Bill Text: FL S1546 | 2015 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2015-05-01 - Died in Education Pre-K - 12 [S1546 Detail]

Download: Florida-2015-S1546-Introduced.html
       Florida Senate - 2015                                    SB 1546
       
       
        
       By Senator Flores
       
       
       
       
       
       37-00837B-15                                          20151546__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Florida Bright Futures
    3         Scholarship Program; amending s. 1009.531, F.S.;
    4         reducing the minimum SAT and ACT scores required for
    5         certain students to be eligible for a Florida Academic
    6         Scholars award or a Florida Medallion Scholars award;
    7         amending ss. 1009.534 and 1009.535, F.S.; increasing
    8         the minimum weighted grade point average required for
    9         certain students to be eligible for a Florida Academic
   10         Scholars award or a Florida Medallion Scholars award;
   11         providing an effective date.
   12          
   13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   14  
   15         Section 1. Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (6) of
   16  section 1009.531, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   17         1009.531 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program;
   18  student eligibility requirements for initial awards.—
   19         (6)(a) The State Board of Education shall publicize the
   20  examination score required for a student to be eligible for a
   21  Florida Academic Scholars award, pursuant to s. 1009.534(1)(a)
   22  or (b), as follows:
   23         1. For high school students graduating in the 2010-2011 and
   24  2011-2012 academic years, the student must earn an SAT score of
   25  1270 or a concordant ACT score of 28.
   26         2. For high school students graduating in the 2012-2013
   27  academic year, the student must earn an SAT score of 1280 which
   28  corresponds to the 88th SAT percentile rank or a concordant ACT
   29  score of 28.
   30         3. For high school students graduating in the 2013-2014 and
   31  2014-2015 academic years year and thereafter, the student must
   32  earn an SAT score of 1290 which corresponds to the 89th SAT
   33  percentile rank or a concordant ACT score of 29.
   34         4. For high school students graduating in the 2015-2016
   35  academic year and thereafter, the student must earn an SAT score
   36  of 1250 which corresponds to the 85th SAT percentile rank or a
   37  concordant ACT score of 28.
   38         (b) The State Board of Education shall publicize the
   39  examination score required for a student to be eligible for a
   40  Florida Medallion Scholars award, pursuant to s. 1009.535(1)(a)
   41  or (b), as follows:
   42         1. For high school students graduating in the 2010-2011
   43  academic year, the student must earn an SAT score of 970 or a
   44  concordant ACT score of 20 or the student in a home education
   45  program whose parent cannot document a college-preparatory
   46  curriculum must earn an SAT score of 1070 or a concordant ACT
   47  score of 23.
   48         2. For high school students graduating in the 2011-2012
   49  academic year, the student must earn an SAT score of 980 which
   50  corresponds to the 44th SAT percentile rank or a concordant ACT
   51  score of 21 or the student in a home education program whose
   52  parent cannot document a college-preparatory curriculum must
   53  earn an SAT score of 1070 or a concordant ACT score of 23.
   54         3. For high school students graduating in the 2012-2013
   55  academic year, the student must earn an SAT score of 1020 which
   56  corresponds to the 51st SAT percentile rank or a concordant ACT
   57  score of 22 or the student in a home education program whose
   58  parent cannot document a college-preparatory curriculum must
   59  earn an SAT score of 1070 or a concordant ACT score of 23.
   60         4. For high school students graduating in the 2013-2014 and
   61  2014-2015 academic years year and thereafter, the student must
   62  earn an SAT score of 1170 which corresponds to the 75th SAT
   63  percentile rank or a concordant ACT score of 26 or the student
   64  in a home education program whose parent cannot document a
   65  college-preparatory curriculum must earn an SAT score of 1220 or
   66  a concordant ACT score of 27.
   67         5. For high school students graduating in the 2015-2016
   68  academic year and thereafter, the student must earn an SAT score
   69  of 1090 which corresponds to the 64th SAT percentile rank or a
   70  concordant ACT score of 24 or the student in a home education
   71  program whose parents cannot document a college-preparatory
   72  curriculum must earn an SAT score of 1140 or a concordant ACT
   73  score of 25.
   74         Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 1009.534, Florida
   75  Statutes, is amended to read:
   76         1009.534 Florida Academic Scholars award.—
   77         (1) A student is eligible for a Florida Academic Scholars
   78  award if the student meets the general eligibility requirements
   79  for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program and the
   80  student:
   81         (a) Has achieved a 3.5 weighted grade point average and has
   82  graduated before, or during, the 2014-2015 academic year or has
   83  achieved a 3.7 weighted grade point average and graduated in the
   84  2015-2016 academic year or thereafter, as calculated pursuant to
   85  s. 1009.531, or its equivalent, in high school courses that are
   86  designated by the State Board of Education as college
   87  preparatory academic courses; and has attained at least the
   88  score pursuant to s. 1009.531(6)(a) on the combined verbal and
   89  quantitative parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the
   90  Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered Scholastic
