Senate Bill sb0464
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Florida Senate - 2006 SB 464
By Senator Constantine
22-502-06
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 revising requirements applicable to selecting
5 such an accelerated option; revising required
6 courses for the 3-year standard college
7 preparatory program; deleting provisions
8 authorizing a student to select a 3-year
9 standard career preparatory program; revising
10 requirements for grades that must be earned to
11 participate in the accelerated program;
12 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 grade 9 in the 2006-2007
22 2004-2005 school year and thereafter may select, upon receipt
23 of each consent required by this section, one of the following
24 two three high school graduation options:
25 (a) Completion of the general requirements for high
26 school graduation pursuant to s. 1003.43; or
27 (b) Completion of a 3-year standard college
28 preparatory program requiring successful completion of a
29 minimum of 18 academic credits in grades 9 through 12. At
30 least 6 of the 18 credits required for completion of this
31 program must be received in classes that are offered pursuant
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Florida Senate - 2006 SB 464
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1 to the International Baccalaureate Program administered by the
2 International Baccalaureate Office or the Advanced Placement
3 Program administered by the College Board honors, dual
4 enrollment, advanced placement, International Baccalaureate,
5 Advanced International Certificate of Education, specifically
6 listed or identified by the Department of Education as
7 rigorous pursuant to s. 1009.531(3), or weighted by the
8 district school board for class ranking purposes. The 18
9 credits required for completion of this program shall be
10 primary requirements and shall be distributed as follows:
11 1. Four credits in English, with major concentration
12 in composition and literature;
13 2. Three credits in mathematics at the Algebra I level
14 or higher from the list of courses that qualify for state
15 university admission;
16 3. Three credits in natural science, two of which must
17 have a laboratory component;
18 4. Three credits in social sciences, which must
19 include one credit in American history, one credit in world
20 history, one-half credit in American government, and one-half
21 credit in economics;
22 5. Two credits in the same second language unless the
23 student is a native speaker of or can otherwise demonstrate
24 competency in a language other than English. If the student
25 demonstrates competency in another language, the student may
26 replace the language requirement with two credits in other
27 academic courses; and
28 6. Three credits in electives.; or
29 (c) Completion of a 3-year career preparatory program
30 requiring successful completion of a minimum of 18 academic
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Florida Senate - 2006 SB 464
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1 credits in grades 9 through 12. The 18 credits shall be
2 primary requirements and shall be distributed as follows:
3 1. Four credits in English, with major concentration
4 in composition and literature;
5 2. Three credits in mathematics, one of which must be
6 Algebra I;
7 3. Three credits in natural science, two of which must
8 have a laboratory component;
9 4. Three credits in social sciences, which must
10 include one credit in American history, one credit in world
11 history, one-half credit in American government, and one-half
12 credit in economics;
13 5. Three credits in a single vocational or career
14 education program, three credits in career and technical
15 certificate dual enrollment courses, or five credits in
16 vocational or career education courses; and
17 6. Two credits in electives unless five credits are
18 earned pursuant to subparagraph 5.
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20 Any student who selected an accelerated graduation program
21 before July 1, 2004, may continue that program, and all
22 statutory program requirements that were applicable when the
23 student made the program choice shall remain applicable to the
24 student as long as the student continues that program.
25 (2) Prior to selecting a program described in
26 paragraph (1)(b) or paragraph (1)(c), a student and the
27 student's parent must meet with designated school personnel to
28 receive an explanation of the relative requirements,
29 advantages, and disadvantages of each program option, and the
30 student must also receive the written consent of the student's
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1 high school principal, high school guidance counselor, and
2 parent. the following requirements must be met:
3 (a) Designated school personnel shall meet with the
4 student and student's parent to give an explanation of the
5 relative requirements, advantages, and disadvantages of each
6 graduation option.
7 (b) The student shall submit to the high school
8 principal and guidance counselor a signed parental consent to
9 enter the 3-year accelerated graduation program.
10 (c) The student shall have achieved at least an FCAT
11 reading achievement level of 3, an FCAT mathematics
12 achievement level of 3, and an FCAT Writing score of 3 on the
13 most recent assessments taken by the student.
14 (3) Beginning with the 2006-2007 2004-2005 school
15 year, each district school board shall provide each student in
16 grades 6 through 9 and their parents with information
17 concerning the 3-year and 4-year high school graduation
18 options listed in subsection (1), including the respective
19 curriculum requirements for those options, so that the
20 students and their parents may select the program
21 postsecondary education or career plan that best fits their
22 needs. The information must shall include a timeframe for
23 achieving each graduation option.
