Florida Senate - 2016 PROPOSED COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
Bill No. SB 520
Ì426584CÎ426584
594-01814-16
Proposed Committee Substitute by the Committee on Fiscal Policy
(Appropriations Subcommittee on Education)
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Florida Bright Futures
3 Scholarship Program; amending s. 1009.531, F.S.;
4 providing that the initial award period and the
5 renewal period for students who are unable to accept
6 an initial award immediately after completion of high
7 school due to a full-time religious or service
8 obligation begin upon the completion of the religious
9 or service obligation; specifying requirements for an
10 entity that is sponsoring the obligation; requiring
11 verification from the entity for which the student
12 completed such obligation; revising eligibility
13 requirements for the Florida Bright Futures
14 Scholarship Program; deleting obsolete provisions;
15 amending s. 1009.532, F.S.; providing that certain
16 students may receive an award for a specified number
17 of credits towards specified bachelor of science
18 degree programs or bachelor of applied science degree
19 programs; amending ss. 1009.534 and 1009.535, F.S.;
20 requiring a student, as a prerequisite for the Florida
21 Academic Scholars award or the Florida Medallion
22 Scholars award, to identify a civic issue or a
23 professional area of interest and develop a plan for
24 his or her personal involvement in addressing the
25 issue or learning about the area; prohibiting the
26 student from receiving remuneration or academic credit
27 for the volunteer service work performed except in
28 certain circumstances; requiring the hours of
29 volunteer service work to be documented in writing and
30 signed by the student, the student’s parent or
31 guardian, and a representative of the organization for
32 which the student performed the volunteer service
33 work; amending s. 1009.536, F.S.; requiring a student,
34 as a prerequisite for the Florida Gold Seal Vocational
35 Scholars award, to identify a civic issue or a
36 professional area of interest and develop a plan for
37 his or her personal involvement in addressing the
38 issue or learning about the area; prohibiting the
39 student from receiving remuneration or academic credit
40 for the volunteer service work performed except in
41 certain circumstances; requiring the hours of
42 volunteer service work to be documented in writing and
43 signed by the student, the student’s parent or
44 guardian, and a representative of the organization for
45 which the student performed the volunteer service
46 work; requiring a high school student graduating in
47 the 2016-2017 academic year to meet certain
48 requirements to be eligible for a Florida Gold Seal
49 Vocational Scholars award; providing that certain
50 students may receive an award for a specified number
51 of credits toward specified bachelor of science degree
52 programs or bachelor of applied science degree
53 programs; providing an effective date.
54
55 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
56
57 Section 1. Paragraph (c) of subsection (2) and paragraphs
58 (a) and (b) of subsection (6) of section 1009.531, Florida
59 Statutes, are amended to read:
60 1009.531 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program;
61 student eligibility requirements for initial awards.—
62 (2)
63 (c) A student graduating from high school in the 2012-2013
64 academic year and thereafter is eligible to accept an initial
65 award for 2 years following high school graduation and to accept
66 a renewal award for 5 years following high school graduation. A
67 student who applies for an award by high school graduation and
68 who meets all other eligibility requirements, but who does not
69 accept his or her award, may reapply during subsequent
70 application periods up to 2 years after high school graduation.
71 For a student who enlists in the United States Armed Forces
72 immediately after completion of high school, the 2-year
73 eligibility period for his or her initial award and the 5-year
74 renewal period shall begin upon the date of separation from
75 active duty. For a student who is receiving a Florida Bright
76 Futures Scholarship award and discontinues his or her education
77 to enlist in the United States Armed Forces, the remainder of
78 his or her 5-year renewal period shall commence upon the date of
79 separation from active duty. For a student who is unable to
80 accept an initial award immediately after completion of high
81 school due to a full-time religious or service obligation
82 lasting at least 18 months, the 2-year eligibility period for
83 his or her initial award and the 5-year renewal period begin
84 upon the completion of his or her religious or service
85 obligation. The organization sponsoring the full-time religious
86 or service obligation must meet the requirements for nonprofit
87 status under s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or be a
88 federal government service organization, including, but not
89 limited to, the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps programs. The
90 obligation must be documented in writing and verified by the
91 entity for which the student completed the obligation on a
92 standardized form prescribed by the department. If a course of
93 study is not completed after 5 academic years, an exception of 1
94 year to the renewal timeframe may be granted due to a verifiable
95 illness or other documented emergency pursuant to s.
96 1009.40(1)(b)4.
97 (6)(a) The State Board of Education shall publicize the
98 examination score required for a student to be eligible for a
99 Florida Academic Scholars award, pursuant to s. 1009.534(1)(a)
100 or (b), as follows:
101 1. For high school students graduating in the 2010-2011 and
102 2011-2012 academic years, the student must earn an SAT score of
103 1270 or a concordant ACT score of 28.
104 2. For high school students graduating in the 2012-2013
105 academic year, the student must earn an SAT score of 1280 which
106 corresponds to the 88th SAT percentile rank or a concordant ACT
107 score of 28.
108 3. For High school students graduating in the 2013-2014
109 academic year and thereafter, the student must earn an SAT score
110 of 1290 which corresponds to the 89th SAT percentile rank or a
111 concordant ACT score of 29.
112 (b) The State Board of Education shall publicize the
113 examination score required for a student to be eligible for a
114 Florida Medallion Scholars award, pursuant to s. 1009.535(1)(a)
115 or (b), as follows:
116 1. For high school students graduating in the 2010-2011
117 academic year, the student must earn an SAT score of 970 or a
118 concordant ACT score of 20 or the student in a home education
119 program whose parent cannot document a college-preparatory
120 curriculum must earn an SAT score of 1070 or a concordant ACT
121 score of 23.
122 2. For high school students graduating in the 2011-2012
123 academic year, the student must earn an SAT score of 980 which
124 corresponds to the 44th SAT percentile rank or a concordant ACT
125 score of 21 or the student in a home education program whose
126 parent cannot document a college-preparatory curriculum must
127 earn an SAT score of 1070 or a concordant ACT score of 23.
128 3. For high school students graduating in the 2012-2013
129 academic year, the student must earn an SAT score of 1020 which
130 corresponds to the 51st SAT percentile rank or a concordant ACT
131 score of 22 or the student in a home education program whose
132 parent cannot document a college-preparatory curriculum must
133 earn an SAT score of 1070 or a concordant ACT score of 23.
134 4. For High school students graduating in the 2013-2014
135 academic year and thereafter, the student must earn an SAT score
136 of 1170 which corresponds to the 75th SAT percentile rank or a
137 concordant ACT score of 26 or the student in a home education
138 program whose parent cannot document a college-preparatory
139 curriculum must earn an SAT score of 1220 or a concordant ACT
140 score of 27.
141 Section 2. Paragraph (d) is added to subsection (3) of
142 section 1009.532, Florida Statutes, to read:
143 1009.532 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program;
144 student eligibility requirements for renewal awards.—
145 (3)
146 (d) A student who is initially eligible in the 2017-2018
147 academic year and thereafter for a Florida Gold Seal Vocational
148 Scholars award under s. 1009.536(2) and who completes a
149 technical degree education program as defined in s. 1004.02(13)
150 may also receive an award for:
151 1. A maximum of 60 credit hours for a bachelor of science
152 degree program for which there is a statewide associate in
153 science degree program to bachelor of science degree program
154 articulation agreement; or
155 2. A maximum of 60 credit hours for a bachelor of applied
156 science degree program at a Florida College System institution.
157 Section 3. Subsection (1) of section 1009.534, Florida
158 Statutes, is amended to read:
159 1009.534 Florida Academic Scholars award.—
160 (1) A student is eligible for a Florida Academic Scholars
161 award if he or she the student meets the general eligibility
162 requirements for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program
163 and the student:
164 (a) Has achieved a 3.5 weighted grade point average as
165 calculated pursuant to s. 1009.531, or its equivalent, in high
166 school courses that are designated by the State Board of
167 Education as college-preparatory academic courses; and has
168 attained at least the score required under pursuant to s.
169 1009.531(6)(a) on the combined verbal and quantitative parts of
170 the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or
171 the recentered Scholastic Assessment Test of the College
172 Entrance Examination, or an equivalent score on the ACT
173 Assessment Program;
174 (b) Has attended a home education program according to s.
