HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STAFF ANALYSIS
BILL #: HB 827 School District Funding
SPONSOR(S): Hawkins and others
TIED BILLS: None IDEN./SIM. BILLS: SB 918
REFERENCE ACTION ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR or
BUDGET/POLICY CHIEF
1) PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee 13 Y, 0 N Bailey Potvin
2) Secondary Education & Career Development 14 Y, 0 N Fudge Sanchez
Subcommittee
3) Appropriations Committee 26 Y, 0 N Bailey Pridgeon
SUMMARY ANALYSIS
The Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) and the International General Certificate of
Secondary Education (pre-AICE) are curricula in which eligible secondary students are enrolled in programs of
study offered through the AICE and pre-AICE programs administered by the University of Cambridge Local
Examinations Syndicate. The programs are designed to ensure that participating students acquire an in-depth
understanding of a variety of subjects and master a broader range of skills critical for success in university
study and employment. Both the AICE and the pre-AICE programs are two of the state’s statutorily-
established articulated acceleration mechanisms in which secondary students can shorten the time necessary
to complete the requirements associated with the attainment of a high school diploma and a postsecondary
degree. Bonus funding is generated in the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) for students who
receive a score of E or higher on the AICE examination.
The bill provides additional requirements for school districts’ allocation of the AICE bonus funds to school
programs and expands these school programs to include those administered by the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate. The bill also provides a specified bonus for classroom teachers who teach the
pre-AICE courses.
The bill has no fiscal impact. Expanding the distribution of the bonus funds to apply to pre-AICE programs and
other school programs administered by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate will impact
how school districts allocate the bonus funds.
The bill has an effective date of July 1, 2021.
FULL ANALYSIS
This document does not reflect the intent or official position of the bill sponsor or House of Representatives.
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I. SUBSTANTIVE ANALYSIS
A. EFFECT OF PROPOSED CHANGES:
Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE)
Present Situation
The AICE program is one of a number of articulated acceleration mechanisms which are intended to
shorten the time necessary for a secondary student to earn a high school diploma and a postsecondary
degree, broaden the scope of curricular options available, or increase the depth of study available for a
particular subject.1 The law provides the following benefits to schools and students engaged in the
AICE program:
Successful completion of a course examination in any of those program qualifies for college
credit.2
The percent of students eligible to earn college credit through the program favorably affects the
school’s grade.3
Additional weights are assigned to grades earned in AICE or pre-AICE courses for purposes of
calculating the grade point average to be used in determining initial eligibility for a Florida Bright
Futures Scholarship.4
Classroom teachers and school districts receive funding incentives based on the performance
of each student in AICE examinations.5
Current law authorizes the calculation of certain additional weights6 to full-time equivalent (FTE)
students participating in the AICE program and funded in the FEFP as follows:
A value of 0.16 FTE student bonus amount is calculated for each student enrolled in a full-credit
AICE course and who receives a score of E or higher on an AICE examination.
A value of 0.08 FTE student bonus amount is calculated for each student enrolled in a half-
credit AICE course and who receives a score of E or higher on an AICE examination.
A value of 0.3 FTE student bonus amount is calculated for each student who receives an AICE
diploma.
Each school district must allocate at least 80 percent of the funds to the school program that generates
the additional funding.7 The school district must allocate to each classroom teacher who provided the
AICE instruction:
A $50 bonus for each student in each full-credit AICE course and who received a score of E or
higher on the AICE examination.
A $25 bonus for each student in a half-credit AICE course and who received a score of E or
higher on the AICE examination.
An additional bonus of $500 to each AICE teacher in a school designated with a grade of “D” or
“F” who has at least one student scoring E or higher on the full-credit AICE examination.
