Bill Text: FL S7032 | 2024 | Regular Session | Prefiled
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Education
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Passed) 2024-05-13 - Chapter No. 2024-161 [S7032 Detail]
Download: Florida-2024-S7032-Prefiled.html
Bill Title: Education
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Passed) 2024-05-13 - Chapter No. 2024-161 [S7032 Detail]
Download: Florida-2024-S7032-Prefiled.html
Florida Senate - 2024 (PROPOSED BILL) SPB 7032 FOR CONSIDERATION By the Committee on Education Postsecondary 589-01972A-24 20247032pb 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to education; amending s. 1003.435, 3 F.S.; requiring district school boards to notify all 4 candidates for the high school equivalency diploma of 5 adult secondary and postsecondary education options; 6 creating s. 1004.933, F.S.; providing legislative 7 intent; defining the terms “career education program” 8 and “institution”; establishing the Graduation 9 Alternative to Traditional Education (GATE) Program; 10 providing the purpose of the program; providing that 11 students enrolled in the program are exempt from 12 payments for registration, tuition, laboratory, and 13 examination fees; providing eligibility requirements; 14 prohibiting an institution from imposing additional 15 eligibility requirements; requiring the State Board of 16 Education to adopt rules; amending s. 1008.34, F.S.; 17 providing that high school students enrolled in the 18 GATE Program are not included in a high school’s 19 graduation rate; creating s. 1009.711, F.S.; creating 20 the GATE Scholarship Program; requiring the Department 21 of Education to administer the program; requiring the 22 program to reimburse eligible institutions for student 23 costs; requiring participating institutions to report 24 to the department all students enrolled in the 25 program; providing that reimbursements are contingent 26 on legislative appropriations and may be prorated in 27 the event that total reimbursements owed exceed 28 available funds; requiring the state board to adopt 29 rules; amending s. 1011.80, F.S.; revising the number 30 of courses certain students may be reported for 31 relating to funding purposes; providing that such 32 courses do not have to be core curricula courses; 33 deleting a requirement for the department to develop a 34 list of courses to be designated as core curricula 35 courses; creating s. 1011.804, F.S.; creating the GATE 36 Program Student Success Incentive Fund; defining the 37 term “institution”; providing that, subject to the 38 appropriation of funds by the Legislature, each 39 participating institution must receive specified 40 allocations; providing for proration of funds, as 41 necessary; providing an effective date. 42 43 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 44 45 Section 1. Subsection (3) of section 1003.435, Florida 46 Statutes, is amended to read: 47 1003.435 High school equivalency diploma program.— 48 (3) Each district school board shall: 49 (a) Offer and administer the high school equivalency 50 diploma examinations and the subject area examinations to all 51 candidates pursuant to rules of the State Board of Education. 52 (b) Notify each candidate of adult secondary and 53 postsecondary education options available in or near the 54 district. The candidate must also be informed of the eligibility 55 requirements and any minimum academic requirements for each 56 available option. 57 Section 2. Section 1004.933, Florida Statutes, is created 58 to read: 59 1004.933 Graduation Alternative to Traditional Education 60 (GATE) Program.— 61 (1) LEGISLATIVE INTENT.—It is the intent of the Legislature 62 that each high school student have the opportunity to earn 63 postsecondary course credits at no cost to the student while 64 pursuing the completion of a standard high school diploma or 65 equivalent credential. Furthermore, to help meet this state’s 66 workforce skill needs, it is the intent of the Legislature that 67 high school students have access to high-quality workforce 68 education programs that can help them build their basic 69 education abilities and attain industry-recognized postsecondary 70 credentials. 71 (2) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 72 (a) “Career education program” means an applied technology 73 diploma program as defined in s. 1004.02(7) or a career 74 certificate program as defined in s. 1004.02(20). 75 (b) “Institution” means a school district career center 76 established under s. 1001.44, a charter technical career center 77 established under s. 1002.34, or a Florida College System 78 institution identified in s. 1000.21. 79 (3) ESTABLISHMENT; PURPOSE.—The Graduation Alternative to 80 Traditional Education (GATE) Program is created within the 81 Department of Education for the following purposes: 82 (a) Assisting students who may have challenges in 83 completing the requirements for a standard high school diploma 84 in a traditional setting. 85 (b) Creating an alternative education pathway that supports 86 this state’s commitment to educational accessibility for all 87 students by providing additional opportunities for students 16 88 to 21 years of age who have discontinued enrollment in 89 traditional high school programs. 90 (c) Increasing the number of students who successfully earn 91 a high school credential in this state. 92 (d) Increasing the interest and participation of students 93 in career and technical education (CTE) programs. 94 (4) PAYMENT EXEMPTION; ELIGIBILITY.— 95 (a) Any student enrolled in the GATE Program is exempt from 96 the payment of registration, tuition, laboratory, and 97 examination fees to a participating institution. Instructional 98 materials assigned for use under the GATE program must be made 99 available to GATE Program students free of charge. An 100 institution may not require payment by students of instructional 101 material costs eligible for reimbursement under s. 1009.711. 