175 1002.41 during grades 11 and 12, or has completed the
176 International Baccalaureate curriculum but failed to earn the
177 International Baccalaureate Diploma, or has completed the
178 Advanced International Certificate of Education curriculum but
179 failed to earn the Advanced International Certificate of
180 Education Diploma, and has attained at least the score required
181 under pursuant to s. 1009.531(6)(a) on the combined verbal and
182 quantitative parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the
183 Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered Scholastic
184 Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination, or an
185 equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program;
186 (c) Has been awarded an International Baccalaureate Diploma
187 from the International Baccalaureate Office or an Advanced
188 International Certificate of Education Diploma from the
189 University of Cambridge International Examinations Office;
190 (d) Has been recognized by the merit or achievement
191 programs of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as a
192 scholar or finalist; or
193 (e) Has been recognized by the National Hispanic
194 Recognition Program as a scholar recipient.
195
196 The A student must complete a program of volunteer community
197 service work, as approved by the district school board, the
198 administrators of a nonpublic school, or the Department of
199 Education for home education program students, which must shall
200 include a minimum of 75 hours of service work for high school
201 students graduating in the 2010-2011 academic year and 100 hours
202 of service work for high school students graduating in the 2011
203 2012 academic year and thereafter. The student, and must
204 identify a social or civic issue or a professional area problem
205 that interests him or her, develop a plan for his or her
206 personal involvement in addressing the issue or learning about
207 the area problem, and, through papers or other presentations,
208 evaluate and reflect upon his or her experience. Except for
209 credit earned through service-learning courses adopted pursuant
210 to s. 1003.497, the student may not receive remuneration or
211 academic credit for the volunteer service work performed. Such
212 work may include, but is not limited to, a business or
213 government internship, work for a nonprofit community service
214 organization, or activity on behalf of a candidate for public
215 office. The hours of volunteer service must be documented in
216 writing, and the document must be signed by the student, the
217 student’s parent or guardian, and a representative of the
218 organization for which the student performed the volunteer
219 service work.
220 Section 4. Subsection (1) of section 1009.535, Florida
221 Statutes, is amended to read:
222 1009.535 Florida Medallion Scholars award.—
223 (1) A student is eligible for a Florida Medallion Scholars
224 award if he or she the student meets the general eligibility
225 requirements for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program
226 and the student:
227 (a) Has achieved a weighted grade point average of 3.0 as
228 calculated pursuant to s. 1009.531, or the equivalent, in high
229 school courses that are designated by the State Board of
230 Education as college-preparatory academic courses; and has
231 attained at least the score required under pursuant to s.
232 1009.531(6)(b) on the combined verbal and quantitative parts of
233 the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or
234 the recentered Scholastic Assessment Test of the College
235 Entrance Examination, or an equivalent score on the ACT
236 Assessment Program;
237 (b) Has completed the International Baccalaureate
238 curriculum but failed to earn the International Baccalaureate
239 Diploma or has completed the Advanced International Certificate
240 of Education curriculum but failed to earn the Advanced
241 International Certificate of Education Diploma, and has attained
242 at least the score required under pursuant to s. 1009.531(6)(b)
243 on the combined verbal and quantitative parts of the Scholastic
244 Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered
245 Scholastic Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination,
246 or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program;
247 (c) Has attended a home education program according to s.
248 1002.41 during grades 11 and 12 and has attained at least the
249 score required under pursuant to s. 1009.531(6)(b) on the
250 combined verbal and quantitative parts of the Scholastic
251 Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered
252 Scholastic Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination,
253 or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program, if the
254 student’s parent cannot document a college-preparatory
255 curriculum as described in paragraph (a);
256 (d) Has been recognized by the merit or achievement program
257 of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as a scholar or
258 finalist but has not completed the a program of volunteer
259 community service work required under as provided in s.
260 1009.534; or
261 (e) Has been recognized by the National Hispanic
262 Recognition Program as a scholar, but has not completed the a
263 program of volunteer community service work required under as
264 provided in s. 1009.534.
265
266 A high school student graduating in the 2011-2012 academic year
267 and thereafter must complete at least 75 hours a program of
268 volunteer community service work approved by the district school
269 board, the administrators of a nonpublic school, or the
270 Department of Education for home education program students. The
271 student, which shall include a minimum of 75 hours of service
272 work, and must identify a social or civic issue or a
273 professional area problem that interests him or her, develop a
274 plan for his or her personal involvement in addressing the issue
275 or learning about the area problem, and, through papers or other
276 presentations, evaluate and reflect upon his or her experience.
277 Except for credit earned through service-learning courses
278 adopted pursuant to s. 1003.497, the student may not receive
279 remuneration or academic credit for volunteer service work
280 performed. Such work may include, but is not limited to, a
281 business or government internship, work for a nonprofit
282 community service organization, or activity on behalf of a
283 candidate for public office. The hours of volunteer service must
284 be documented in writing, and the document must be signed by the
285 student, the student’s parent or guardian, and a representative
286 of the organization for which the student performed the
287 volunteer service work.
