Notice of Development of Rulemaking

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
State Board of Education
RULE NO: RULE TITLE
6A-6.0573: Industry Certification Process.
PURPOSE AND EFFECT: The purpose of the rule development workshops is to establish a process for creating and maintaining the “Comprehensive Industry Certification List” and the “Industry Certification Funding List,” pursuant to Section 1003.492, F.S.
SUBJECT AREA TO BE ADDRESSED: Industry-certified Career and Professional Academies.
SPECIFIC AUTHORITY: 120.536(1), 120.54 FS.
LAW IMPLEMENTED: 1003.491, 1003.492, 1003.493 FS.
A RULE DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP WILL BE HELD AT THE DATE, TIME AND PLACE SHOWN BELOW:
DATE AND TIME: April 18, 2008, 9:00 a.m. – Noon; April 25, 2008, 9:00 a.m. – Noon; April 28, 2008, 9:00 a.m. – Noon
PLACE: April 18, 2008 – Orange County District Office, 5400 W. Amelia Street, Orlando, FL 32801; April 25, 2008 – Sheridan Technical Center, 5400 W. Sheridan Street, Hollywood, FL 33021; April 28, 2008 – Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, 1721/25 Turlington Building, Tallahassee, FL 32399
THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT AND A COPY OF THE PRELIMINARY DRAFT, IF AVAILABLE, IS: Tara Goodman, Division of Workforce Education, Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida

THE PRELIMINARY TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT IS:

6A-6.0573  Industry Certification Process.

Section 1003.492(2), Florida Statutes, requires the State Board of Education to use the expertise of Workforce Florida, Inc. and Enterprise Florida, Inc., to develop and adopt rules for implementing an industry certification process. Industry certification must be defined by the Agency for Workforce Innovation.

(1) The Agency for Workforce Innovation must create and maintain a comprehensive listing of the highest and best industry-recognized certifications. Hereafter, this list shall be known as the “Comprehensive Industry Certification List.”

(2) Workforce Florida, Inc. must approve industry certifications for posting and publish the “Comprehensive Industry Certification List” by March 1 of each calendar year.

(3) School districts and regional workforce boards will use the “Comprehensive Industry Certification List” to determine which industry certifications to include in career and professional academies so that industry and education partners can implement curricula necessary for students to obtain industry certifications.

(4) School districts will provide education and training to prepare students for testing related to approved certifications.

(5) Regional workforce boards and career and professional academies may recommend additional industry certifications that the Agency for Workforce Innovation will review and submit, if appropriate, to Workforce Florida, Inc., for approval.

(6) “Industry Certification Funding List”: The Department of Education must review the Agency for Workforce Innovation’s “Comprehensive Industry Certification List” to identify program-to-certification linkages and to identify certifications deemed sufficiently rigorous academically and, thus, eligible for bonus FTE funding, pursuant to Section 1011.62(1)(q), Florida Statutes. Hereafter, this list will be known as the “Industry Certification Funding List.”

(a) To be considered for bonus funding and included on the “Industry Certification Funding List” under this section, a certification must meet the following criteria for academic rigor:

1. The certification must be on the “Comprehensive Industry Certification List” currently approved by Workforce Florida, Inc., and published by the Agency for Workforce Innovation.

2. The certification must be achievable by students in a secondary level program.

3. The certification must require students to complete a minimum of one hundred fifty (150) hours of instruction.

4. The certification must have been offered for at least one year in a school district. The Commissioner of Education may waive the one year requirement when failure to do so would inhibit preparation of students for rapidly emerging workforce opportunities.

(7) The Department of Education must publish, annually, two funding lists: a preliminary “Industry Certification Funding List” and a final “Industry Certification Funding List.”

(a) The preliminary “Industry Certification Funding List” must by published by March 15 and must show the program-to-certification linkages for which registered career and professional academy students may be reported for bonus funding by school districts under Section 1011.62(1)(q), Florida Statutes.

(b) Following the publication of the preliminary list, school districts must be provided a period of time to request additional program-to-certification linkages prior to publication of the final “Industry Certification Funding List” for the following school year.

(c) To add a specific program-to-certification linkage to the final “Industry Certification Funding List” for the following school year, school districts offering career and professional academies under Section 1003.493, Florida Statutes, may submit requests, along with supporting documentation, to the Department of Education.

1. Supporting documentation should include a statement of justification and other resource material to illustrate the correlation between the program standards and the certification examination competencies.

2. Requests must be submitted no later than May 1 for inclusion on the final “Industry Certification Funding Eligibility List.”

3. The Department of Education must review each request according to the above criteria and respond to the submitting school district within forty-five (45) days of receipt.

4. If the request is denied, a specific reason for denial must be included in the response to the school district.

(8) The final “Industry Certification Funding List” for the school year must be published no later than the June 15, preceding the beginning of the school year.

(9) Conditions for bonus FTE funding pursuant to Section1011.62(1)(q), Florida Statutes.

(a) A school district may report a student for bonus FTE membership under the following conditions:

1. Student is enrolled in a registered career and professional academy.

2. Student completes a certification on the “Industry Certification Funding List.”

3. The course enrollment is reported in a secondary career and technical education program which has been linked to the “Industry Certification Funding List.”

4. An industry certification can only be reported once for funding.

(b) A maximum of one certification may be reported for a course.

(c) School districts may report students who complete industry certifications during the update period allowed by the Department of Education for survey 5 after an initial submission.

(10) Registration of Career and Professional Academies: The Department of Education will maintain a website for school districts to register career and professional academies that meet the requirements of Section 1003.493, Florida Statutes.

(a) School districts will be provided a reporting window of July 1 to September 15, annually, to submit up-to-date information on each career and professional academy. The required information will include, but is not limited to, the following: academy name and school, and a list of industry certifications offered to students in the academy selected from the final “Industry Certification Funding List.”

(b) As part of the registration process, superintendents must certify that each academy meets all of the requirements of Section 1003.493, Florida Statutes.

(c) Eligibility for funding under Section 1011.62(1)(q), Florida Statutes, is limited to academies registered with the Department of Education.

(d) Academies must be registered by September 15 of the reporting year for their students to be eligible to generate bonus funding based on the completion of industry certifications.

(11) Performance Criteria:

(a) The performance criteria specified in Section 1003.493(5), Florida Statutes, shall be calculated in the following manner:

1. The denominator is the number of students in the career course who took the industry certification examination or who earned college credit for their enrollment in the career course;

2. The numerator is the number of students in the denominator who successfully passed an industry certification on the “Industry Certification Funding List” or who earned college credit.

(b) A school district that fails to meet the performance criteria specified in Section 1003.493(5), Florida Statutes, may not offer that industry certification in the academy in the subsequent year.

(c) In the annual registration process for the academy, the school district can no longer report an industry certification that fails to meet the performance criteria in the academy and will not be eligible to receive bonus FTE for that industry certification under the requirements of Section 1011.62(1)(q), Florida Statutes.

Specific Authority 120.536(1), 120.54 FS. Law Implemented 1003.491, 1003.492, 1003.493 FS. History–New_________.