| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to career education; amending s. 1003.491, |
| 3 | F.S.; providing for accountability for career education in |
| 4 | middle schools in the school districts; requiring school |
| 5 | district plans for providing career education courses; |
| 6 | amending s. 1006.02, F.S.; requiring documentation of |
| 7 | career counseling to middle and high school students; |
| 8 | amending s. 1006.025, F.S.; requiring training of guidance |
| 9 | counselors and career specialists relating to career |
| 10 | education; providing an effective date. |
| 11 |
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| 12 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 1003.491, Florida |
| 15 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 16 | 1003.491 Career education.-- |
| 17 | (1) School board, superintendent, and school |
| 18 | accountability for career education within elementary, middle, |
| 19 | and secondary schools includes, but is not limited to: |
| 20 | (a) Student exposure to a variety of careers and provision |
| 21 | of instruction to explore specific careers in greater depth. |
| 22 | (b) Student awareness of available career programs and the |
| 23 | corresponding occupations into which such programs lead through |
| 24 | advisement by guidance counselors and career specialists. |
| 25 | (c) Student development of individual career plans. |
| 26 | (d) Integration of academic and career skills in the |
| 27 | middle school and high school secondary curriculum. |
| 28 | (e) Student preparation to enter the workforce and enroll |
| 29 | in postsecondary education without being required to complete |
| 30 | college preparatory or career preparatory instruction. |
| 31 | (f) Student retention in school through high school |
| 32 | graduation. |
| 33 | (g) Career education curriculum articulation with |
| 34 | corresponding postsecondary programs in the career center or |
| 35 | community college, or both. |
| 36 |
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| 37 | Each district school board shall develop a plan for providing |
| 38 | career education courses in the middle schools and high schools |
| 39 | of the school district. |
| 40 | Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 1006.02, Florida |
| 41 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 42 | 1006.02 Provision of information to students and parents |
| 43 | regarding school-to-work transition.-- |
| 44 | (1) All public K-12 schools shall document the manner in |
| 45 | which they have prepared students to enter the workforce, |
| 46 | including information regarding the provision of accurate, |
| 47 | timely career and curricular counseling to middle and high |
| 48 | school students. This information shall include a delineation of |
| 49 | available career opportunities, educational requirements |
| 50 | associated with each career, educational institutions that |
| 51 | prepare students to enter each career, and student financial aid |
| 52 | available to enable students to pursue any postsecondary |
| 53 | instruction required to enter that career. This information |
| 54 | shall also delineate school procedures for identifying |
| 55 | individual student interests and aptitudes which enable students |
| 56 | to make informed decisions about the curriculum that best |
| 57 | addresses their individual interests and aptitudes while |
| 58 | preparing them to enroll in postsecondary education and enter |
| 59 | the workforce. This information shall include recommended high |
| 60 | school coursework that prepares students for success in college- |
| 61 | level work. The information shall be made known to parents and |
| 62 | students annually through inclusion in the school's handbook, |
| 63 | manual, or similar documents or other communications regularly |
| 64 | provided to parents and students. |
| 65 | Section 3. Section 1006.025, Florida Statutes, is amended |
| 66 | to read: |
| 67 | 1006.025 Guidance services.-- |
| 68 | (1)(a) Each district school board shall annually submit a |
| 69 | district guidance report to the Commissioner of Education by |
| 70 | June 30. |
| 71 | (b)(2) The guidance report shall include, but not be |
| 72 | limited to, the following: |
| 73 | 1.(a) Examination of student access to guidance |
| 74 | counselors. |
| 75 | 2.(b) Degree to which a district has adopted or |
| 76 | implemented a guidance model program. |
| 77 | 3.(c) Evaluation of the information and training available |
| 78 | to guidance counselors and career specialists to advise students |
| 79 | on areas of critical need, labor market trends, and technical |
| 80 | training requirements. |
| 81 | 4.(d) Progress toward incorporation of best practices for |
| 82 | advisement as identified by the department. |
| 83 | 5.(e) Consideration of alternative guidance systems or |
| 84 | ideas, including, but not limited to, a teacher-advisor model, |
| 85 | mentoring, partnerships with the business community, web-based |
| 86 | delivery, and parental involvement. |
| 87 | 6.(f) Actions taken to provide information to students for |
| 88 | the school-to-work transition pursuant to s. 1006.02. |
| 89 | 7.(g) A guidance plan for the district. |
| 90 | (c)(3) The department shall provide resources to district |
| 91 | school boards that may assist districts in preparing the annual |
| 92 | guidance report. The resources shall include, but are not |
| 93 | limited to, materials relating to guidance model programs, |
| 94 | training available through the department for career guidance, |
| 95 | adopted best practices, alternative guidance systems or ideas, |
| 96 | and a model district guidance plan. |
| 97 | (2) Each district school board shall provide for training |
| 98 | of guidance counselors and career specialists to advise students |
| 99 | in the area of career education choices in order to develop |
| 100 | individual career education plans for middle school, high |
| 101 | school, and postsecondary education or employment. |
| 102 | Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005. |