Senate Bill sb0118e1
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1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to postsecondary admissions;
3 amending s. 240.233, F.S.; prescribing
4 additional courses that may be considered part
5 of a college-preparatory curriculum; creating
6 s. 239.515, F.S.; establishing the College Fast
7 Start Program; providing legislative intent;
8 defining terms; providing procedures for
9 application to participate in the program;
10 providing guidelines for program approval;
11 providing requirements for approved programs;
12 requiring an advisory council to review
13 proposals and recommend an order of priority
14 for funding; providing membership of the
15 advisory council; providing for funding of the
16 program; providing methodology for competitive
17 funding of approved programs; providing
18 requirements for the continuation of funding
19 for programs; requiring an interim report to
20 the Florida Governor's Alliance for the
21 Employment of Disabled Citizens; requiring an
22 annual end-of-the-year report to the alliance;
23 requiring the alliance and the Postsecondary
24 Education Planning Commission to develop
25 specifications and procedures for the
26 transmission of such data; requiring the
27 alliance to report to the Governor, the
28 Legislature, and the Commissioner of Education
29 annually on the effectiveness of the program;
30 providing an effective date.
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1 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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3 Section 1. Subsection (2) of section 240.233, Florida
4 Statutes, is amended to read:
5 240.233 Universities; admissions of students.--Each
6 university is authorized to adopt rules governing the
7 admission of students, subject to this section and rules of
8 the Board of Regents.
9 (2) The minimum admission standards adopted by the
10 Board of Regents or a state university must permit a student
11 to earn at least 4 of the 19 credits constituting the
12 college-preparatory curriculum required for admission as
13 electives in any one of the following manners:
14 (a) Successful completion of any course identified in
15 the Department of Education course code directory as level two
16 or higher in one or more of the following subject areas:
17 English, mathematics, natural science, social science, and
18 foreign language;
19 (b) Successful completion of any course identified in
20 the Department of Education course code directory as level
21 three in the same or related disciplines;
22 (c) Any combination of the courses identified in
23 paragraphs (a) and (b); or
24 (d) Successful completion of two credits from the
25 courses identified in paragraph (a), plus no more than two
26 total credits from the following categories of courses:
27 1. Courses identified in the Department of Education
28 course code directory as ROTC and military training;
29 2. Courses identified in the Department of Education
30 course code directory as level two in art-visual arts, dance,
31 drama-theatre arts, language arts, or music, or career and
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1 technical education courses that have been determined to be
2 equivalent to level two courses in terms of rigor and
3 relevance by the Articulation Coordinating Committee; or
4 3. Any additional courses determined to be equivalent
5 by the Articulation Coordinating Committee.
6 Section 2. Section 239.515, Florida Statutes, is
7 created to read:
8 239.515 College Fast Start Program.--
9 (1) There is established a College Fast Start Program
10 to increase the number of students with disabilities in grades
11 6 through 12 who are admitted to and successfully complete an
12 associate in arts degree or an associate in science degree or
13 a workforce development program. The goal of the program is
14 the completion of a degree or occupational completion points
15 by, and placement into competitive employment of, students who
16 were identified as having a disability, in accordance with the
17 requirements of chapter 6A-6, Florida Administrative Code,
18 prior to their senior year in high school and who otherwise
19 would be unlikely to seek admission to a community college,
20 state university, public technical center, or independent
21 postsecondary vocational institution without special support
22 and recruitment efforts. As part of the College Fast Start
23 Program, the Florida Governor's Alliance for the Employment of
24 Disabled Citizens, in cooperation with community colleges,
25 school district technical centers, independent postsecondary
26 institutions, high schools, businesses, and agencies serving
27 youth with disabilities, shall sponsor programs to develop
28 leadership skills, career counseling, and motivation and shall
29 provide grants for internships to further prepare students
30 with disabilities for postsecondary education and employment
31 opportunities.
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1 (2) As used in this section:
2 (a) "The alliance" means the Florida Governor's
3 Alliance for the Employment of Disabled Citizens.
4 (b) "Program participant" means a community college, a
5 public university, a public technical center, an independent
6 postsecondary institution, a high school, an agency serving
7 youth having a disability, or a consortium of the above.