102 (b) To be eligible for participation in the GATE Program, a 103 student may not have earned a standard high school diploma 104 pursuant to s. 1003.4282 or a high school equivalency diploma 105 pursuant to s. 1003.435 before enrolling in the GATE Program and 106 must: 107 1. Be a resident of this state as defined under s. 1009.21; 108 2. Be concurrently enrolled in an adult secondary education 109 program as defined in s. 1004.02(4) and a career education 110 program at a Florida College System institution, a school 111 district career center, or a charter technical career center; 112 3. Be 16 to 21 years of age at the time of initial 113 enrollment; 114 4. Select the CTE pathway or program of his or her choice 115 at the time of enrollment. The student may not change the 116 requested pathway after enrollment; 117 5. Maintain a 2.0 GPA for CTE coursework; and 118 6. Complete the programs under subparagraph 2. within 3 119 years after initial enrollment unless the institution determines 120 that an extension is warranted due to extenuating circumstances. 121 (c) An institution may not impose additional criteria to 122 determine a student’s eligibility to receive a waiver under this 123 section. 124 (5) RULES.—The State Board of Education shall adopt rules 125 to implement this section. 126 Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section 127 1008.34, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 128 1008.34 School grading system; school report cards; 129 district grade.— 130 (3) DESIGNATION OF SCHOOL GRADES.— 131 (b)1. A school’s grade shall be based on the following 132 components, each worth 100 points: 133 a. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide, 134 standardized assessments in English Language Arts under s. 135 1008.22(3). 136 b. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide, 137 standardized assessments in mathematics under s. 1008.22(3). 138 c. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide, 139 standardized assessments in science under s. 1008.22(3). 140 d. The percentage of eligible students passing statewide, 141 standardized assessments in social studies under s. 1008.22(3). 142 e. The percentage of eligible students who make Learning 143 Gains in English Language Arts as measured by statewide, 144 standardized assessments administered under s. 1008.22(3). 145 f. The percentage of eligible students who make Learning 146 Gains in mathematics as measured by statewide, standardized 147 assessments administered under s. 1008.22(3). 148 g. The percentage of eligible students in the lowest 25 149 percent in English Language Arts, as identified by prior year 150 performance on statewide, standardized assessments, who make 151 Learning Gains as measured by statewide, standardized English 152 Language Arts assessments administered under s. 1008.22(3). 153 h. The percentage of eligible students in the lowest 25 154 percent in mathematics, as identified by prior year performance 155 on statewide, standardized assessments, who make Learning Gains 156 as measured by statewide, standardized Mathematics assessments 157 administered under s. 1008.22(3). 158 i. For schools comprised of middle grades 6 through 8 or 159 grades 7 and 8, the percentage of eligible students passing high 160 school level statewide, standardized end-of-course assessments 161 or attaining national industry certifications identified in the 162 CAPE Industry Certification Funding List pursuant to state board 163 rule. 164 j. Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, for schools 165 comprised of grade levels that include grade 3, the percentage 166 of eligible students who score an achievement level 3 or higher 167 on the grade 3 statewide, standardized English Language Arts 168 assessment administered under s. 1008.22(3). 169 170 In calculating Learning Gains for the components listed in sub 171 subparagraphs e.-h., the State Board of Education shall require 172 that learning growth toward achievement levels 3, 4, and 5 is 173 demonstrated by students who scored below each of those levels 174 in the prior year. In calculating the components in sub 175 subparagraphs a.-d., the state board shall include the 176 performance of English language learners only if they have been 177 enrolled in a school in the United States for more than 2 years. 178 2. For a school comprised of grades 9, 10, 11, and 12, or 179 grades 10, 11, and 12, the school’s grade shall also be based on 180 the following components, each worth 100 points: 181 a. The 4-year high school graduation rate of the school as 182 defined by state board rule. Students enrolled in high school 183 who choose to enroll in the GATE Program, pursuant to s. 184 1004.933, may not be included in the graduation rate. 185 b. The percentage of students who were eligible to earn 186 college and career credit through an assessment identified 187 pursuant to s. 1007.27(2), College Board Advanced Placement 188 examinations, International Baccalaureate examinations, dual 189 enrollment courses, including career dual enrollment courses 190 resulting in the completion of 300 or more clock hours during 191 high school which are approved by the state board as meeting the 192 requirements of s. 1007.271, or Advanced International 193 Certificate of Education examinations; who, at any time during 194 high school, earned national industry certification identified 195 in the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List, pursuant to 196 rules adopted by the state board; or who earned an Armed 197 Services Qualification Test score that falls within Category II 198 or higher on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery and 199 earned a minimum of two credits in Junior Reserve Officers’ 200 Training Corps courses from the same branch of the United States 201 Armed Forces. 202 Section 4. Section 1009.711, Florida Statutes, is created 203 to read: 204 1009.711 GATE Scholarship Program.— 205 (1) The GATE Scholarship Program is created to financially 206 support institutions in providing the GATE Program established 207 pursuant to s. 1004.933. 