Florida Senate - 2019                                     SB 312
       
       
        
       By Senator Montford
       
       
       
       
       
       3-00825-19                                             2019312__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to alternative high school graduation
    3         requirements; amending s. 1003.4282, F.S.; providing
    4         that, as of a specified school year, certain students
    5         are eligible to complete an alternative pathway to a
    6         standard high school diploma; specifying alternative
    7         pathways; requiring that students provide verified
    8         documentation of completion of an alternative pathway;
    9         requiring district school boards to incorporate
   10         certain information in the student progression plan;
   11         amending s. 1008.22, F.S.; providing that certain
   12         students may be eligible to complete an alternative
   13         pathway to a standard high school diploma; providing
   14         an effective date.
   15          
   16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   17  
   18         Section 1. Present subsection (11) of section 1003.4282,
   19  Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (12), and a new
   20  subsection (11) is added to that section, to read:
   21         1003.4282 Requirements for a standard high school diploma.—
   22         (11) ALTERNATIVE PATHWAYS TO A STANDARD HIGH SCHOOL
   23  DIPLOMA.—
   24         (a) Beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, a student who
   25  completes the minimum high school graduation course credit
   26  requirements established by rule of the State Board of Education
   27  but has not passed the grade 10 ELA assessment or the statewide,
   28  standardized Algebra I EOC assessment is eligible to complete an
   29  alternative pathway to a standard high school diploma.
   30         (b) A student who meets the criteria specified in paragraph
   31  (a) may satisfy the requirements for a standard high school
   32  diploma through one of the following alternative pathways:
   33         1. Attainment of an industry-recognized credential or
   34  certification approved by the State Board of Education and
   35  accumulation of a combined level score of at least 13 points on
   36  the ACT WorkKeys Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and
   37  Reading for Information assessments.
   38         2. Mastery of the academic standards or competencies that
   39  had not previously been met, as indicated by the student not
   40  passing the applicable grade 10 ELA assessment or the statewide,
   41  standardized Algebra I EOC assessment, as demonstrated in a
   42  portfolio containing quantifiable evidence of such mastery.
   43         (c) A student shall be awarded a standard high school
   44  diploma upon completion of the requirements of an appropriate
   45  alternative pathway to graduation. The student must provide
   46  documentation verifying the completion of the alternative
   47  pathway to graduation. Documentation must be verified by the
   48  student’s principal.
   49         (d) Each district school board shall incorporate the
   50  alternative pathways to graduation in the student progression
   51  plan required under s. 1008.25.
   52         Section 2. Present subsections (11), (12), and (13) of
   53  section 1008.22, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as
   54  subsections (12), (13), and (14), respectively, and a new
   55  subsection (11) is added to that section, to read:
   56         1008.22 Student assessment program for public schools.—
   57         (11) ALTERNATIVE PATHWAYS TO GRADUATION.—If a student fails
   58  to satisfy the grade 10 ELA assessment or Algebra I EOC
   59  assessment graduation requirements, he or she may be eligible to
   60  complete an alternative pathway to graduation under s.
   61  1003.4282(11).
   62         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019.