8 (3) To apply to participate in the College Fast Start
9 Program, a potential program participant must submit a
10 proposal to the Florida Governor's Alliance for the Employment
11 of Disabled Citizens. Each proposal must contain the following
12 information:
13 (a) A statement of purpose, which includes a
14 description of the need for, and the results expected from,
15 the proposed program.
16 (b) An identification of the service area which names
17 the schools to be served and provides community and school
18 demographics on the number and types of students with
19 disabilities and the number of high school graduates within
20 the area with a disability.
21 (c) An identification of existing programs for
22 providing employment training for persons with disabilities.
23 (d) A description of the proposed training and
24 modifications needed to accommodate students who would
25 participate in the program. At least 40 percent of the
26 students participating in any one year must be in grades 6
27 through 9.
28 (e) A description of the program activities, which
29 must support the following goals:
30 1. To motivate students to pursue a postsecondary
31 education.
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1 2. To develop students' basic learning and leadership
2 skills.
3 3. To develop collaboration with the STARS program.
4 (f) An evaluation component that provides for the
5 collection, maintenance, retrieval, and analysis of the data
6 required by this section.
7 (4) The alliance shall consider proposals and
8 determine which proposals to implement as programs that will
9 strengthen the educational motivation and preparation of
10 students with disabilities to seek postsecondary education or
11 job training. In selecting proposals for approval, the
12 alliance shall give preference to:
13 (a) Proposals submitted by a postsecondary institution
14 and a business partner which include innovative approaches,
15 provide a great variety of activities, and interact with
16 business and industry in the development of the learning
17 experience.
18 (b) A program that will use institutional, federal, or
19 private resources to supplement state appropriations.
20 (c) Proposals that demonstrate commitment to the
21 program by proposing to match the grant funds equally in cash
22 or services, with cash being the preferred contribution.
23 (d) Proposals that demonstrate an interest in cultural
24 diversity and that address the unmet regional employment needs
25 of varying communities.
26 (e) A program that identifies potential student
27 participants from among students who are not already enrolled
28 in similar programs that assist students with disabilities.
29 (f) A program that includes a parental involvement
30 component.
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1 (5) Program applicants that are approved to
2 participate in the program must implement procedures that
3 provide consistent contact with students from the point at
4 which the student is selected to participate in the program
5 until he or she enrolls in a postsecondary educational
6 institution. These procedures must assist students in
7 selecting courses required for graduation from high school and
8 must include occupational forecasting for future job
9 availability and requirements for those positions.
10 Institutions that participate must provide on-campus academic
11 or job training activities, job profiling and career
12 counseling activities during summer vacation, and
13 opportunities for interacting with business leaders and
14 employers, mentors, tutors, or role models. Each program
15 participant is encouraged to use its resources to meet program
16 objectives. Each program participant must establish an
17 advisory committee composed of high school and middle school
18 personnel and business leaders to provide advice and
19 assistance in implementing the program.
20 (6) An advisory council shall review each proposal and
21 recommend to the alliance an order of priority for funding the
22 proposals. The advisory council shall consist of the following
23 11 members and shall designate a meeting facilitator from
24 among the members:
25 (a) Three persons with disabilities, appointed by the
26 Governor.
27 (b) Two representatives of private or community-based
28 organizations, one appointed by the President of the Senate
29 and one appointed by the Speaker of the House of
30 Representatives.
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1 (c) One representative of the State University System,
2 appointed by the chair of the Board of Regents.
3 (d) One representative of the Community College
4 System, appointed by the chair of the State Board of Community
5 Colleges.
6 (e) One representative of the Independent Colleges and
7 Universities of Florida, appointed by the president of the
8 Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida.
9 (f) Two representatives of public school districts,
10 appointed by the Commissioner of Education. One member shall
11 represent postsecondary technical centers.
12 (g) One representative of the Postsecondary Education
13 Planning Commission, appointed by the chair of the commission.
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15 Members shall be appointed for 3-year, staggered terms of
16 office. Members may serve no more than two consecutive terms.
17 A vacancy must be filled with a person of the same status as
18 the original appointee who shall serve for the remainder of
19 the term. Members are entitled to per diem and travel expenses
20 as provided in s. 112.061 while performing council duties.