   91  Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination, or an
   92  equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program;
   93         (b) Has attended a home education program according to s.
   94  1002.41 during grades 11 and 12 or has completed the
   95  International Baccalaureate curriculum but failed to earn the
   96  International Baccalaureate Diploma or has completed the
   97  Advanced International Certificate of Education curriculum but
   98  failed to earn the Advanced International Certificate of
   99  Education Diploma, and has attained at least the score pursuant
  100  to s. 1009.531(6)(a) on the combined verbal and quantitative
  101  parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment
  102  Test, or the recentered Scholastic Assessment Test of the
  103  College Entrance Examination, or an equivalent score on the ACT
  104  Assessment Program;
  105         (c) Has been awarded an International Baccalaureate Diploma
  106  from the International Baccalaureate Office or an Advanced
  107  International Certificate of Education Diploma from the
  108  University of Cambridge International Examinations Office;
  109         (d) Has been recognized by the merit or achievement
  110  programs of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as a
  111  scholar or finalist; or
  112         (e) Has been recognized by the National Hispanic
  113  Recognition Program as a scholar recipient.
  114  
  115  A student must complete a program of community service work, as
  116  approved by the district school board, the administrators of a
  117  nonpublic school, or the Department of Education for home
  118  education program students, which shall include a minimum of 75
  119  hours of service work for high school students graduating in the
  120  2010-2011 academic year and 100 hours of service work for high
  121  school students graduating in the 2011-2012 academic year and
  122  thereafter, and must identify a social problem that interests
  123  him or her, develop a plan for his or her personal involvement
  124  in addressing the problem, and, through papers or other
  125  presentations, evaluate and reflect upon his or her experience.
  126         Section 3. Subsection (1) of section 1009.535, Florida
  127  Statutes, is amended to read:
  128         1009.535 Florida Medallion Scholars award.—
  129         (1) A student is eligible for a Florida Medallion Scholars
  130  award if the student meets the general eligibility requirements
  131  for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program and the
  132  student:
  133         (a) Has achieved a weighted grade point average of 3.0 and
  134  has graduated before, or during, the 2014-2015 academic year or
  135  has achieved a weighted grade point average of 3.3 and has
  136  graduated in the 2015-2016 academic year or thereafter, as
  137  calculated pursuant to s. 1009.531, or the equivalent, in high
  138  school courses that are designated by the State Board of
  139  Education as college-preparatory academic courses; and has
  140  attained at least the score pursuant to s. 1009.531(6)(b) on the
  141  combined verbal and quantitative parts of the Scholastic
  142  Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered
  143  Scholastic Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination,
  144  or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program;
  145         (b) Has completed the International Baccalaureate
  146  curriculum but failed to earn the International Baccalaureate
  147  Diploma or has completed the Advanced International Certificate
  148  of Education curriculum but failed to earn the Advanced
  149  International Certificate of Education Diploma, and has attained
  150  at least the score pursuant to s. 1009.531(6)(b) on the combined
  151  verbal and quantitative parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test,
  152  the Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered Scholastic
  153  Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination, or an
  154  equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program;
  155         (c) Has attended a home education program according to s.
  156  1002.41 during grades 11 and 12 and has attained at least the
  157  score pursuant to s. 1009.531(6)(b) on the combined verbal and
  158  quantitative parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the
  159  Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered Scholastic
  160  Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination, or an
  161  equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program, if the student’s
  162  parent cannot document a college-preparatory curriculum as
  163  described in paragraph (a);
  164         (d) Has been recognized by the merit or achievement program
  165  of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as a scholar or
  166  finalist but has not completed a program of community service as
  167  provided in s. 1009.534; or
  168         (e) Has been recognized by the National Hispanic
  169  Recognition Program as a scholar, but has not completed a
  170  program of community service as provided in s. 1009.534.
  171  
  172  A high school student graduating in the 2011-2012 academic year
  173  and thereafter must complete a program of community service work
  174  approved by the district school board, the administrators of a
  175  nonpublic school, or the Department of Education for home
  176  education program students, which shall include a minimum of 75
  177  hours of service work, and must identify a social problem that
  178  interests him or her, develop a plan for his or her personal
  179  involvement in addressing the problem, and, through papers or
  180  other presentations, evaluate and reflect upon his or her
  181  experience.
  182         Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.

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