House Bill 0239
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Florida House of Representatives - 2000 HB 239
By Representative Wise
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the College Fast Start
3 Program; creating s. 239.515, F.S.;
4 establishing the College Fast Start Program;
5 providing legislative intent; defining terms;
6 providing procedures for application to
7 participate in the program; providing
8 guidelines for program approval; providing
9 requirements for approved programs; requiring
10 an advisory council to review proposals and
11 recommend an order of priority for funding;
12 providing membership of the advisory council;
13 providing for funding of the program; providing
14 methodology for competitive funding of approved
15 programs; providing requirements for the
16 continuation of funding for programs; requiring
17 an interim report to the Florida Governor's
18 Alliance for the Employment of Disabled
19 Citizens; requiring an annual end-of-the-year
20 report to the alliance; requiring the alliance
21 and the Postsecondary Education Planning
22 Commission to develop specifications and
23 procedures for the transmission of such data;
24 requiring the alliance to report to the
25 Governor, the Legislature, and the Commissioner
26 of Education annually on the effectiveness of
27 the program; providing an effective date.
28
29 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
30
31
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Florida House of Representatives - 2000 HB 239
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1 Section 1. Section 239.515, Florida Statutes, is
2 created to read:
3 239.515 College Fast Start Program.--
4 (1) There is established a College Fast Start Program
5 to increase the number of students with disabilities in grades
6 6 through 12 who, upon high school graduation, are admitted to
7 and successfully complete an associate in arts degree or an
8 associate in science degree or a workforce development
9 program. The goal of the program is the completion of a degree
10 or occupational completion points by, and placement into
11 competitive employment of, students with disabilities defined
12 by the Americans With Disabilities Act who otherwise would be
13 unlikely to seek admission to a community college, state
14 university, or independent postsecondary vocational
15 institution without special support and recruitment efforts.
16 As part of the College Fast Start Program, the Florida
17 Governor's Alliance for the Employment of Disabled Citizens,
18 in cooperation with community colleges, independent
19 postsecondary institutions, high schools, businesses, and
20 agencies serving youth with disabilities, shall sponsor
21 programs to develop leadership skills, career counseling, and
22 motivation and shall provide grants for internships to further
23 prepare students with disabilities for postsecondary education
24 and employment opportunities.
25 (2) As used in this section:
26 (a) "The alliance" means the Florida Governor's
27 Alliance for the Employment of Disabled Citizens.
28 (b) "Program participant" means a community college,
29 public university, independent postsecondary institution, high
30 school, agency serving youth with disabilities, or a
31 consortium of the above.
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Florida House of Representatives - 2000 HB 239
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1 (3) To apply to participate in the College Fast Start
2 Program, a potential program participant may submit a proposal
3 to the Florida Governor's Alliance for the Employment of
4 Disabled Citizens. Each proposal must contain the following
5 information:
6 (a) A statement of purpose, which includes a
7 description of the need for, and the results expected from,
8 the proposed program.
9 (b) An identification of the service area which names
10 the schools to be served and provides community and school
11 demographics on the number and types of students with
12 disabilities and the number of high school graduates within
13 the area with a disability.
14 (c) An identification of existing programs for
15 providing employment training for persons with disabilities.
16 (d) A description of the proposed training and
17 modifications needed to accommodate students who would
18 participate in the program. At least 40 percent of the
19 students recruited in any one year must be in grades 6 through
20 9.
21 (e) A description of the program activities, which
22 must support the following goals:
23 1. To motivate students to pursue a postsecondary
24 education.
25 2. To develop students' basic learning and leadership
26 skills.
27 3. To develop collaboration with the STARS program.
28 (f) An evaluation component that provides for the
29 collection, maintenance, retrieval, and analysis of the data
30 required by this section.
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1 (4) The alliance shall consider proposals to determine
2 which proposals to implement as programs that will strengthen
3 the educational motivation and preparation of students with
4 disabilities to seek postsecondary education or job training.
