Florida Senate - 2025 SB 1368
By Senator Davis
5-00410A-25 20251368__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Florida Bright Futures
3 Scholarship Program; amending s. 1007.27, F.S.;
4 conforming a cross-reference; amending s. 1007.35,
5 F.S.; requiring that specified test preparation
6 resources and information be provided to certain
7 students for a specified time period; providing
8 continued eligibility criteria for students receiving
9 such resources and information; providing for the
10 funding for such resources; amending ss. 1009.534 and
11 1009.535, F.S.; revising the eligibility criteria for
12 certain awards under the Florida Bright Futures
13 Scholarship Program; providing an effective date.
14
15 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
16
17 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section
18 1007.27, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
19 1007.27 Articulated acceleration mechanisms.—
20 (1)
21 (b) The State Board of Education and the Board of Governors
22 shall identify Florida College System institutions and state
23 universities to develop courses that align with s. 1007.25 for
24 students in secondary education and provide the training
25 required under s. 1007.35(7) s. 1007.35(6).
26 Section 2. Present subsections (6) through (10) of section
27 1007.35, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (7)
28 through (11), respectively, paragraph (a) of present subsection
29 (9) of that section is amended, and a new subsection (6) is
30 added to that section, to read:
31 1007.35 Florida Partnership for Minority and
32 Underrepresented Student Achievement.—
33 (6) Each enrolled public high school student who has a
34 grade point average of 3.5 or higher and has achieved a
35 composite score of 1,000 or higher on the PSAT/NMSQT
36 administered pursuant to subsection (5) must be provided all of
37 the following:
38 (a) Online or in-person SAT or ACT preparation courses or
39 access to other evidence-based SAT or ACT preparation resources.
40 (b) Information on all eligibility requirements for the
41 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program.
42 1. The resources provided under this paragraph must be
43 offered to eligible students until such students are provided
44 the opportunity to take the SAT, ACT, or Classical Learning Test
45 in 11th grade pursuant to s. 1008.22(3)(c).
46 2. To remain eligible for the resources provided under this
47 paragraph, students must maintain a grade point average of 3.5
48 or higher.
49 (c) Funding for the resources provided under this
50 subsection must be provided using lottery funds deposited into
51 the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund.
52 (10)(a)(9)(a) Except as provided in subsection (6), funding
53 for the partnership is shall be contingent upon annual funding
54 in the General Appropriations Act.
55 Section 3. Subsection (1) of section 1009.534, Florida
56 Statutes, is amended to read:
57 1009.534 Florida Academic Scholars award.—
58 (1) A student is eligible for a Florida Academic Scholars
59 award if he or she meets the general eligibility requirements
60 for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program and:
61 (a) Has achieved a 3.5 weighted grade point average as
62 calculated pursuant to s. 1009.531, or its equivalent, in high
63 school courses that are designated by the State Board of
64 Education as college-preparatory academic courses and has
65 attained at least the score required under s. 1009.531(6)(a) on
66 the combined verbal and quantitative parts of the Scholastic
67 Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered
68 Scholastic Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination,
69 or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program;
70 (b) Has attended a home education program according to s.
