HB 513

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to career and professional academies;
3	creating s. 1003.493, F.S.; defining "career and
4	professional academy"; providing academy goals and duties;
5	authorizing an academy to be offered as a described small
6	learning community; creating s. 1003.494, F.S.; requiring
7	the Department of Education to establish a Career High-
8	Skill Occupational Initiative for Career Education
9	(CHOICE) project as a competitive process for the
10	designation of school district participants and CHOICE
11	academies; defining "CHOICE academy" and providing
12	purposes thereof; providing eligibility criteria for such
13	designation and duties of participating school districts
14	and the department; providing for the award to school
15	district participants in the CHOICE project of startup
16	funds for the development of CHOICE academies; amending
17	ss. 288.9015 and 445.004, F.S.; providing duties of
18	Enterprise Florida, Inc., and Workforce Florida, Inc., to
19	conform; providing an effective date.
20
21	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
22
23	Section 1.  Section 1003.493, Florida Statutes, is created
24	to read:
25	1003.493  Career and professional academies.--
26	(1)  A "career and professional academy" is a
27	research-based program that integrates a rigorous academic
28	curriculum with an industry-driven career curriculum. Career and
29	professional academies may be offered by public schools, school
30	districts, or the Florida Virtual School. Students completing
31	career and professional academy programs receive a standard high
32	school diploma, the highest available industry certification,
33	and postsecondary credit if the academy partners with a
34	postsecondary institution.
35	(2)  The goals of a career and professional academy are to:
36	(a)  Increase student academic achievement and graduation
37	rates through integrated academic and career curricula.
38	(b)  Focus on career preparation through rigorous academics
39	and industry certification.
40	(c)  Raise student aspiration and commitment to academic
41	achievement and work ethics.
42	(d)  Support graduation requirements by providing creative,
43	applied majors as provided by law.
44	(e)  Promote acceleration mechanisms, such as dual
45	enrollment, articulated credit, or occupational completion
46	points, so that students may earn postsecondary credit while in
47	high school.
48	(f)  Support the state's economy by meeting industry needs
49	for skilled employees in high-demand occupations.
50	(3)  A career and professional academy may be offered as
51	one of the following small learning communities:
52	(a)  A school-within-a-school career academy, as part of an
53	existing high school, that provides courses in one occupational
54	cluster. Students in the high school are not required to be
55	students in the academy.
56	(b)  A total school configuration providing multiple
57	academies, each structured around an occupational cluster. Every
58	student in the school is in an academy.
59	(4)  Each career and professional academy must:
60	(a)  Provide a rigorous standards-based academic curriculum
61	integrated with a career curriculum. The curriculum must take
62	into consideration multiple styles of student learning; promote
63	learning by doing through application and adaptation; maximize
64	relevance of the subject matter; enhance each student's capacity
65	to excel; and include an emphasis on work habits and work
66	ethics.
67	(b)  Include one or more partnerships with postsecondary
68	institutions, businesses, industry, employers, economic
69	development organizations, or other appropriate partners from
70	the local community. Such partnerships must provide
71	opportunities for:
72	1.  Instruction from highly skilled professionals.
73	2.  Internships, externships, and on-the-job training.
74	3.  A postsecondary degree, diploma, or certificate.
75	4.  The highest available level of industry certification.
76	Where no national or state certification exists, school
77	districts may establish a local certification in conjunction
78	with the local workforce development board, the chamber of
79	commerce, or the Agency for Workforce Innovation.
80	5.  Maximum articulation of credits pursuant to s. 1007.23
81	upon program completion.
82	(c)  Provide creative and tailored student advisement,
83	including parent participation and coordination with middle
84	schools to provide career exploration and education planning.
85	Coordination with middle schools must provide information to
86	middle school students about secondary and postsecondary career
87	education programs and academies.
88	(d)  Provide a career education certification on the high
89	school diploma pursuant to s. 1003.431.