5 In selecting proposals for approval, the alliance shall give
6 preference to:
7 (a) Proposals submitted by a postsecondary institution
8 and a business partner.
9 (b) A program that will use institutional, federal, or
10 private resources to supplement state appropriations.
11 (c) An applicant that demonstrates an understanding of
12 the need to accommodate students with disabilities.
13 (d) A program that includes innovative approaches,
14 provides a great variety of activities, and interacts with
15 business and industry in the development of the learning
16 experience.
17 (e) An applicant that demonstrates commitment to the
18 program by proposing to match the grant funds equally in cash
19 or services, with cash being the preferred contribution.
20 (f) An applicant that demonstrates an interest in
21 cultural diversity and that addresses the unmet regional
22 employment needs of varying communities.
23 (g) A program that identifies potential student
24 participants from among students who are not already enrolled
25 in similar programs that assist students with disabilities.
26 (5) Program applicants that are approved to
27 participate in the program must implement procedures which
28 provide consistent contact with students from the point at
29 which the student is selected to participate in the program
30 until he or she enrolls in a postsecondary education
31 institution. These procedures must assist students in
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1 selecting courses required for graduation from high school and
2 must include occupational forecasting for future job
3 availability and requirements for those positions.
4 Institutions that participate must provide on-campus academic
5 or job training activities, job profiling and career
6 counseling activities during summer vacation, and
7 opportunities for interacting with business leaders and
8 employers, mentors, tutors, or role models. Each program
9 participant is encouraged to use its resources to meet program
10 objectives. Each program participant must establish an
11 advisory committee composed of high school and junior high
12 school personnel and business leaders to provide advice and
13 assistance in implementing the program.
14 (6) An advisory council shall review each proposal and
15 recommend to the alliance an order of priority for funding the
16 proposals. The advisory council shall consist of the following
17 10 members and shall designate a meeting facilitator from
18 among the members:
19 (a) Three persons with disabilities, appointed by the
20 Governor.
21 (b) Two representatives of private or community-based
22 organizations, one each appointed by the President of the
23 Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
24 (c) One representative of the State University System,
25 appointed by the chair of the Board of Regents.
26 (d) One representative of the Community College
27 System, appointed by the chair of the State Board of Community
28 Colleges.
29 (e) One representative of the Independent Colleges and
30 Universities of Florida, appointed by the president of the
31 Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida.
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1 (f) One representative of a public school district,
2 appointed by the Commissioner of Education.
3 (g) One representative of the Postsecondary Education
4 Planning Commission, appointed by the chair of the commission.
5
6 Each member shall be appointed for a 3-year term of office.
7 Members may serve no more than two consecutive terms. A
8 vacancy must be filled with a person of the same status as the
9 original appointee who shall serve for the remainder of the
10 term. Members are entitled to per diem and travel expenses as
11 provided in s. 112.061 while performing council duties.
12 (7) Funding for the College Fast Start Program shall
13 be provided annually in the General Appropriations Act. From
14 these funds, an annual allocation shall be provided to the
15 alliance to conduct the program. Approved programs must be
16 funded competitively according to the following methodology:
17 (a) Eighty percent of funds appropriated annually to
18 the College Fast Start Program must be distributed as grants
19 to projects that include, at the minimum:
20 1. A summer business internship program.
21 2. A minimum number of hours of academic instructional
22 and developmental activities, career counseling, and personal
23 counseling.
24 (b) Subject to legislative appropriations, funds for
25 the continuation of projects that satisfy the minimum
26 requirements shall be increased each year by the same
27 percentage as the rate of inflation. Projects funded for 3
28 consecutive years must have a cumulative institutional cash
29 match of not less than 50 percent of the total cost of the
30 project over the 3-year period. Any College Fast Start Program
31 operating for 3 years which does not provide the minimum 50
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1 percent institutional cash match shall not be considered for
2 continued funding.
3 (8) On or before February 15 of each year, each
4 participant or consortium of participants shall submit to the
5 alliance an interim report of program expenditures and
6 participant information as requested by the alliance.
