Florida Senate - 2014 CS for SB 1206
By the Committee on Education; and Senator Montford
581-03156A-14 20141206c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to agricultural industry
3 certifications; amending s. 570.07, F.S.; requiring
4 the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to
5 annually provide to the State Board of Education and
6 the Department of Education information and industry
7 certifications for farm occupations to be considered
8 for placement on industry certification funding lists;
9 amending s. 1003.492, F.S.; defining the term
10 “industry certification”; requiring the state board to
11 adopt rules for implementing an industry certification
12 process for farm occupations; amending s. 1003.4935,
13 F.S.; conforming a cross-reference; providing an
14 effective date.
15
16 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
17
18 Section 1. Subsection (43) is added to section 570.07,
19 Florida Statutes, to read:
20 570.07 Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services;
21 functions, powers, and duties.—The department shall have and
22 exercise the following functions, powers, and duties:
23 (43) In cooperation with the Institute of Food and
24 Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida and the
25 College of Agriculture and Food Sciences at Florida Agricultural
26 and Mechanical University, annually provide to the State Board
27 of Education and the Department of Education information and
28 industry certifications for farm occupations to be considered
29 for placement on the Industry Certification Funding List and the
30 Postsecondary Industry Certification Funding List pursuant to s.
31 1008.44. The information and industry certifications provided by
32 the department must be based upon the best available data.
33 Section 2. Section 1003.492, Florida Statutes, is amended
34 to read:
35 1003.492 Industry-certified career education programs.—
36 (1) Secondary schools offering career-themed courses, as
37 defined in s. 1003.493(1)(b), and career and professional
38 academies shall be coordinated with the relevant and appropriate
39 industry to prepare a student for further education or for
40 employment in that industry.
41 (2) As used in this section, the term “industry
42 certification” means a voluntary process through which students
43 are assessed by an independent, third-party certifying entity
44 using predetermined standards for knowledge, skills, and
45 competencies, and resulting in the award of a credential that is
46 nationally recognized and must be at least one of the following:
47 (a) Within an industry that addresses a critical local or
48 statewide economic need.
49 (b) Linked to an occupation that is included in the
50 workforce system’s targeted occupation list.
51 (c) Linked to an occupation that is identified as emerging.
52 (3)(2) The State Board of Education shall use the expertise
53 of Workforce Florida, Inc., and the Department of Agriculture
54 and Consumer Services, to develop and adopt rules pursuant to
55 ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 for implementing an industry
56 certification process.
57 (a) For nonfarm occupations, industry certification shall
58 be defined by the Department of Economic Opportunity, based upon
59 the highest available national standards for specific industry
60 certification, to ensure student skill proficiency and to
61 address emerging labor market and industry trends. A regional
62 workforce board or a school principal may apply to Workforce
63 Florida, Inc., to request additions to the approved list of
64 industry certifications based on high-skill, high-wage, and
65 high-demand job requirements in the regional economy. The list
66 of industry certifications approved by Workforce Florida, Inc.,
67 and the Department of Education shall be published and updated
68 annually by a date certain, to be included in the adopted rule.
69 (b) For farm occupations submitted pursuant to s. 570.07,
70 industry certification shall demonstrate student skill
71 proficiency and be based upon the best available data to address
72 critical local or statewide economic needs.
73 (4) The list of industry certifications approved by
74 Workforce Florida, Inc., the Department of Agriculture and
75 Consumer Services, and the Department of Education shall be
76 published and updated annually by a date certain, to be included
77 in the adopted rule.
78 (5)(3) The Department of Education shall collect student
79 achievement and performance data in industry-certified career
80 education programs and career-themed courses and shall work with
81 Workforce Florida, Inc., and the Department of Agriculture and
82 Consumer Services in the analysis of collected data. The data
83 collection and analyses shall examine the performance of
84 participating students over time. Performance factors shall
85 include, but not be limited to, graduation rates, retention
86 rates, Florida Bright Futures Scholarship awards, additional
87 educational attainment, employment records, earnings, industry
88 certification, and employer satisfaction. The results of this
89 study shall be submitted to the President of the Senate and the
90 Speaker of the House of Representatives annually by December 31.
91 Section 3. Subsection (3) of section 1003.4935, Florida
92 Statutes, is amended to read:
93 1003.4935 Middle grades career and professional academy
94 courses and career-themed courses.—
95 (3) Beginning with the 2012-2013 school year, if a school
96 district implements a middle school career and professional
97 academy or a career-themed course, the Department of Education
98 shall collect and report student achievement data pursuant to
99 performance factors identified under s. 1003.492(5) s.
100 1003.492(3) for students enrolled in an academy or a career
101 themed course.
102 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.