HB 0191 2003
1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to career and technical education;
3	providing legislative intent; requiring career and
4	technical education programs within a comprehensive high
5	school program of study to be industry certified;
6	requiring State Board of Education rules for the
7	certification process; providing full-time equivalent
8	student funding for student enrollment; requiring
9	articulation with postsecondary programs; providing
10	academic requirements for students enrolled in career and
11	technical education programs; providing for a career and
12	technical education endorsement on a high school diploma
13	and incentive funding to school districts for students
14	receiving the endorsement; providing professional
15	development programs for guidance counselors and career
16	specialists; amending s. 1003.491, F.S.; providing certain
17	responsibilities for district school boards and
18	superintendents; amending s. 1011.62, F.S., relating to
19	the Florida Education Finance Program; providing for
20	funding of career and technical education programs;
21	revising a program group; providing incentive funding for
22	attainment of high school career and technical education
23	endorsements as a categorical program; amending s.
24	1012.01, F.S.; revising a personnel classification title;
25	requiring a study by the Office of Program Policy Analysis
26	and Government Accountability; providing effective dates.
27
28	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
29
30	Section 1.(1) The Legislature intends to ensure that all
31	high schools provide supportive services to students and their
32	parents to determine the comprehensive program of study that
33	will best meet the needs and goals of each student. At a
34	minimum, these services must include access to a guidance
35	counselor and assistance in developing an educational and career
36	plan. Each high school shall provide a variety of comprehensive,
37	relevant programs of study that will meet the needs of all
38	students and enable each student to pursue his or her individual
39	educational and career goals.
40	(2) Key components of this process are:
41	(a) A variety of programs of study that are based on
42	individual educational and career goals.
43	(b) Parental involvement in the identification of the
44	appropriate program of study.
45	(c) Assurance that all programs of study are designed to
46	provide a seamless transition to appropriate postsecondary
47	education and employment.
48	Section 2.(1) A career and technical education program
49	within a comprehensive high school program of study must be
50	certified by the appropriate industry to ensure that all
51	components of the program are relevant and appropriate to
52	prepare the student for further education and employment in that
53	industry.
54	(2) Effective July 1, 2008, each career and technical
55	education program that prepares students for postsecondary
56	education and employment and is offered as part of a
57	comprehensive program of study in a high school must be industry
58	certified, except for courses classified as exploratory,
59	orientation, or practical arts. A student enrolled in a course
60	within a career and technical education program that is not
61	industry certified may not be reported for full-time equivalent
62	funding through the Florida Education Finance Program unless the
63	course is classified as exploratory, orientation, or practical
64	arts. The Department of Education shall ensure that each program
65	is certified by July 1, 2008, and recertified at least every 5
66	years thereafter. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules
67	pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54, Florida Statutes, for
68	implementing the certification process, which rules must
69	establish any necessary procedures for obtaining appropriate
70	business partners and requirements for business and industry
71	involvement in curriculum oversight and equipment procurement.
72	(3) Each full-time equivalent student in an industry-
73	certified career and technical education program shall generate
74	1.5 times the cost factor for students enrolled in the basic
75	program for grades 9-12, as provided in s. 1011.62, Florida
76	Statutes, and the annual General Appropriations Act.
77	(4) Effective July 1, 2008, each career and technical
78	education program offered by a high school and able to be
79	articulated to a postsecondary level must have an articulation
80	agreement with one or more appropriate postsecondary educational
81	institutions to ensure a seamless transition to a related
82	postsecondary program without a loss of credit for the student.
83	Students enrolled in a program that is not articulated to a
84	postsecondary program may not be reported for full-time
85	equivalent student funding through the Florida Education Finance
86	Program unless the course is classified as exploratory,
87	orientation, or practical arts or terminates at the high school
88	level.
89	Section 3.(1) A comprehensive program of study in career
90	and technical education must be designed to ensure that upon
91	completion of the program of study and graduation from high
92	school, a student is prepared to continue his or her education
93	at a postsecondary educational institution and obtain
94	employment. Therefore, a comprehensive career and technical
95	education program of study must require of each student:
96	(a) Completion of academic courses with a designation from
97	the Department of Education of level two or above. All credits
98	earned to meet graduation requirements in mathematics, science,
99	and communication must have that designation.
