Notice of Proposed Rule
RULE NO.: RULE TITLE:
6A-10.040 Basic Skills Requirements for Postsecondary Vocational Certificate Education
PURPOSE AND EFFECT: The purpose of the rule amendment is to align the rule with Section 1004.91, Florida Statutes, and to update the list of assessment instruments available. Since the older version of the tests will remain in rule, there is minimum effect on local education agencies unless they decide to change assessment instruments.
SUMMARY: The rule is amended to align with current statute and to update the list of assessment instruments available.
SUMMARY OF STATEMENT OF ESTIMATED REGULATORY COSTS: No Statement of Estimated Regulatory Cost was prepared.
Any person who wishes to provide information regarding a statement of estimated regulatory costs, or provide a proposal for a lower cost regulatory alternative must do so in writing within 21 days of this notice.
SPECIFIC AUTHORITY: 1001.02(1) FS., 1004.91(1) FS.
LAW IMPLEMENTED: 1004.91 FS.
A HEARING WILL BE HELD AT THE DATE, TIME AND PLACE SHOWN BELOW:
DATE
AND TIME:
PLACE:
THE
PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE IS: Bonnie Marmor, Vice
Chancellor for Workforce Education, Division of Community Colleges,
THE FULL TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULE IS:
6A-10.040 Basic Skills Requirements for Postsecondary Career
Vocational Certificate Education.
(1) Students who are enrolled in a postsecondary vocational
certificate program offered for career education credit of 450 hours or
more shall complete an entry-level basic skills examination within
the first six (6) weeks after admission into the program. The assessment
instruments listed in paragraphs (1)(a) through (1)(e) of this rule (English
version only) are designated to assess student mastery of basic skills and
shall be used according to standards established for test administration and
interpretation set forth in Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing
(APA, AERA, NCME, 1992) and with appropriate accommodations modifications
for students with disabilities as specified in Rule 6A-1.0943, F.A.C.:
(a) Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE), Complete
Adult Measure of Essential Skills (AMES) 1997;
(b) Computerized Placement Test (CPT) or Multiple Assessment Placement
Service (MAPS), where authorized;
(c) Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE), Complete
(d) Tests of Adult Basic Education – Work
Related (TABE-WR), 1994; or
(e) Wonderlic Basic Skills Test (WBST), 1994.
(2) Scale scores corresponding to the minimum basic
skills grade levels in each career education vocational program
description adopted under Rule 6A-6.0571, F.A.C., and published annually by the
Commissioner in the document entitled, “Career Vocational
Education Program Courses Standards” shall be used to determine basic
skills levels required for completion of the career vocational
program. Scale score comparison charts are available from the Department of
Education Division of Workforce Development,
(3) Students deemed to lack the required minimal level
of basic skills as measured by one of the designated examinations shall be
provided with instruction specifically designed to correct the deficiencies.
(4) After a student completes the remediation
prescribed for basic skills deficiencies, the student shall be retested using
an alternative form (if possible) of the same examination that was used for
initial testing. No student shall be awarded a career vocational
certificate until the student achieves the minimum level of basic skills
required for that program by the Department of Education. Adult However,
students with disabilities, as defined in Section 1004.02(7), 239.105,
Florida Statutes, may be exempted from meeting the career vocational
basic skills grade levels required for completion of the career program as
described required in subsection (2) of this rule. Each school
district and community college must adopt a policy addressing procedures for
exempting eligible students with disabilities from the basic skills exit
requirements as permitted in Section 1004.91(3),
(5) Procedures for students whose first language is
not English:
(a) No student is exempt from this rule because of
language deficiencies. If one of the approved basic skills assessment
instruments cannot be administered, an alternative assessment from subsection
(7) of this rule should be used for initial testing. Limited English Proficient
students (LEP) shall be given English language instruction and remediation in
basic skills as needed to improve proficiency correct deficiencies.
The math assessment may be measured by one (1) of the designated tests in
subsection (1) of this rule.
(b) LEP students must achieve the minimum grade
level/scale score or higher on one of the designated tests in subsection (1) of
this rule as required by the Department to be awarded a certificate of
completion in a career vocational program.
(6) If a student has achieved the minimum basic skills
grade levels/scale scores on one of the designated tests in subsection (1) of
this rule, these scores shall be acceptable for a period of two (2) years. The
program administrators must receive a copy of the test scores from the
institution which administered the test or an official copy of the transcript.
(7) If the tests listed in subsection (1) do not meet
the initial assessment needs of the adult student, one of the following
alternative assessment instruments may be used within the first six (6) weeks,
for diagnostic and remediation purposes only:
(a) Adult Language Assessment Scales (A-LAS) 1991;
(b) Brigance Employability Skills, 1995;
(c) Brigance Life Skills, 1994;
(d) Comprehensive Test of Adaptive Behaviors (CTAB),
1986;
(e) Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System
(CASAS), Life Skills, 1996; (reading and listening);
(f) Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS)
– STRETCH (CASAS) 1996;
(g) Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS)
– Test for Special Populations (CASAS), 1996;
(h) Kaufman Functional Academic Skills Test (K-FAST),
1994; or
(i) Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA) English as a Second Language Oral Assessment
(ESLOA), 1995.; or
(j) Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System
(CASAS) – Life and Work, 2001 (reading).
(8) Students who possess a college degree at the
associate of applied science level an associate of arts degree, or
higher;, who have completed the college-level communication and
computation skills examination (CLAST) pursuant to Section 240.107, Florida
Statutes, or who have met the minimum cut scores on any test listed in Rule
6A-10.0315, F.A.C., may be exempted from the provision of subsection (1) of
this rule who have completed or are exempt from the college-level
communications and computations skills examination (CLAST) pursuant to Section
1008.29, Florida Statutes; who are excempt from the college entry-level
examination pursuant to Section 1008.29, Florida Statutes; or who have passed a
state, national, or industry licensure exam are exempt from this rule. The
designated program administrator must receive an official copy of the degree,
transcript, or test score.
Specific
Authority 1001.02(1), 1004.91(1) 229.053(1), 239.115, 239.213 FS.
Law Implemented 1004.91 239.213 FS. History–New
NAME OF PERSON ORIGINATING PROPOSED RULE: Bonnie Marmor, Vice Chancellor for Workforce Education
NAME OF SUPERVISOR OR PERSON WHO APPROVED THE PROPOSED RULE: Chancellor David Armstrong, Division of Community Colleges
DATE
PROPOSED RULE APPROVED BY AGENCY HEAD:
DATE
NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT PUBLISHED IN FAW: