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.