21 (7) Funding for the College Fast Start Program shall
22 be as provided in the General Appropriations Act. From these
23 funds, an annual allocation shall be provided to the alliance
24 to conduct the program. Approved programs must be funded
25 competitively according to the following methodology:
26 (a) Eighty percent of funds appropriated annually to
27 the College Fast Start Program must be distributed as grants
28 to projects that include, at a minimum:
29 1. A summer business internship program.
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1 2. A minimum number of hours of academic instructional
2 and developmental activities, career counseling, and personal
3 counseling.
4 (b) The remaining 20 percent of funds appropriated
5 annually may be used by the Florida Governor's Alliance for
6 the Employment of Disabled Citizens for college preparatory
7 leadership training programs.
8 (c) Subject to legislative appropriations, funds for
9 the continuation of projects that satisfy the minimum
10 requirements must be increased each year by the same
11 percentage as the rate of inflation. Projects funded for 3
12 consecutive years must have a cumulative institutional cash
13 match of not less than 50 percent of the total cost of the
14 project over the 3-year period. Any College Fast Start Program
15 operating for 3 years which does not provide the minimum 50
16 percent institutional cash match shall not be considered for
17 continued funding.
18 (8) On or before February 15 of each year, each
19 participant or consortium of participants shall submit to the
20 alliance an interim report of program expenditures and
21 participant information as requested by the alliance.
22 (9) On or before October 15 of each year, each program
23 participant shall submit to the alliance an end-of-the-year
24 report on the effectiveness of its participation in the
25 program during the preceding fiscal year. The end-of-the-year
26 report must include, without limitation:
27 (a) An itemization of program expenditures by funding
28 category, including: state grant funds, institutional
29 matching contributions disaggregated by cash and in-kind
30 services, and outside funding sources disaggregated by cash
31 and in-kind services.
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1 (b) The number of students participating by grade
2 level, gender, race, and disability.
3 (c) The student identification number and social
4 security number, if available, the name of the public school
5 attended, and the gender, ethnicity, grade level, and grade
6 point average of each student participant at the time of entry
7 into the program.
8 (d) The grade point average, grade, and promotion
9 status of each student participant at the end of the academic
10 year and notification of suspension or expulsion of a
11 participant, if applicable.
12 (e) The number and percentage of high school
13 participants who satisfactorily complete 2 sequential years of
14 a foreign language and Levels 2 and 3 mathematics and science
15 courses.
16 (f) The number and percentage of participants eligible
17 for high school graduation who receive a standard high school
18 diploma or a high school equivalency diploma pursuant to s.
19 229.814.
20 (g) The number and percentage of 12th grade
21 participants who are accepted for enrollment and who enroll in
22 a postsecondary institution and the program of study in which
23 they are enrolled.
24 (h) The number of participants who receive
25 scholarships, grant aid, and work-study awards.
26 (i) The number and percentage of participants who
27 enroll in a public postsecondary institution and who fail to
28 achieve a passing score, as defined in State Board of
29 Education rule, on college placement tests pursuant to s.
30 240.117.
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1 (j) The number and percentage of participants who
2 enroll in a postsecondary institution and have a minimum
3 cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, or its
4 equivalent, by the end of the second semester.
5 (k) A statement of how the program addresses the three
6 program goals identified in paragraph (3)(e).
7 (l) A brief description and analysis of program
8 characteristics and activities critical to program success.
9 (m) A description of the cooperation received from
10 other units, organizations, businesses, or agencies.
11 (n) An explanation of the program's outcomes,
12 including data related to student performance on the measures
13 provided for in paragraph (3)(f).
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15 The Postsecondary Education Planning Commission, in
16 consultation with the alliance and the Department of
17 Education, shall develop specifications and procedures for the
18 collection and transmission of the data.
19 (10) By February 15 of each year, the alliance shall
20 submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the
21 Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Commissioner
22 of Education a report that evaluates the effectiveness of the
23 College Fast Start Program. The report must be based upon
24 information provided by program participants, the Board of
25 Regents, the State Board of Community Colleges, and the
26 Division of Workforce Development pursuant to subsections (1)
27 and (7). To the extent feasible, the performance of College
28 Fast Start Program participants must be compared to the
29 performance of comparable cohorts of students in public school
30 and postsecondary education.
31 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.
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