208 (2) The Department of Education shall administer the GATE 209 Scholarship Program in accordance with rules adopted by the 210 State Board of Education pursuant to subsection (6). 211 (3) The program shall reimburse eligible institutions for 212 registration, tuition, laboratory, and examination fees and 213 related instructional materials costs for students enrolled in 214 the GATE Program. School district career centers and Florida 215 College System institutions must be reimbursed at the in-state 216 resident tuition rate established in s. 1009.22(3)(c). 217 (4) Each participating institution shall report to the 218 department all students enrolled in the GATE Program during the 219 fall, spring, or summer terms within 30 days after the end of 220 regular registration. For each eligible student, the institution 221 shall report the total reimbursable expenses by category, which 222 the department must consider in determining an institution’s 223 award under this section. The department shall reimburse each 224 participating institution no later than 30 days after the 225 institution has reported enrollment for that term. 226 (5) Reimbursements from the GATE Scholarship Program are 227 contingent upon an annual appropriation in the General 228 Appropriations Act. If the statewide reimbursement amount is 229 greater than the appropriation, the institutional reimbursement 230 amounts specified in subsection (3) must be prorated among the 231 institutions that have timely reported eligible students to the 232 department. 233 (6) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to 234 implement this section. 235 Section 5. Subsection (10) of section 1011.80, Florida 236 Statutes, is amended to read: 237 1011.80 Funds for operation of workforce education 238 programs.— 239 (10) A high school student dually enrolled under s. 240 1007.271 in a workforce education program operated by a Florida 241 College System institution or school district career center 242 generates the amount calculated for workforce education funding, 243 including any payment of performance funding, and the 244 proportional share of full-time equivalent enrollment generated 245 through the Florida Education Finance Program for the student’s 246 enrollment in a high school. If a high school student is dually 247 enrolled in a Florida College System institution program, 248 including a program conducted at a high school, the Florida 249 College System institution earns the funds generated for 250 workforce education funding, and the school district earns the 251 proportional share of full-time equivalent funding from the 252 Florida Education Finance Program. If a student is dually 253 enrolled in a career center operated by the same district as the 254 district in which the student attends high school, that district 255 earns the funds generated for workforce education funding and 256 also earns the proportional share of full-time equivalent 257 funding from the Florida Education Finance Program. If a student 258 is dually enrolled in a workforce education program provided by 259 a career center operated by a different school district, the 260 funds must be divided between the two school districts 261 proportionally from the two funding sources. A student may not 262 be reported for funding in a dual enrollment workforce education 263 program unless the student has completed the basic skills 264 assessment pursuant to s. 1004.91. A student who is coenrolled 265 in a K-12 education program and an adult education program may 266 be reported for purposes of funding in an adult education 267 program. If a student is coenrolled incore curriculacourses 268 for credit recovery or dropout prevention purposes and does not 269 have a pattern of excessive absenteeism or habitual truancy or a 270 history of disruptive behavior in school, the student may be 271 reported for funding for up to fourtwocourses per year. Such a 272 student is exempt from the payment of the block tuition for 273 adult general education programs provided in s. 1009.22(3)(c). 274The Department of Education shall develop a list of courses to275be designated as core curricula courses for the purposes of276coenrollment.277 Section 6. Section 1011.804, Florida Statutes, is created 278 to read: 279 1011.804 GATE Program Student Success Incentive Fund.— 280 (1) A GATE Program Student Success Incentive Fund is 281 created to reward school districts and Florida College System 282 institutions for the documented success of students 283 participating in the GATE Program established under s. 1004.933. 284 (2) As used in this section, the term “institution” means a 285 school district career center established under s. 1001.44, a 286 charter technical career center established under s. 1002.34, or 287 a Florida College System institution identified in s. 1000.21 288 which offers the GATE Program pursuant to s. 1004.933. 289 (3) Subject to legislative appropriation, each 290 participating institution must receive an allocation based on 291 the performance of students in its GATE Program according to the 292 following metrics: 293 (a) The number of students obtaining a standard high school 294 diploma or high school equivalency diploma while participating 295 in the program. 296 (b) The number of postsecondary industry certifications or 297 other program completion credentials earned by students 298 participating in the program. Eligible industry certifications 299 must be identified on the CAPE Industry Certification Funding 300 List approved by the State Board of Education under s. 1008.44. 301 (c) Unless otherwise specified in the General 302 Appropriations Act, each institution must be provided $750 per 303 student described in paragraph (a) and $1,000 per student 304 earning certificates or credentials as provided in paragraph 305 (b). If funds are insufficient to fully fund the calculated 306 total award, such funds must be prorated among the institutions. 307 Section 7. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.