Senate Bill sb0364c1
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Florida Senate - 2004 CS for SB 364
By the Committee on Education; and Senator Constantine
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1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to options for accelerated high
3 school graduation; amending s. 1003.429, F.S.;
4 amending requirements applicable to the
5 selection of such an accelerated option;
6 amending required courses for the 3-year
7 standard college preparatory program; deleting
8 provisions authorizing a student to select a
9 3-year standard career preparatory program;
10 revising requirements for grades that must be
11 earned to participate in the accelerated
12 program; providing for default to the standard
13 graduation requirements in certain
14 circumstances; providing an effective date.
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16 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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18 Section 1. Section 1003.429, Florida Statutes, is
19 amended to read:
20 1003.429 Accelerated high school graduation options.--
21 (1) Students who enter the 9th grade in the 2004-2005
22 school year Beginning with the 2003-2004 school year, all
23 students scheduled to graduate in 2004 and thereafter may
24 select, upon receipt of each consent required by this section,
25 one of the following two three high school graduation options:
26 (a) Completion of the general requirements for high
27 school graduation pursuant to s. 1003.43; or
28 (b) Completion of a 3-year standard college
29 preparatory program requiring successful completion of a
30 minimum of 18 academic credits in grades 9 through 12. At
31 least 6 of the 18 credits required for completion of this
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Florida Senate - 2004 CS for SB 364
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1 program must be received in classes offered pursuant to the
2 International Baccalaureate Program administered by the
3 International Baccalaureate Office or the Advanced Placement
4 Program administered by the College Board. The 18 credits
5 required for completion of this program shall be primary
6 requirements and shall be distributed as follows:
7 1. Four credits in English, with major concentration
8 in composition and literature;
9 2. Three credits in mathematics at the Algebra I level
10 or higher from the list of courses that qualify for state
11 university admission;
12 3. Three credits in natural science, two of which must
13 have a laboratory component;
14 4. Three credits in social sciences, one of which must
15 include instruction regarding democracy and the history and
16 principles of the United States of America;
17 5. Two credits in the same second language unless the
18 student is a native speaker of or can otherwise demonstrate
19 competency in a language other than English. If the student
20 demonstrates competency in another language, the student may
21 replace the language requirement with two credits in other
22 academic courses; and
23 6. Three credits in electives.; or
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25 Prior to selecting the program described in this paragraph, a
26 student and the student's parent must meet with designated
27 school personnel to receive an explanation of the relative
28 requirements, advantages, and disadvantages of each program
29 option, and the student must also receive the written consent
30 of the student's high school principal, high school guidance
31 counselor, and parent.
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Florida Senate - 2004 CS for SB 364
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1 (c) Completion of a 3-year career preparatory program
2 requiring successful completion of a minimum of 18 academic
3 credits in grades 9 through 12. The 18 credits shall be
4 primary requirements and shall be distributed as follows:
5 1. Four credits in English, with major concentration
6 in composition and literature;
7 2. Three credits in mathematics, one of which must be
8 Algebra I;
9 3. Three credits in natural science, two of which must
10 have a laboratory component;
11 4. Three credits in social sciences;
12 5. Two credits in the same second language unless the
13 student is a native speaker of or can otherwise demonstrate
14 competency in a language other than English. If the student
15 demonstrates competency in another language, the student may
16 replace the language requirement with two credits in other
17 academic courses; and
18 6. Three credits in electives.
19 (2) Beginning with the 2004-2005 2003-2004 school
20 year, each district school board shall provide each student in
21 grades 6 through 9 12 and their parents with information
22 concerning the 3-year and 4-year high school graduation
23 options listed in subsection (1), including the respective
24 curriculum requirements for those options, so that with
25 curriculum for the students and their parents may to select
26 the program postsecondary education or career plan that best
27 fits their needs. The information must options shall include a
28 timeframe for achieving each graduation option. Any student
29 who selected an accelerated graduation program before July 1,
30 2004, may continue that program, and all statutory program
31 requirements that were applicable when the student made the
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Florida Senate - 2004 CS for SB 364
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1 program choice shall remain applicable to the student as long
2 as the student continues that program.