100	(b) Attainment of at least one occupational completion
101	point in an industry-certified career and technical education
102	program or completion of at least two courses in a technology
103	education program.
104	(c) Completion of a one-credit core course addressing
105	workplace readiness skills. The State Board of Education shall
106	define by rule the content of the course and shall ensure that
107	the course meets graduation requirements for performing fine
108	arts or practical arts. The course requirement may be satisfied
109	by infusing course content into an existing select career and
110	technical education course.
111	(d) Participation in work-based learning experiences, as
112	defined by rule by the State Board of Education.
113	(e) Participation in a capstone activity that includes a
114	project related to a career. This activity is designed to apply
115	and demonstrate the competencies and concepts attained in the
116	student's program of study. The State Board of Education may
117	specify by rule characteristics of capstone activities that meet
118	the intent of this paragraph.
119	(2) A student who fulfills the following requirements may
120	be recognized with a career and technical education endorsement
121	on his or her high school diploma:
122	(a) Completion of the requirements for high school
123	graduation as provided in s. 1003.43, Florida Statutes, and the
124	additional requirements for a comprehensive career and technical
125	education program of study provided in subsection (1).
126	(b) Passing of the college entry-level placement test or
127	an equivalent test identified by the Department of Education
128	with a score adequate to enroll in a public postsecondary
129	educational program without the need for college preparatory or
130	vocational preparatory instruction.
131	(3) The career and technical education endorsement
132	indicates that the student is prepared to continue into
133	postsecondary education without the need for remediation and
134	that the student has marketable employment skills. The State
135	Board of Education may adopt by rule a standard format for the
136	endorsement.
137	(4) For each student who receives the career and technical
138	education endorsement on his or her high school diploma, the
139	school district shall receive incentive funding as provided in
140	s. 1011.62, Florida Statutes, and the annual General
141	Appropriations Act.
142	(5) A school district that generates funds as a result of
143	industry-certified programs or incentive funding for student
144	achievement of the career and technical education endorsement on
145	the high school diploma must expend the total amount on the
146	comprehensive career and technical education program of study.
147	The school district may not apply indirect charges to incentive
148	funds earned.
149	Section 4.The Legislature finds that to adequately assist
150	students in advanced technical and academic career planning,
151	high school guidance counselors and career specialists require
152	preservice and inservice professional development programs that
153	contain sufficient information on career education.
154	(1) Each guidance counselor and career specialist in a
155	school with an industry-certified career and technical education
156	program shall complete 12 hours of inservice training in career
157	and technical education for every 5-year period. The inservice
158	training shall include:
159	(a) An emphasis on labor market trends and projections.
160	(b) A practicum that focuses on development of a career
161	awareness program.
162	(c) Content related to a career or employment within a
163	guidance counselor's work experience.
164	(2) The Department of Education shall assist guidance
165	counselors and career specialists in attaining the additional
166	inservice training required. The State Board of Education shall
167	revise rules governing the certification and recertification of
168	guidance counselors to allow substitution of personal work-based
169	experiences and temporary employment opportunities in business
170	and industry for the required classroom instruction.
171	(3) The Legislature encourages colleges of education to
172	provide for additional coursework required pursuant to this
173	section without increasing the total number of credit hours
174	needed to complete a program. Instead, the colleges are
175	encouraged to infuse course content into courses required for
176	introduction, theory, and practicum.
177	Section 5. Subsection (1) of section 1003.491, Florida
178	Statutes, is amended to read:
179	1003.491 Career and technical education.—
180	(1)Each district school board and superintendent shall
181	direct the smooth transition of high school career and technical
182	education programs to industry-certified programs of study
183	included in a comprehensive course of study. Each district
184	school board and superintendent shall also direct the
185	implementation of all components required to obtain the career
186	and technical education endorsement on the high school diploma
187	if the school district chooses to offer the endorsement.School
188	board, superintendent, and school accountability for career and
189	technical education within elementary and secondary schools
190	includes, but is not limited to:
191	(a) Student exposure to a variety of careers and provision
192	of instruction to explore specific careers in greater depth.
193	(b) Student awareness of available career and technical
194	programs and the corresponding occupations into which such
195	programs lead.
196	(c) Student development of individual career plans.
197	(d) Integration of academic and career and technical
198	skills in the secondary curriculum.