288 Section 5. Subsection (1) of section 1009.536, Florida
289 Statutes, is amended, present subsections (2), (3), and (4) of
290 that section are redesignated as subsections (3), (4), and (5),
291 respectively, a new subsection (2) is added to that section, and
292 paragraph (d) is added to present subsection (4) of that
293 section, to read:
294 1009.536 Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award.—The
295 Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award is created within
296 the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program to recognize and
297 reward academic achievement and career preparation by high
298 school students who wish to continue their education.
299 (1) A student who entered grade 9 before or in the 2015
300 2016 academic year is eligible for a Florida Gold Seal
301 Vocational Scholars award if he or she the student meets the
302 general eligibility requirements for the Florida Bright Futures
303 Scholarship Program and the student:
304 (a) Completes the secondary school portion of a sequential
305 program of studies that requires at least three secondary school
306 career credits. On-the-job training may not be substituted for
307 any of the three required career credits.
308 (b) Demonstrates readiness for postsecondary education by
309 earning a passing score on the Florida College Entry Level
310 Placement Test or its equivalent as identified by the Department
311 of Education.
312 (c) Earns a minimum cumulative weighted grade point average
313 of 3.0, as calculated pursuant to s. 1009.531, on all subjects
314 required for a standard high school diploma, excluding elective
315 courses.
316 (d) Earns a minimum unweighted grade point average of 3.5
317 on a 4.0 scale for secondary career courses that comprise
318 comprising the career program.
319 (e) Beginning with high school students graduating in the
320 2011-2012 academic year and thereafter, completes at least 30
321 hours a program of volunteer community service work approved by
322 the district school board, the administrators of a nonpublic
323 school, or the Department of Education for home education
324 program students. The student must identify, which shall include
325 a minimum of 30 hours of service work, and identifies a social
326 or civic issue or a professional area problem that interests him
327 or her, develop develops a plan for his or her personal
328 involvement in addressing the issue or learning about the area
329 problem, and, through papers or other presentations, evaluate
330 evaluates and reflect reflects upon his or her experience.
331 Except for credit earned through service-learning courses
332 adopted pursuant to s. 1003.497, the student may not receive
333 remuneration or academic credit for the volunteer service work
334 performed. Such work may include, but is not limited to, a
335 business or government internship, work for a nonprofit
336 community service organization, or activity on behalf of a
337 candidate for public office. The hours of volunteer service must
338 be documented in writing, and the document must be signed by the
339 student, the student’s parent or guardian, and a representative
340 of the organization for which the student performed the
341 volunteer service work.
342 (2) A high school student graduating in the 2016-2017
343 academic year and thereafter is eligible for a Florida Gold Seal
344 Vocational Scholars award if the student meets the requirements
345 under subsection (1) or meets the general eligibility
346 requirements for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program,
347 and the student:
348 (a) Earns a minimum of 5 postsecondary credit hours through
349 CAPE industry certifications approved pursuant to s. 1008.44
350 which articulate for college credit; and
351 (b) Completes at least 30 hours of volunteer service work
352 approved by the district school board, the administrators of a
353 nonpublic school, or the Department of Education for home
354 education program students. The student must identify a social
355 or civic issue or a professional area that interests him or her,
356 develop a plan for his or her personal involvement in addressing
357 the issue or learning about the area, and, through papers or
358 other presentations, evaluate and reflect upon his or her
359 experience. Except for credit earned through service-learning
360 courses adopted pursuant to s. 1003.497, the student may not
361 receive remuneration or academic credit for the volunteer
362 service work performed. Such work may include, but is not
363 limited to, a business or government internship, work for a
364 nonprofit community service organization, or activity on behalf
365 of a candidate for public office. The hours of volunteer service
366 work must be documented in writing, and the document must be
367 signed by the student, the student’s parent or guardian, and a
368 representative of the organization for which the student
369 performed the volunteer service work.
370
371 A high school student graduating in the 2019-2020 academic year
372 and thereafter is eligible for a Florida Gold Seal Vocational
373 Scholars award only if the student meets the requirements under
374 this subsection.
375 (5)(4)
376 (d) A student who is initially eligible in the 2017-2018
377 academic year and thereafter for a Florida Gold Seal Vocational
378 Scholars award under subsection (2) and who completes a
379 technical degree education program as defined in s. 1004.02(13)
380 may also receive an award for:
381 1. A maximum of 60 credit hours for a bachelor of science
382 degree program for which there is a statewide associate in
383 science degree program to bachelor of science degree program
384 articulation agreement; or
385 2. A maximum of 60 credit hours for a bachelor of applied
386 science degree program at a Florida College System institution.
387 Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.