HB 7151

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to postsecondary education; amending s.
3	1004.015, F.S.; requiring the Higher Education
4	Coordinating Council to recommend plans and submit a
5	report to the Governor and the Legislature relating to
6	core missions of postsecondary education institutions,
7	performance outputs and outcomes, articulation policies,
8	workforce development education, and baccalaureate degree
9	authorization; amending s. 1007.27, F.S.; requiring the
10	Department of Education to use student performance data to
11	determine appropriate credit-by-examination scores and
12	courses; deleting an exemption from summer-term enrollment
13	in a public postsecondary education institution for
14	students with accelerated credit; amending s. 1007.33,
15	F.S.; deleting an exemption from provisions governing the
16	approval process for baccalaureate degrees; creating s.
17	1011.905, F.S.; requiring a uniform per FTE base amount to
18	be determined annually for 4-year doctor of medicine
19	degree programs offered by a state university; requiring
20	certain reporting; providing an effective date.
21
22	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
23
24	Section 1.  Subsection (4) of section 1004.015, Florida
25	Statutes, is renumbered as subsection (6) and amended, and new
26	subsections (4) and (5) are added to that section, to read:
27	1004.015  Higher Education Coordinating Council.-
28	(4)  The council shall, with input of the State Board of
29	Education and the Board of Governors, recommend improvement
30	options and implementation plans to:
31	(a)  Define the primary core mission of public and
32	nonpublic postsecondary education institutions in the context of
33	state access demands and economic development goals.
34	(b)  Establish performance outputs and outcomes designed to
35	meet annual and long-term state goals, including, but not
36	limited to, increased student access, preparedness, retention,
37	transfer, and completion. Performance measures must be
38	consistent across sectors and allow for a comparison of the
39	state's performance to that of other states.
40	(c)  Evaluate the state's articulation policies and
41	practices to ensure that cost benefits to the state are
42	maximized without jeopardizing quality. The evaluation shall
43	consider return on investment for both the state and students.
44	(d)  Establish a plan for the implementation of workforce
45	development education changes that:
46	1.  Align school district and Florida College System
47	workforce development education programs to ensure cost
48	efficiency and mission delineation, including an examination of
49	the need for both college credit and noncollege credit
50	certificate programs, an evaluation of the merit of retaining
51	the associate in applied science degree, and the consolidation
52	of adult general education programs within school districts.
53	2.  Improve the consistency of workforce education data
54	collected and reported by Florida College System institutions
55	and school districts, including the establishment of common
56	elements and definitions for any data that is used for state and
57	federal funding and program accountability.
58	(e)  Address baccalaureate degree authorization and
59	production, which shall include the following:
60	1.  An assessment of the potential need to establish
61	comprehensive undergraduate institutions that would primarily
62	focus on the delivery of undergraduate instruction, including
63	offering baccalaureate degrees. Such institutions may include
64	Florida College System institutions, state universities, and
65	university branch campuses. The assessment must recommend
66	accountability options and address local and regional workforce
67	needs and gaps that might result from an institution's shift in
68	primary mission.
69	2.  Recommendations related to appropriate student
70	enrollment and institutional expenditure thresholds for upper-
71	division programs that justify legislative consideration to
72	establish or reestablish an institution under the governance and
73	oversight of the State Board of Education, the Board of
74	Governors, or another statutorily established or created
75	governing or advisory organization.
76	3.  Recommendations related to funding options and
77	strategies, student tuition and fees, student financial aid
78	funding, and other strategies to encourage performance-based
79	funding.
80	(5)  The council shall submit a report to the Governor, the
81	President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
82	Representatives by December 31, 2011, that specifically includes
83	recommendations for consideration by the Legislature for
84	implementation in the 2012-2013 fiscal year.
85	(6)(4)  The Board of Governors and the Department of
86	Education shall provide administrative support for the council.
87	Section 2.  Subsections (2) and (10) of section 1007.27,
88	Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
89	1007.27  Articulated acceleration mechanisms.-
90	(2)  The Department of Education shall annually identify
91	and publish the minimum scores, maximum credit, and course or
92	courses for which credit is to be awarded for each College Level
93	Examination Program (CLEP) general examination, CLEP subject
94	examination, College Board Advanced Placement Program
95	examination, Advanced International Certificate of Education
96	examination, and International Baccalaureate examination. The
97	department shall use student performance data in subsequent
98	postsecondary courses to determine the appropriate examination
99	scores and courses for which credit is to be granted. In
100	addition, the department shall identify such courses in the
101	general education core curriculum of each state university and
102	community college.
