(1) The State Board of Education shall adopt, by rule, standards of basic skill mastery for certificate career education programs. Each school district and 1community college that conducts programs that confer career credit shall provide career-preparatory instruction through which students receive the basic skills instruction required pursuant to this section.
(2) Students who enroll in a program offered for career credit of 450 hours or more shall complete an entry-level examination within the first 6 weeks of admission into the program. The State Board of Education shall designate examinations that are currently in existence, the results of which are comparable across institutions, to assess student mastery of basic skills. Any student found to lack the required level of basic skills for such program shall be referred to career-preparatory instruction or adult basic education for a structured program of basic skills instruction. Such instruction may include English for speakers of other languages. A student may not receive a career certificate of completion without first demonstrating the basic skills required in the state curriculum frameworks for the program.
(3) An adult student with a disability may be exempted from the provisions of this section. A student who possesses a college degree at the associate in applied science level or higher is exempt from this section. A student who has completed or who is exempt from the college-level communication and computation skills examination pursuant to 2s. 1008.29, or who is exempt from the college entry-level examination pursuant to 2s. 1008.29, is exempt from the provisions of this section. Students who have passed a state, national, or industry licensure exam are exempt from this section. An adult student who is enrolled in an apprenticeship program that is registered with the Department of Education in accordance with the provisions of chapter 446 is exempt from the provisions of this section.
History.—s. 234, ch. 2002-387; s. 93, ch. 2004-357; s. 14, ch. 2008-235.
1Note.—Section 21, ch. 2010-70, directs the Division of Statutory Revision to prepare a reviser’s bill to substitute the term “Florida College System institution” for the terms “Florida college,” “community college,” and “junior college” where those terms appear in the Florida K-20 Education Code.