7 (9) On or before October 15 of each year, each program
8 participant shall submit to the alliance an end-of-the-year
9 report on the effectiveness of its participation in the
10 program during the preceding fiscal year. The end-of-the-year
11 report must include, without limitation:
12 (a) An itemization of program expenditures by funding
13 category, including: state grant funds, institutional
14 matching contributions disaggregated by cash and in-kind
15 services, and outside funding sources disaggregated by cash
16 and in-kind services.
17 (b) The number of students participating by grade
18 level, gender, race, and disability.
19 (c) The student identification number and social
20 security number, if available, the name of the public school
21 attended, and the gender, ethnicity, grade level, and grade
22 point average of each student participant at the time of entry
23 into the program.
24 (d) The grade point average, grade, and promotion
25 status of each student participant at the end of the academic
26 year and notification of suspension or expulsion of a
27 participant, if applicable.
28 (e) The number and percentage of high school
29 participants who satisfactorily complete 2 sequential years of
30 a foreign language and Levels 2 and 3 mathematics and science
31 courses.
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1 (f) The number and percentage of participants eligible
2 for high school graduation who receive a standard high school
3 diploma or a high school equivalency diploma pursuant to s.
4 229.814.
5 (g) The number and percentage of 12th grade
6 participants who are accepted for enrollment and who enroll in
7 a postsecondary institution and the program of study in which
8 they are enrolled.
9 (h) The number of participants who receive
10 scholarships, grant aid, and work-study awards.
11 (i) The number and percentage of participants who
12 enroll in a public postsecondary institution and who fail to
13 achieve a passing score, as defined in State Board of
14 Education rule, on college placement tests pursuant to s.
15 240.117.
16 (j) The number and percentage of participants who
17 enroll in a postsecondary institution and have a minimum
18 cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, or its
19 equivalent, by the end of the second semester.
20 (k) The number of students with disabilities
21 participating in the project and the nature of their
22 disability.
23 (l) A statement of how the program addresses the three
24 program goals identified in paragraph (3)(e).
25 (m) A brief description and analysis of program
26 characteristics and activities critical to program success.
27 (n) A description of the cooperation received from
28 other units, organizations, businesses, or agencies.
29 (o) An explanation of the program's outcomes,
30 including data related to student performance on the measures
31 provided for in paragraph (3)(f).
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1
2 The Postsecondary Education Planning Commission, in
3 consultation with the alliance and the Department of
4 Education, shall develop specifications and procedures for the
5 collection and transmission of the data.
6 (10) By February 15 of each year, the alliance shall
7 submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the
8 Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Commissioner
9 of Education a report that evaluates the effectiveness of the
10 College Fast Start Program. The report must be based upon
11 information provided by program participants, the Board of
12 Regents, the State Board of Community Colleges, and the
13 Division of Workforce Development pursuant to subsections (1)
14 and (7). To the extent feasible, the performance of College
15 Fast Start Program participants must be compared to the
16 performance of comparable cohorts of students in public school
17 and postsecondary education.
18 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.
19
20 *****************************************
21 HOUSE SUMMARY
22
Establishes the College Fast Start Program. Provides
23 legislative intent and defines terms. Provides procedures
for application to participate in the program. Provides
24 guidelines for program approval. Provides requirements
for approved programs. Requires an advisory council to
25 review proposals and recommend an order of priority for
funding. Provides for membership and duties of the
26 advisory council. Provides methodology for competitive
funding of approved programs. Provides requirements for
27 the continuation of funding for programs. Requires an
interim report to the Florida Governor's Alliance for the
28 Employment of Disabled Citizens. Requires an annual
end-of-the-year report to the alliance. Requires the
29 alliance and the Postsecondary Education Planning
Commission to develop specifications and procedures for
30 the transmission of such data. Requires the alliance to
report to the Governor, the Legislature, and the
31 Commissioner of Education annually on the effectiveness
of the program.
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