| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to education; creating the Minority or |
| 3 | Underrepresented Student Achievement Council; providing |
| 4 | for the appointment and qualification of members; |
| 5 | providing requirements for meetings; providing for |
| 6 | reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses; providing |
| 7 | the duties of the council; requiring the Commissioner of |
| 8 | Education to organize the initial meeting of the council; |
| 9 | requiring the council to submit an annual report to the |
| 10 | Governor and Legislature; requiring the Department of |
| 11 | Education to provide administrative support; requiring |
| 12 | each school board to discuss the number of high school |
| 13 | students taking advanced placement courses; providing an |
| 14 | appropriation; providing an effective date. |
| 15 |
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| 16 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 17 |
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| 18 | Section 1. Minority or Underrepresented Student |
| 19 | Achievement Council.-- |
| 20 | (1) There is created the Minority or Underrepresented |
| 21 | Student Achievement Council for the purpose of identifying and |
| 22 | recruiting minority or underrepresented high school students who |
| 23 | are eligible to participate in advanced placement courses. |
| 24 | (a) The council shall consist of the following members: |
| 25 | 1. The Commissioner of Education or his or her designee. |
| 26 | 2. One public high school teacher. |
| 27 | 3. One community-based representative. |
| 28 | 4. One representative from a school district. |
| 29 | 5. One representative from a community college. |
| 30 | 6. One representative from a college or university. |
| 31 | 7. A parent. |
| 32 | (b) The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the |
| 33 | House of Representatives shall jointly appoint the members of |
| 34 | the council described in subparagraphs (a)2.-7. by July 15, |
| 35 | 2007. Four of the seven members must be persons of African- |
| 36 | American or Hispanic origin. |
| 37 | (c) The council shall hold its first meeting by August 1, |
| 38 | 2007, at which time the members shall select by majority vote a |
| 39 | chairperson from among the council members. |
| 40 | (d) All recommendations of the council shall be by |
| 41 | majority vote. |
| 42 | (e) The council shall meet quarterly and additional |
| 43 | meetings may be held at the call of the chairperson and at other |
| 44 | times as determined by a majority of members of the council. |
| 45 | (f) Members of the council shall serve without |
| 46 | compensation, but are entitled to reimbursement for per diem and |
| 47 | travel expenses in accordance with s. 112.061, Florida Statutes. |
| 48 | (2) The members of the council shall: |
| 49 | (a) Work to recruit minority or underrepresented high |
| 50 | school students who are eligible to participate in advanced |
| 51 | placement courses by identifying students who perform above |
| 52 | average academically according to their grades or SAT or ACT |
| 53 | scores and whose assessments indicate the potential to earn a |
| 54 | bachelor's degree in 4 years or less. |
| 55 | (b) Identify each minority or underrepresented student who |
| 56 | receives the grade of "A" or "B" in the majority of his or her |
| 57 | core courses during the first semester of the student's freshman |
| 58 | year and notify his or her parents in writing that the student |
| 59 | is eligible to take advanced placement courses beginning in the |
| 60 | second semester of the student's freshman year. |
| 61 | (c) Examine best practices from high-performing public |
| 62 | high schools across the United States to learn how to close the |
| 63 | achievement gap between minority or underrepresented students |
| 64 | and nonminority students. |
| 65 | (3) The Commissioner of Education or his or her designee |
| 66 | shall: |
| 67 | (a) Notify each member of the council of the time, date, |
| 68 | and place where the initial meeting will be held; |
| 69 | (b) Make any other arrangements concerning the initial |
| 70 | meeting of the council; and |
| 71 | (c) Serve as the presiding officer at the initial meeting |
| 72 | of the council until a chairperson is elected. |
| 73 | (4) The council shall issue its initial annual report by |
| 74 | December 15, 2008, and by December 15th of each following year, |
| 75 | stating the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the |
| 76 | council. This report shall be submitted to the Governor, the |
| 77 | President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of |
| 78 | Representatives and placed on the Department of Education's |
| 79 | website. |
| 80 | (5) The Department of Education shall provide staff and |
| 81 | administrative support to the council. |
| 82 | Section 2. Each school board in this state shall annually |
| 83 | discuss during a meeting of the school board the number of |
| 84 | students, by ethnicity, gender, and zip code, who have taken two |
| 85 | or more advanced placement courses by their junior year in high |
| 86 | school. |
| 87 | Section 3. The sum of $50,000 is appropriated from the |
| 88 | General Revenue Fund for the Minority or Underrepresented |
| 89 | Student Achievement Council. |
| 90 | Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007. |