term "high school
18 dropout rate" means the annual percentage calculated by
19 dividing the number of students in grades 9 through 12 over
20 the age of compulsory school attendance, pursuant to s.
21 232.01, at the time of the fall membership count, into the
22 number of students who withdraw from school during a given
23 school year and who are classified as dropouts pursuant to
24 subsection (29), by the total number of students in grades 9
25 through 12 in attendance at any time during the school year.
26 Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of section
27 236.1228, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
28 236.1228 Accountability program grants.--
29 (4) STATEWIDE INDICATORS.--
30 (b) The statewide indicators are:
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1 1. Improve graduation rate.--The statewide goal is to
2 achieve a graduation rate of 85 percent. The graduate rate
3 will be calculated as defined in s. 228.041(40)(41). The
4 district annual graduation rate indicator shall be at least an
5 increase of one percentage point or one-third of the
6 difference between the second preceding year and 85 percent,
7 whichever is greater.
8 2. Improve high school dropout rate.--The statewide
9 goal is to achieve a dropout rate in high school of 4 percent
10 or less. The dropout rate will be calculated as defined in s.
11 228.041(42)(43). The district and high school annual dropout
12 rate indicator for the high school shall be 6 percent or less
13 and the district average shall be 4 percent or less for grades
14 9 through 12.
15 3. Improve promotion rate.--The statewide goal is to
16 achieve a 95-percent promotion rate from grade to grade in
17 grades 9 through 12. The district and high school annual
18 promotion rate indicator for the high school from grade to
19 grade in grades 9 through 12 shall be 94 percent or higher and
20 the district average shall be 95 percent or higher for grades
21 9 through 12.
22 4. Increase enrollment in and completion of upper
23 level science courses.--The statewide goal is to have 20
24 percent or more of the high school students enrolled in and
25 completing level 3 science courses, 55 percent or more of the
26 high school students enrolled in level 2 science courses, and
27 20 percent or less of the high school students enrolled in
28 level 1 science courses. Components of the district and high
29 school annual science enrollment indicator are:
30 a. For level 3 science courses, the high school shall
31 have 15 percent or more of the grades 9 through 12 students
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1 enrolled in level 3 science courses and the district average
2 shall be 20 percent or more of the grades 9 through 12
3 students enrolled in level 3 science courses;
4 b. For level 2 science courses, the high school shall
5 have 45 percent or more of the grades 9 through 12 students
6 enrolled in level 2 science courses and the district average
7 shall be 55 percent or more of the grades 9 through 12
8 students enrolled in level 2 science courses; and
9 c. For level 1 science courses, the high school shall
10 have 30 percent or less of the grades 9 through 12 students
11 enrolled in level 1 science courses and the district average
12 shall be 20 percent or less of the grades 9 through 12
13 students enrolled in level 1 science courses.
14 5. Increase enrollment in and completion of upper
15 level mathematics courses.--The statewide goal is to have 15
16 percent or more of the high school students enrolled in and
17 completing level 3 mathematics courses, 50 percent or more of
18 the high school students enrolled in level 2 mathematics
19 courses, and 30 percent or less of the high school students
20 enrolled in level 1 mathematics courses. Components of the
21 district and high school annual mathematics enrollment
22 indicator are:
23 a. For level 3 mathematics courses, the high school
24 shall have 10 percent or more of the grades 9 through 12
25 students enrolled in level 3 mathematics courses and the
26 district average shall be 15 percent or more of the grades 9
27 through 12 students enrolled in level 3 mathematics courses;
28 b. For level 2 mathematics courses, the high school
29 shall have 40 percent or more of the grades 9 through 12
30 students enrolled in level 2 mathematics courses and the
31 district average shall be 50 percent or more of the grades 9
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Florida House of Representatives - 1999 HB 2221
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1 through 12 students enrolled in level 2 mathematics courses;
2 and
3 c. For level 1 mathematics courses, the high school
4 shall have 40 percent or less of the grades 9 through 12
5 students enrolled in level 1 mathematics courses and the
6 district average shall be 30 percent or less of the grades 9
7 through 12 students enrolled in level 1 mathematics courses.
8 6. Improve utilization of postsecondary feedback
9 report.--The statewide goal is to reduce annually the high
10 school's graduates who are enrolled in a degree program and
11 are referred for remediation in mathematics, reading, and
12 writing in public colleges and universities by 50 percent of
13 the number for the second preceding year. The district and
14 high school annual referrals for remediation indicators for
15 high school shall be a reduction of 40 percent or more and the
16 district's average reduction shall be 50 percent or more of
17 the number for the second preceding year.
18 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.
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21 HOUSE SUMMARY
22
Revises statutory definitions of "dropout," "graduation
23 rate," and "dropout rate."
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