3 (3) Selection of one of the graduation options listed
4 in subsection (1) must be completed prior to the end of a
5 student's 9th-grade year and is exclusively up to the student
6 and parent, subject to the receipt of each consent required
7 from school personnel. Each district school board shall
8 establish policies for extending this deadline to the end of a
9 student's first semester of 10th grade for a student who
10 entered a Florida public school after the 9th grade upon
11 transfer from a private school or another state or who was
12 prevented from choosing a graduation option due to illness
13 during the 9th grade. If the student and parent fail to select
14 a graduation option, the student shall be considered to have
15 selected the general requirements for high school graduation
16 pursuant to paragraph (1)(a).
17 (4) District school boards may shall not establish
18 requirements for the accelerated 3-year high school graduation
19 option options in excess of the requirements in paragraph
20 paragraphs (1)(b) and (c).
21 (5) Students pursuing the accelerated 3-year high
22 school graduation option options pursuant to paragraph (1)(b)
23 or paragraph (1)(c) are required to:
24 (a) Earn passing scores on the FCAT as defined in s.
25 1008.22(3)(c).
26 (b)1. Achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.5
27 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent, in the courses required
28 for the by the chosen accelerated 3-year standard college
29 preparatory program under high school graduation option
30 pursuant to paragraph (1)(b); and or paragraph (1)(c).
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Florida Senate - 2004 CS for SB 364
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1 2. Receive a grade no lower than a "B" or its
2 equivalent, representing at least 3.0 points on a 4.0 scale,
3 in any course taken in connection with the accelerated 3-year
4 standard college preparatory program under paragraph (1)(b).
5 If any student participating in the accelerated 3-year
6 standard college preparatory program does not meet this
7 requirement, the student shall be required to complete the
8 general requirements for high school graduation pursuant to s.
9 1003.43.
10 (6) A student who selects the accelerated 3-year
11 standard college preparatory graduation program may change at
12 any time to the 4-year program set forth in s. 1003.43.
13 (7) If, at the end of the 10th grade, a student is not
14 on track to meet the course, testing, grade, or
15 grade-point-average requirements of the accelerated graduation
16 option, the student shall default to the standard 4-year
17 graduation option.
18 (8)(6) A student who meets all requirements prescribed
19 in subsections (1) and (5) shall be awarded a standard diploma
20 in a form prescribed by the State Board of Education.
21 (9) A student who seeks academic graduation honors
22 such as being named valedictorian or salutatorian of a high
23 school graduating class must select the option set forth in
24 paragraph (1)(a) and complete the general requirements for
25 high school graduation pursuant to s. 1003.43.
26 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2004.
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Florida Senate - 2004 CS for SB 364
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1 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
2 Senate Bill 364
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4 Repeals the 18-credit career preparation program.
5 Requires participants in the 18-credit college preparation
program to earn at least 6 credits in Advanced Placement or
6 International Baccalaureate classes.
7 Requires that 1 social science credit in the 18-credit college
preparation program be in a class containing instruction about
8 democracy and the history and principles of the United States.
9 Requires students participating in the 18-credit college
preparation program to maintain a 3.5 overall GPA and earn at
10 least a "B" in each of the required 18 courses.
11 Requires students who receive lower than a "B" in any required
course to change to the 4-year standard graduation program.
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Requires students to obtain the consent of their school
13 principal, guidance counselor and parent prior to choosing the
3-year program.
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Requires students to choose the 3-year program prior to the
15 end of 9th grade, but provides exceptions for certain transfer
students and students who could make this choice in 9th grade
16 due to illness.
17 Requires students who want to compete for academic graduation
honors to complete the standard 4-year graduation program.
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