199	(e) Student preparation to enter the workforce and enroll
200	in postsecondary education without being required to complete
201	college preparatory or vocational preparatory instruction.
202	(f) Student retention in school through high school
203	graduation.
204	(g) Career and technicaleducationcurriculum articulation
205	with corresponding postsecondary programs in the local area
206	technical center or community college, or both.
207	Section 6. Paragraphs (c) and (d) of subsection (1) of
208	section 1011.62, Florida Statutes, are amended, paragraphs (k)
209	through (r) of said subsection are redesignated as paragraphs
210	(l) through (s), respectively, a new paragraph (k) is added to
211	said subsection, and paragraph (a) of subsection (5) of said
212	section is amended, to read:
213	1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
214	allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
215	district for operation of schools is not determined in the
216	annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
217	the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
218	follows:
219	(1) COMPUTATION OF THE BASIC AMOUNT TO BE INCLUDED FOR
220	OPERATION.—The following procedure shall be followed in
221	determining the annual allocation to each district for
222	operation:
223	(c) Determination of programs.—Cost factors based on
224	desired relative cost differences between the following programs
225	shall be established in the annual General Appropriations Act.
226	An industry-certified secondary career and technical education
227	program shall generate funding as provided in paragraph (k).
228	Effective July 1, 2008, a full-time equivalent student in a
229	career and technical education program that is not industry
230	certified shall not generate any state funding unless the
231	student is in a course classified as exploratory, orientation,
232	or practical arts and the General Appropriations Act contains a
233	cost factor for such course.The Commissioner of Education shall
234	specify a matrix of services and intensity levels to be used by
235	districts in the determination of the two weighted cost factors
236	for exceptional students with the highest levels of need. For
237	these students, the funding support level shall fund the
238	exceptional students' education program, with the exception of
239	extended school year services for students with disabilities.
240	1. Basic programs.—
241	a. Kindergarten and grades 1, 2, and 3.
242	b. Grades 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.
243	c. Grades 9, 10, 11, and 12.
244	2. Programs for exceptional students.—
245	a. Support Level IV.
246	b. Support Level V.
247	3. Secondary career and technical education programsthat
248	are industry certified.—
249	4. Secondary career and technical education programs that
250	are not industry certified.-
251	5.4.English for Speakers of Other Languages.—
252	(d) Annual allocation calculation.—
253	1. The Department of Educationshallis authorized and
254	directed toreview all district programs and enrollment
255	projections and calculate a maximum total weighted full-time
256	equivalent student enrollment for each district for the K-12
257	FEFP.
258	2. Maximum enrollments calculated by the department shall
259	be derived from enrollment estimates used by the Legislature to
260	calculate the FEFP. If two or more districts enter into an
261	agreement under the provisions of s. 1001.42(4)(d), after the
262	final enrollment estimate is agreed upon, the amount of FTE
263	specified in the agreement, not to exceed the estimate for the
264	specific program as identified in paragraph (c), may be
265	transferred from the participating districts to the district
266	providing the program.
267	3. As part of its calculation of each district's maximum
268	total weighted full-time equivalent student enrollment, the
269	department shall establish separate enrollment ceilings for each
270	of two program groups. Group 1 shall be composed of basic
271	programs for grades K-3, grades 4-8, and grades 9-12. Group 2
272	shall be composed of students in exceptional student education
273	programs, English for Speakers of Other Languages programs, and
274	all career and technical programs in grades6-127-12.
275	a. The weighted enrollment ceiling for group 2 programs
276	shall be calculated by multiplying the final enrollment
277	conference estimate for each program by the appropriate program
278	weight. The weighted enrollment ceiling for program group 2
279	shall be the sum of the weighted enrollment ceilings for each
280	program in the program group, plus the increase in weighted
281	full-time equivalent student membership from the prior year for
282	clients of the Department of Children and Family Services and
283	the Department of Juvenile Justice.
284	b. If, for any calculation of the FEFP, the weighted
285	enrollment for program group 2, derived by multiplying actual
286	enrollments by appropriate program weights, exceeds the
287	enrollment ceiling for that group, the following procedure shall
288	be followed to reduce the weighted enrollment for that group to
289	equal the enrollment ceiling:
290	(I) The weighted enrollment ceiling for each program in
291	the program group shall be subtracted from the weighted
292	enrollment for that program derived from actual enrollments.