90	(e)  Provide instruction in careers designated as high
91	growth, high demand, and high pay by the local workforce
92	development board, the chamber of commerce, or the Agency for
93	Workforce Innovation.
94	(f)  Deliver academic content through instruction relevant
95	to the career, including intensive reading and mathematics
96	intervention, with an emphasis on strengthening reading for
97	information skills.
98	(g)  Offer applied courses that combine academic content
99	with technical skills. Such courses must be submitted to the
100	Department of Education no later than 5 months before the
101	beginning of the school term in which such courses are planned
102	to be offered. The State Board of Education must approve or
103	disapprove courses no later than 3 months before the beginning
104	of the school term in which such courses are planned to be
105	offered. The department shall present new courses to the state
106	board for approval a minimum of three times annually.
107	(h)  Provide instruction resulting in competency,
108	certification, or credentials in workplace skills, including,
109	but not limited to, communication skills, interpersonal skills,
110	decisionmaking skills, the importance of attendance and
111	timeliness in the work environment, and work ethics.
112	(i)  Provide opportunities for students to obtain the
113	Florida Ready to Work Certification as provided by law.
114	(j)  Include an evaluation plan developed jointly with the
115	Department of Education. The evaluation plan must include a
116	self-assessment tool based on standards, such as the Career
117	Academy National Standards of Practice, and outcome measures
118	including, but not limited to, graduation rates, enrollment in
119	postsecondary education, business and industry satisfaction,
120	employment and earnings, achievement of industry certification,
121	awards of postsecondary credit, and FCAT achievement levels and
122	learning gains.
123	Section 2.  Section 1003.494, Florida Statutes, is created
124	to read:
125	1003.494  Career High-Skill Occupational Initiative for
126	Career Education (CHOICE) academies.--
127	(1)  The Department of Education shall establish a Career
128	High-Skill Occupational Initiative for Career Education (CHOICE)
129	project. The project shall consist of a competitive process for
130	selecting and designating school districts as participants in
131	the project and designating CHOICE academies within
132	participating school districts.
133	(2)  A "CHOICE academy" is a career and professional
134	academy that meets the goals and requirements specified in s.
135	1003.493 and offers a rigorous and relevant academic curriculum
136	leading to industry-recognized certification, college credit,
137	and credit toward a high school diploma. Existing career
138	education courses may serve as a foundation for the creation of
139	a CHOICE academy.
140	(3)  The purposes of a CHOICE academy are to:
141	(a)  Draw upon ongoing partnerships between education and
142	workforce development or economic development organizations to
143	enhance the quality and opportunities for career education for
144	high school students by exposure to in-demand career education
145	as identified by such organizations in the local community.
146	(b)  Build upon the state system of school improvement and
147	education accountability by providing students with a solid
148	academic foundation, opportunities to obtain industry-recognized
149	certification or credentials, and preparation for postsecondary
150	educational experiences in related fields.
151	(c)  Prepare graduating high school students to make
152	appropriate choices relative to employment and future
153	educational experiences.
154	(4)  The Department of Education may establish application
155	guidelines for an annual competitive process and eligibility
156	criteria for school district participation. A school district
157	may apply to the department for designation as a CHOICE project
158	participating district, and the department, in consultation with
159	Workforce Florida, Inc., and Enterprise Florida, Inc., may
160	designate as many school districts as it deems advisable each
161	year. Eligibility criteria for designation of a school district
162	as a CHOICE project participant shall include, but not be
163	limited to:
164	(a)  The willingness and ability of associated businesses
165	or industries to form partnerships with and support CHOICE
166	academies.
167	(b)  The dedication of school district resources to CHOICE
168	academies.
169	(5)  The Department of Education, in consultation with
170	Workforce Florida, Inc., shall establish standards for
171	designating specific CHOICE academies in each participating
172	school district. A participating school district may apply to
173	the department for designation of a CHOICE academy within the
174	district. Eligibility criteria for such designation shall
175	include, but not be limited to:
176	(a)  Partnerships with an associated business or industry
177	and a regional workforce board or the primary local economic
178	development organization in the county as recognized by
179	Enterprise Florida, Inc. The partnership of the business or
180	industry with the CHOICE academy must be based on the connection
181	of the business or industry with the academy's career theme and
182	must involve future plans for improving the local economy. The
183	business or industry partner must be consulted during the
184	planning stages of a CHOICE academy and provide business or
185	industry support and resources devoted to the CHOICE academy.