An additional bonus of $250 to each AICE teacher in a school designated with a grade of “D” or
“F” who has at least one student scoring E or higher on the half-credit AICE examination.8
Bonuses awarded to an AICE teacher are in addition to any regular wage or other bonus the classroom
teacher received or is scheduled to receive.9
During the past five years, student participation in the AICE program has nearly doubled: 10
1 Section 1007.27(1), F.S.
2
Section 1003.4295, F.S.
3
Section 1008.34(3)(b)2.b., F.S.
4
Section 1009.531(3)(a), F.S.
5 Section 1011.62(1)(m), F.S.
6 Id.
7 Id.
8 Id.
9 Id.
10 Office of Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, School Choice Landscape (February 15, 2021).
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Fiscal Year Participating
Students
2015-2016 33,326
2016-2017 41,512
2017-2018 48,663
2018-2019 55,728
2019-2020 63,212
For Fiscal Year 2019-2020, a total of 11,406 FTE students received the additional 0.16 value which
generated $81,256,751 in total funding in the FEFP.11 An estimated amount paid for the $50 teacher
bonuses for FY 2019-2020 was $3,564,325.12
Effect of Proposed Change
The bill expands the requirement in law that each school district allocate at least 80 percent of the
funds received from the AICE bonus FTE funding to the school program that generated the funds and
to school programs administered by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate to
prepare prospective students to enroll in AICE courses. The bill requires such funds to be expended
solely for the payment of costs associated with the:
Application and registration process;
Program fees and site licenses;
Training, professional development, salaries, benefits, and bonuses for instructional personnel
and program coordinators;
Examination and diploma fees;
Membership fees;
Supplemental books;
Instructional supplies, materials, and equipment; and
Other activities that identify prospective AICE students or prepare prospective students to
enroll in AICE courses.
The bill specifies that the school district is required to distribute bonus funds to each classroom teacher
who provided AICE or International General Certificate of Secondary Education (pre-AICE) instruction.
The bill updates language concerning the distribution to classroom teachers of the bonus funds
generated by students who receive a score of E or higher on the AICE examinations and who receive
an AICE diploma by removing references to full-credit and half-credit, to reflect that the University of
Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate no longer offers half-credit courses. The bill changes the
designation from half-credit AICE courses to pre-AICE courses for the $25 and $250 bonus awards for
specified students who receive a score of E or higher on the pre-AICE examination.
B. SECTION DIRECTORY:
Section 1. Amends s. 1011.62, F.S., revising the school districts’ allocation of the bonus funding to
include other school programs administered by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations
Syndicate; and providing a per-full-time equivalent (FTE) student bonus funding to classroom teachers
who teach a pre-AICE course in which the student receives a score of E or higher on the pre-AICE
examination.
11 Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Final Calculation of the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP).
12 Email, Angela Dempsey, PooleMcKinley (March 15, 2021).
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Section 2. Provides an effective date of July 1, 2021.
II. FISCAL ANALYSIS & ECONOMIC IMPACT STATEMENT
A. FISCAL IMPACT ON STATE GOVERNMENT:
1. Revenues:
None.
2. Expenditures:
None.
B. FISCAL IMPACT ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
1. Revenues:
School districts that offer pre-AICE courses may receive additional funding through the Florida
Education Finance Program (FEFP).
2. Expenditures:
None.
C. DIRECT ECONOMIC IMPACT ON PRIVATE SECTOR:
None.
D. FISCAL COMMENTS:
The bill has no fiscal impact. Expanding the distribution of the bonus funds to apply to pre-AICE
programs and other school programs administered by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations
Syndicate will impact how school districts allocate the bonus funds.
III. COMMENTS
A. CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES:
1. Applicability of Municipality/County Mandates Provision:
None. This bill does not appear to affect county or municipal governments.
2. Other:
None.
B. RULE-MAKING AUTHORITY:
None.
C. DRAFTING ISSUES OR OTHER COMMENTS:
None.
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IV. AMENDMENTS/ COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE CHANGES
None.
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Statutes affected: H 827 Filed: 1011.62
H 827 er: 1011.62