71 1002.41 during grades 11 and 12, has completed the International
72 Baccalaureate curriculum but failed to earn the International
73 Baccalaureate Diploma, or has completed the Advanced
74 International Certificate of Education curriculum but failed to
75 earn the Advanced International Certificate of Education
76 Diploma, and has attained at least the score required under s.
77 1009.531(6)(a) on the combined verbal and quantitative parts of
78 the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or
79 the recentered Scholastic Assessment Test of the College
80 Entrance Examination, or an equivalent score on the ACT
81 Assessment Program;
82 (c) Has been awarded an International Baccalaureate Diploma
83 from the International Baccalaureate Office or an Advanced
84 International Certificate of Education Diploma from the
85 University of Cambridge International Examinations Office;
86 (d) Has been recognized by the merit or achievement
87 programs of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as a
88 scholar or finalist; or
89 (e) Has been recognized by the College Board National
90 Hispanic Recognition Program as a scholar recipient; or
91 (f) Has been recognized by the College Board National
92 African American Recognition Program as a scholar recipient.
93
94 The student must complete a program of volunteer service or,
95 beginning with a high school student graduating in the 2022-2023
96 academic year and thereafter, paid work, as approved by the
97 district school board, the administrators of a nonpublic school,
98 or the Department of Education for home education program
99 students, which must include 100 hours of volunteer service,
100 paid work, or a combination of both. Eligible paid work
101 completed on or after June 27, 2022, shall be included in the
102 student’s total of paid work hours. The student may identify a
103 social or civic issue or a professional area that interests him
104 or her and develop a plan for his or her personal involvement in
105 addressing the issue or learning about the area. The student
106 must, through papers or other presentations, evaluate and
107 reflect upon his or her volunteer service or paid work
108 experience. Such volunteer service or paid work may include, but
109 is not limited to, a business or governmental internship, work
110 for a nonprofit community service organization, or activities on
111 behalf of a candidate for public office. The hours of volunteer
112 service or paid work must be documented in writing, and the
113 document must be signed by the student, the student’s parent or
114 guardian, and a representative of the organization for which the
115 student performed the volunteer service or paid work.
116 Section 4. Subsection (1) of section 1009.535, Florida
117 Statutes, is amended to read:
118 1009.535 Florida Medallion Scholars award.—
119 (1) A student is eligible for a Florida Medallion Scholars
120 award if he or she meets the general eligibility requirements
121 for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program and:
122 (a) Has achieved a weighted grade point average of 3.0 as
123 calculated pursuant to s. 1009.531, or the equivalent, in high
124 school courses that are designated by the State Board of
125 Education as college-preparatory academic courses and has
126 attained at least the score required under s. 1009.531(6)(b) on
127 the combined verbal and quantitative parts of the Scholastic
128 Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered
129 Scholastic Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination,
130 or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program;
131 (b) Has completed the International Baccalaureate
132 curriculum but failed to earn the International Baccalaureate
133 Diploma or has completed the Advanced International Certificate
134 of Education curriculum but failed to earn the Advanced
135 International Certificate of Education Diploma, and has attained
136 at least the score required under s. 1009.531(6)(b) on the
137 combined verbal and quantitative parts of the Scholastic
138 Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered
139 Scholastic Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination,
140 or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program;
141 (c) Has attended a home education program according to s.
142 1002.41 during grades 11 and 12 and has attained at least the
143 score required under s. 1009.531(6)(b) on the combined verbal
144 and quantitative parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the
145 Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered Scholastic
146 Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination, or an
147 equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program;
148 (d) Has been recognized by the merit or achievement program
149 of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as a scholar or
150 finalist but has not completed the program of volunteer service
151 or paid work required under s. 1009.534; or
152 (e) Has been recognized by the College Board National
153 Hispanic Recognition Program as a scholar, but has not completed
154 the program of volunteer service or paid work required under s.
155 1009.534; or
156 (f) Has been recognized by the College Board National
157 African American Recognition Program as a scholar, but has not
158 completed the program of volunteer service or paid work required
159 under s. 1009.534.
160
161 A high school student must complete a program of volunteer
162 service or, beginning with a high school student graduating in
163 the 2022-2023 academic year and thereafter, paid work approved
164 by the district school board, the administrators of a nonpublic
165 school, or the Department of Education for home education
166 program students, which must include 75 hours of volunteer
167 service, 100 hours of paid work, or 100 hours of a combination
168 of both. Eligible paid work completed on or after June 27, 2022,
169 shall be included in a student’s total of required paid work
170 hours. The student may identify a social or civic issue or a
171 professional area that interests him or her and develop a plan
172 for his or her personal involvement in addressing the issue or
173 learning about the area. The student must, through papers or
174 other presentations, evaluate and reflect upon his or her
175 volunteer service or paid work experience. Such volunteer
176 service or paid work may include, but is not limited to, a
177 business or governmental internship, work for a nonprofit
178 community service organization, or activities on behalf of a
179 candidate for public office. The hours of volunteer service or
180 paid work must be documented in writing, and the document must
181 be signed by the student, the student’s parent or guardian, and
182 a representative of the organization for which the student
183 performed the volunteer service or paid work.
184 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.