186	The Consortium of Florida Education Foundations or a designee
187	must also be consulted during the planning stages of a CHOICE
188	academy and may provide support and resources devoted to the
189	CHOICE academy.
190	(b)  At least one established partnership and an
191	articulation agreement for credit with a postsecondary
192	institution.
193	(c)  A plan for sustaining the CHOICE academy.
194
195	The Okaloosa County School District and other school districts
196	that have received funding from Workforce Florida, Inc., for the
197	establishment of CHOICE academies prior to July 1, 2006, shall
198	receive an expedited review for CHOICE academy designation by
199	the department.
200	(6)  A participating school district shall:
201	(a)  Identify an appropriate location for classes.
202	(b)  Ensure that a CHOICE academy is flexible enough to
203	respond both to the needs and abilities of students and to the
204	needs of associated businesses or industries.
205	(c)  Redirect appropriated funding from ongoing activities
206	to a CHOICE academy.
207	(d)  Plan for sustaining a CHOICE academy as an ongoing
208	program without additional funding.
209	(7)  The Department of Education shall:
210	(a)  With assistance from Workforce Florida, Inc., provide
211	technical assistance to participating school districts in
212	submitting applications for designation of specific CHOICE
213	academies located in specific schools in the school district,
214	reorganizing career education opportunities, developing CHOICE
215	academies with career themes in areas deemed appropriate by
216	Workforce Florida, Inc., or local economic development
217	organizations, and developing funding plans.
218	(b)  Jointly with Workforce Florida, Inc., and in
219	consultation with school districts, develop evaluation criteria
220	for CHOICE academies. Such criteria shall include increased
221	academic performance of students and schools using school-level
222	accountability data.
223	(c)  Report to the State Board of Education, the Governor,
224	the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
225	Representatives by July 1 of each year on school district
226	participation in the CHOICE project, designated CHOICE academies
227	with enrollment and completion data for such academies, and
228	appropriate outcomes for students who have completed a CHOICE
229	academy program. Such outcomes may include continuing
230	educational experiences of CHOICE academy graduates, business or
231	industry satisfaction with the CHOICE academies, placement of
232	CHOICE academy graduates in employment, and earnings of such
233	graduates.
234	(d)  Promote CHOICE academies and provide planning and
235	startup resources as available.
236	(8)  As provided in the General Appropriations Act, the
237	Department of Education shall award one-time startup funds to
238	school districts designated as participants in the CHOICE
239	project for the development of CHOICE academies. All school
240	districts designated by the department are authorized to
241	establish one or more CHOICE academies without incentive funds.
242	Section 3.  Subsection (7) is added to section 288.9015,
243	Florida Statutes, to read:
244	288.9015  Enterprise Florida, Inc.; purpose; duties.--
245	(7)  Enterprise Florida, Inc., shall work with the
246	Department of Education and Workforce Florida, Inc., in the
247	designation of school districts as participants in the CHOICE
248	project pursuant to s. 1003.494.
249	Section 4.  Paragraph (i) is added to subsection (5) of
250	section 445.004, Florida Statutes, to read:
251	445.004  Workforce Florida, Inc.; creation; purpose;
252	membership; duties and powers.--
253	(5)  Workforce Florida, Inc., shall have all the powers and
254	authority, not explicitly prohibited by statute, necessary or
255	convenient to carry out and effectuate the purposes as
256	determined by statute, Pub. L. No. 105-220, and the Governor, as
257	well as its functions, duties, and responsibilities, including,
258	but not limited to, the following:
259	(i)  Working with the Department of Education and
260	Enterprise Florida, Inc., in the implementation of the CHOICE
261	project pursuant to s. 1003.494.
262	Section 5.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.