Florida Senate - 2024 SB 624
By Senator Simon
3-00956-24 2024624__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to career-themed courses; amending s.
3 1003.493, F.S.; revising the number of career-themed
4 courses that must be offered by a school district;
5 requiring at least two career-themed courses to meet
6 certain requirements; amending s. 1008.34, F.S.;
7 revising the number of clock hours required for a
8 certain component used to determine a school’s grade;
9 providing an effective date.
10
11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
12
13 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section
14 1003.493, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
15 1003.493 Career and professional academies and career
16 themed courses.—
17 (1)
18 (b) A “career-themed course” is a course, or a course in a
19 series of courses, that leads to an industry certification
20 identified in the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List
21 pursuant to rules adopted by the State Board of Education.
22 Career-themed courses have industry-specific curriculum aligned
23 directly to priority workforce needs established by the local
24 workforce development board or the Department of Economic
25 Opportunity. School districts shall offer at least four two
26 career-themed courses, and each secondary school is encouraged
27 to offer at least one career-themed course. At least one career
28 themed course offered by a school district must be aligned with
29 a regional demand occupation field as identified by the school
30 district’s respective regional demand occupation list published
31 by CareerSource Florida, Inc. At least one career-themed course
32 offered by a school district must be in one of the following
33 areas: agriculture, construction or trades, early childhood
34 education, health care, or hospitality. The Florida Virtual
35 School is encouraged to develop and offer rigorous career-themed
36 courses as appropriate. Students completing a career-themed
37 course must be provided opportunities to earn postsecondary
38 credit if the credit for the career-themed course can be
39 articulated to a postsecondary institution approved to operate
40 in this the state.
41 Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section
42 1008.34, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
43 1008.34 School grading system; school report cards;
44 district grade.—
45 (3) DESIGNATION OF SCHOOL GRADES.—
46 (b)1. A school’s grade shall be based on the following
47 components, each worth 100 points:
48 a. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide,
49 standardized assessments in English Language Arts under s.
50 1008.22(3).
51 b. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide,
52 standardized assessments in mathematics under s. 1008.22(3).
53 c. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide,
54 standardized assessments in science under s. 1008.22(3).
55 d. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide,
56 standardized assessments in social studies under s. 1008.22(3).
57 e. The percentage of eligible students who make Learning
58 Gains in English Language Arts as measured by statewide,
59 standardized assessments administered under s. 1008.22(3).
60 f. The percentage of eligible students who make Learning
61 Gains in mathematics as measured by statewide, standardized
62 assessments administered under s. 1008.22(3).
63 g. The percentage of eligible students in the lowest 25
64 percent in English Language Arts, as identified by prior year
65 performance on statewide, standardized assessments, who make
66 Learning Gains as measured by statewide, standardized English
67 Language Arts assessments administered under s. 1008.22(3).
68 h. The percentage of eligible students in the lowest 25
69 percent in mathematics, as identified by prior year performance
70 on statewide, standardized assessments, who make Learning Gains
71 as measured by statewide, standardized Mathematics assessments
72 administered under s. 1008.22(3).
73 i. For schools comprised of middle grades 6 through 8 or
74 grades 7 and 8, the percentage of eligible students passing high
75 school level statewide, standardized end-of-course assessments
76 or attaining national industry certifications identified in the
77 CAPE Industry Certification Funding List pursuant to state board
78 rule.
79 j. Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, for schools
80 comprised of grade levels that include grade 3, the percentage
81 of eligible students who score an achievement level 3 or higher
82 on the grade 3 statewide, standardized English Language Arts
83 assessment administered under s. 1008.22(3).
84
85 In calculating Learning Gains for the components listed in sub
86 subparagraphs e.-h., the State Board of Education shall require
87 that learning growth toward achievement levels 3, 4, and 5 is
88 demonstrated by students who scored below each of those levels
89 in the prior year. In calculating the components in sub
90 subparagraphs a.-d., the state board shall include the
91 performance of English language learners only if they have been
92 enrolled in a school in the United States for more than 2 years.
93 2. For a school comprised of grades 9, 10, 11, and 12, or
94 grades 10, 11, and 12, the school’s grade shall also be based on
95 the following components, each worth 100 points:
96 a. The 4-year high school graduation rate of the school as
97 defined by state board rule.
98 b. The percentage of students who were eligible to earn
99 college and career credit through an assessment identified
100 pursuant to s. 1007.27(2), College Board Advanced Placement
101 examinations, International Baccalaureate examinations, dual
102 enrollment courses, including career dual enrollment courses
103 resulting in the completion of 150 300 or more clock hours
104 during high school which are approved by the state board as
105 meeting the requirements of s. 1007.271, or Advanced
106 International Certificate of Education examinations; who, at any
107 time during high school, earned national industry certification
108 identified in the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List,
109 pursuant to rules adopted by the state board; or who earned an
110 Armed Services Qualification Test score that falls within
111 Category II or higher on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude
112 Battery and earned a minimum of two credits in Junior Reserve
113 Officers’ Training Corps courses from the same branch of the
114 United States Armed Forces.
115 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.