24 (4) Selection of one of the graduation options listed
25 in subsection (1) must be completed by the student prior to
26 the end of grade 9 and is exclusively up to the student and
27 parent, subject to the requirements in subsection (2). Each
28 district school board shall establish policies for extending
29 this deadline to the end of a student's first semester of
30 grade 10 for a student who entered a Florida public school
31 after grade 9 upon transfer from a private school or another
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1 state or who was prevented from choosing a graduation option
2 due to illness during grade 9. If the student and parent fail
3 to select a graduation option, the student shall be considered
4 to have selected the general requirements for high school
5 graduation pursuant to paragraph (1)(a).
6 (5) District school boards may shall not establish
7 requirements for the accelerated 3-year high school graduation
8 option options in excess of the requirements in paragraph
9 paragraphs (1)(b) and (c).
10 (6) Students pursuing the accelerated 3-year high
11 school graduation option options pursuant to paragraph (1)(b)
12 or paragraph (1)(c) are required to:
13 (a) Earn passing scores on the FCAT as defined in s.
14 1008.22(3)(c) or scores on a standardized test that are
15 concordant with passing scores on the FCAT as defined in s.
16 1008.22(9).
17 (b)1. Achieve a cumulative weighted grade point
18 average of 3.5 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent, in the
19 courses required for the college preparatory accelerated
20 3-year standard college preparatory program under high school
21 graduation option pursuant to paragraph (1)(b); and or
22 2. Receive a grade no lower than a "B" or its
23 equivalent, representing at least 3.0 points on a 4.0 scale,
24 in any course taken in connection with the accelerated 3-year
25 standard college preparatory program under paragraph (1)(b).
26 If any student participating in the accelerated 3-year
27 standard college preparatory program does not meet this
28 requirement, the student shall be required to complete the
29 general requirements for high school graduation pursuant to s.
30 1003.43.
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1 (7) A student who selects the accelerated 3-year
2 standard college preparatory graduation program may change at
3 any time to the 4-year program set forth in s. 1003.43.
4 (8) If, at the end of the 10th grade, a student is not
5 on track to meet the course, testing, grade, or
6 grade-point-average requirements of the accelerated graduation
7 option, the student shall default to the standard 4-year
8 graduation option.
9 2. Achieve a cumulative weighted grade point average
10 of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent, in the courses
11 required for the career preparatory accelerated 3-year high
12 school graduation option pursuant to paragraph (1)(c).
13 (c) Receive a weighted or unweighted grade that earns
14 at least 3.0 points, or its equivalent, to earn course credit
15 toward the 18 credits required for the college preparatory
16 accelerated 3-year high school graduation option pursuant to
17 paragraph (1)(b).
18 (d) Receive a weighted or unweighted grade that earns
19 at least 2.0 points, or its equivalent, to earn course credit
20 toward the 18 credits required for the career preparatory
21 accelerated 3-year high school graduation option pursuant to
22 paragraph (1)(c).
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24 Weighted grades referred to in paragraphs (b), (c), and (d)
25 shall be applied to those courses specifically listed or
26 identified by the department as rigorous pursuant to s.
27 1009.531(3) or weighted by the district school board for class
28 ranking purposes.
29 (7) If, at the end of grade 10, a student is not on
30 track to meet the credit, assessment, or grade-point-average
31 requirements of the accelerated graduation option selected,
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1 the school shall notify the student and parent of the
2 following:
3 (a) The requirements that the student is not currently
4 meeting.
5 (b) The specific performance necessary in grade 11 for
6 the student to meet the accelerated graduation requirements.
7 (c) The right of the student to change to the 4-year
8 program set forth in s. 1003.43.
9 (8) A student who selected one of the accelerated
10 3-year graduation options shall automatically move to the
11 4-year program set forth in s. 1003.43 if the student:
12 (a) Exercises his or her right to change to the 4-year
13 program;
14 (b) Fails to earn 5 credits by the end of grade 9 or
15 fails to earn 11 credits by the end of grade 10;
16 (c) Does not achieve a score of 3 or higher on the
17 grade 10 FCAT Writing assessment; or
18 (d) By the end of grade 11 does not meet the
19 requirements of subsections (1) and (6).
20 (9) A student who meets all requirements prescribed in
21 subsections (1) and (6) shall be awarded a standard diploma in
22 a form prescribed by the State Board of Education.
23 (10) A student who seeks academic graduation honors,
24 such as being named valedictorian or salutatorian of a high
25 school graduating class, must select the option set forth in
26 paragraph (1)(a) and complete the general requirements for
27 high school graduation pursuant to s. 1003.43.
28 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.
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2 SENATE SUMMARY
3 Amends requirements applicable to the selection of an
option for accelerated high school graduation. Deletes
4 the option of a 3-year standard career preparatory
program. Provides for default to the standard graduation
5 requirements in certain circumstances.
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