103	(10)  Any student who earns 9 or more credits from one or
104	more of the acceleration mechanisms provided for in this section
105	is exempt from any requirement of a public postsecondary
106	educational institution mandating enrollment during a summer
107	term.
108	Section 3.  Subsections (6) and (7) of section 1007.33,
109	Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
110	1007.33  Site-determined baccalaureate degree access.-
111	(6)(a)  Beginning July 1, 2010, and each subsequent July 1,
112	the Division of Florida Colleges may accept and review
113	applications from a Florida college to obtain an exemption from
114	the State Board of Education's approval for subsequent degrees
115	as required in subsection (5), if the Florida college is
116	accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern
117	Association of Colleges and Schools as a baccalaureate-degree-
118	granting institution and has been offering baccalaureate degree
119	programs for 3 or more years. The division shall develop
120	criteria for determining eligibility for an exemption based upon
121	demonstrated compliance with the requirements for baccalaureate
122	degrees, primary mission, and fiscal, including, but not limited
123	to:
124	1.  Obtaining and maintaining appropriate SACS
125	accreditation;
126	2.  The maintenance of qualified faculty and institutional
127	resources;
128	3.  The maintenance of enrollment projections in previously
129	approved programs;
130	4.  The appropriate management of fiscal resources;
131	5.  Compliance with the primary mission and responsibility
132	requirements in subsections (2) and (3);
133	6.  The timely submission of the institution's annual
134	performance accountability report; and
135	7.  Other indicators of success such as program completers,
136	placements, and surveys of students and employers.
137	(b)  If the Florida college has demonstrated satisfactory
138	progress in fulfilling the eligibility criteria in this
139	subsection, the Division of Florida Colleges may recommend to
140	the State Board of Education that the institution be exempt from
141	the requirement in subsection (5) for approval of future
142	baccalaureate degree programs. The State Board of Education
143	shall review the division's recommendation and determine if an
144	exemption is warranted. If the State Board of Education approves
145	the application, the Florida college is exempt from subsequent
146	program approval under subsection (5) and such authority is
147	delegated to the Florida college board of trustees. If the State
148	Board of Education disapproves of the Florida college's request
149	for an exemption, the college shall continue to be subject to
150	the State Board of Education's approval of subsequent
151	baccalaureate degree programs.
152	(c)  Prior to developing or proposing a new baccalaureate
153	degree program, all Florida colleges, regardless of an exemption
154	from subsection (5), shall:
155	1.  Engage in need, demand, and impact discussions with the
156	state university in their service district and other local and
157	regional, accredited postsecondary providers in their region.
158	2.  Send documentation, data, and other information from
159	the inter-institutional discussions regarding program need,
160	demand, and impact required in subparagraph 1. to the college's
161	board of trustees, the Division of Florida Colleges, and the
162	Chancellor of the State University System.
163	3.  Base board of trustees approval of the new program upon
164	the documentation, data, and other information required in this
165	paragraph and the factors in subsection (5)(d).
166
167	The Division of Florida Colleges shall use the documentation,
168	data, and other information required in this subsection,
169	including information from the Chancellor of the State
170	University System, in its compliance review.
171	(d)  The board of trustees of a Florida college that is
172	exempt from subsection (5) must submit newly approved programs
173	to the Division of Florida Colleges and SACS within 30 days
174	after approval.
175	(e)  Within 30 days after receiving the approved
176	baccalaureate degree program, the Division of Florida Colleges
177	shall conduct a compliance review and notify the college if the
178	proposal meets the criteria for implementation based upon the
179	criteria in paragraphs (5)(d) and (6)(c). If the program fails
180	to meet the criteria for implementation as determined by the
181	Division of Florida Colleges, the college may not proceed with
182	implementation of the program until the State Board of Education
183	reviews the proposal and the compliance materials and gives its
184	final approval of the program.
185	(6)(7)  The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
186	prescribe format and content requirements and submission
187	procedures for notices of intent, proposals, and alternative
188	proposals under subsection (5).
189	Section 4.  Section 1011.905, Florida Statutes, is created
190	to read:
191	1011.905  State university medical school funding.-
192	Beginning with the 2012-2013 fiscal year, a uniform per FTE base
193	amount shall be determined annually in the General
194	Appropriations Act for each 4-year doctor of medicine degree
195	program offered by a state university. Each college of medicine
196	shall uniformly report annual expenditures and outcome data for
197	4-year doctor of medicine degree programs to the Board of
198	Governors.
199	Section 5.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.

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