Florida Senate - 2026                                    SB 1694
       
       
        
       By Senator Avila
       
       
       
       
       
       39-00663D-26                                          20261694__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to technology education; amending s.
    3         1007.25, F.S.; revising general education core course
    4         standards for public postsecondary educational
    5         institutions to include technology courses; providing
    6         an effective date.
    7          
    8  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
    9  
   10         Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of section
   11  1007.25, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   12         1007.25 General education courses; common prerequisites;
   13  other degree requirements.—
   14         (3) The chair of the State Board of Education and the chair
   15  of the Board of Governors, or their designees, shall jointly
   16  appoint faculty committees to review and recommend to the
   17  Articulation Coordinating Committee for approval by the State
   18  Board of Education and the Board of Governors statewide general
   19  education core course options for inclusion in the statewide
   20  course numbering system established under s. 1007.24. Faculty
   21  committees shall, by July 1, 2024, and by July 1 every 4 years
   22  thereafter, review and submit recommendations to the
   23  Articulation Coordinating Committee and the commissioner for the
   24  removal, alignment, realignment, or addition of general
   25  education core courses that satisfy the requirements of this
   26  subsection.
   27         (d) General education core courses must meet the following
   28  standards:
   29         1. Communication courses must afford students the ability
   30  to communicate effectively, including the ability to write
   31  clearly and engage in public speaking.
   32         2. Humanities courses must afford students the ability to
   33  think critically through the mastering of subjects concerned
   34  with human culture, especially literature, history, art, music,
   35  and philosophy, and must include selections from the Western
   36  canon.
   37         3. Social science courses must afford students an
   38  understanding of the basic social and behavioral science
   39  concepts and principles used in the analysis of behavior and
   40  past and present social, political, and economic issues.
   41         4. Natural science courses must afford students the ability
   42  to critically examine and evaluate the principles of the
   43  scientific method, model construction, and use the scientific
   44  method to explain natural experiences and phenomena.
   45         5. Mathematics courses must afford students a mastery of
   46  foundational mathematical and computation models and methods by
   47  applying such models and methods in problem solving.
   48         6. Technology courses must afford students an understanding
   49  of computer science through artificial intelligence applications
   50  and the mastering of subjects concerned with robotics, software
   51  engineering, computer networks, database systems, and cyber
   52  security.
   53         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.