293	(II) If the difference calculated under sub-sub-
294	subparagraph (I) is greater than zero for any program, a
295	reduction proportion shall be computed for the program by
296	dividing the absolute value of the difference by the total
297	amount by which the weighted enrollment for the program group
298	exceeds the weighted enrollment ceiling for the program group.
299	(III) The reduction proportion calculated under sub-sub-
300	subparagraph (II) shall be multiplied by the total amount of the
301	program group's enrollment over the ceiling as calculated under
302	sub-sub-subparagraph (I).
303	(IV) The prorated reduction amount calculated under sub-
304	sub-subparagraph (III) shall be subtracted from the program's
305	weighted enrollment. For any calculation of the FEFP, the
306	enrollment ceiling for group 1 shall be calculated by
307	multiplying the actual enrollment for each program in the
308	program group by its appropriate program weight.
309	c. For program group 2, the weighted enrollment ceiling
310	shall be a number not less than the sum obtained by:
311	(I) Multiplying the sum of reported FTE for all programs
312	in the program group that have a cost factor of 1.0 or more by
313	1.0, and
314	(II) By adding this number to the sum obtained by
315	multiplying the projected FTE for all programs with a cost
316	factor less than 1.0 by the actual cost factor.
317	4. Following completion of the weighted enrollment ceiling
318	calculation as provided in subparagraph 3., a supplemental
319	capping calculation shall be employed for those districts that
320	are over their weighted enrollment ceiling. For each such
321	district, the total reported unweighted FTE enrollment for group
322	2 programs shall be compared with the total appropriated
323	unweighted FTE enrollment for group 2 programs. If the total
324	reported unweighted FTE for group 2 is greater than the
325	appropriated unweighted FTE, then the excess unweighted FTE up
326	to the unweighted FTE transferred from group 2 to group 1 for
327	each district by the Public School FTE Estimating Conference
328	shall be funded at a weight of 1.0 and added to the funded
329	weighted FTE computed in subparagraph 3.
330	(k) Calculation of full-time equivalent membership for an
331	industry-certified career and technical education program.-
332	Funding for students enrolled in an industry-certified career
333	and technical education program is calculated at 1.5 times the
334	cost factor for students enrolled in the basic program for
335	grades 9-12 multiplied by the number of full-time equivalent
336	students in an industry-certified career and technical education
337	program. A student who earns the career and technical education
338	endorsement on the high school diploma indicating that he or she
339	has completed the additional requirements for a comprehensive
340	career and technical education program of study shall generate
341	additional incentive funding for the program, as provided in
342	subsection (5). During the transition from the 2003-2004 school
343	year until July 1, 2008, all career and technical education
344	programs not industry certified or articulated to postsecondary
345	educational institutions shall continue to earn weighted funding
346	as determined in the General Appropriations Act.
347	(5) CATEGORICAL FUNDS.—
348	(a) In addition to the basic amount for current operations
349	for the FEFP as determined in subsection (1), the Legislature
350	may appropriate categorical funding for specified programs,
351	activities, or purposes.Categorical funding shall include
352	incentive funding for attainment of the career and technical
353	education endorsement on the high school diploma.
354	Section 7. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section
355	1012.01, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
356	1012.01 Definitions.—Specific definitions shall be as
357	follows, and wherever such defined words or terms are used in
358	the Florida K-20 Education Code, they shall be used as follows:
359	(2) INSTRUCTIONAL PERSONNEL.—"Instructional personnel"
360	means any staff member whose function includes the provision of
361	direct instructional services to students. Instructional
362	personnel also includes personnel whose functions provide direct
363	support in the learning process of students. Included in the
364	classification of instructional personnel are:
365	(b) Student personnel services.—Student personnel services
366	include staff members responsible for: advising students with
367	regard to their abilities and aptitudes, educational and
368	occupational opportunities, and personal and social adjustments;
369	providing placement services; performing educational
370	evaluations; and similar functions. Included in this
371	classification are guidance counselors, social workers,career
372	occupational/placementspecialists, and school psychologists.
373	Section 8.The Office of Program Policy Analysis and
374	Government Accountability shall conduct a study to determine if
375	career and technical education programs should have
376	differentiated funding weights, which study shall be completed
377	by January 1, 2004.
378	Section 9. Except as otherwise provided herein, this act
379	shall take effect July 1, 2003.
380