The Florida Senate
BILL ANALYSIS AND FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
(This document is based on the provisions contained in the legislation as of the latest date listed below.)
Prepared By: The Professional Staff of the Committee on Rules
BILL: SB 1688
INTRODUCER: Senator Osgood
SUBJECT: Career-themed Courses
DATE: February 7, 2024 REVISED:
ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR REFERENCE ACTION
1. Brick Bouck ED Favorable
2. Baird McKay CM Favorable
3. Brick Twogood RC Favorable
I. Summary:
SB 1688 adds requirements to improve student awareness of career and technical education
opportunities. The bill adds requirements for:
Strategic planning among local education, workforce, and economic development agencies.
The collection of data in industry-certified career education programs and career-themed
courses.
Student and parent notifications about available career and professional academies and
career-themed courses.
The bill takes effect July 1, 2024.
II. Present Situation:
The Career and Professional Education Act
The Florida Career and Professional Education (CAPE) Act provides a statewide planning
partnership between the business and education communities in order to attract, expand, and
retain targeted, high-value industry and to sustain a strong, knowledge-based economy.1
Each district school board must develop, in collaboration with local workforce development
boards, economic development agencies, and postsecondary institutions, a strategic three-year
plan to address and meet local and regional workforce demands.2 The strategic plan must be
constructed and based on elements specified in law that are consistent with the goal of enhancing
career and professional education.3 The strategic plan must describe in detail provisions for the
efficient transportation of students, the maximum use of shared resources, access to courses
1
Section 1003.491, F.S.
2
Section 1003.491(2), F.S.
3
Section 1003.491(3), F.S.
BILL: SB 1688 Page 2
aligned to state curriculum standards through virtual education providers legislatively authorized
to provide part-time instruction to middle school students, and an objective review of proposed
career and professional academy courses and other career-themed courses to determine if the
courses will lead to the attainment of industry certifications included on the CAPE Industry
Certification Funding List. Each strategic plan must be reviewed, updated, and jointly approved
every three years by the local school district, local workforce development boards, economic
development agencies, and state-approved postsecondary institutions.4
The Commissioner of Education (commissioner) is required to conduct an annual review of K-12
and postsecondary career and technical education offerings that, at a minimum, must examine:5
Alignment of offerings with the framework of quality that govern inclusion on the Master
Credentials List.6
Alignment of offerings at the K-12 and postsecondary levels with credentials or degree
programs identified on the Master Credentials List.
Program utilization and unwarranted duplication across institutions serving the same students
in a geographical or service area.
Institutional performance measured by student outcomes such as academic achievement,
college readiness, postsecondary enrollment, credential and certification attainment, job
placement, and wages.
The DOE is responsible for collecting student achievement and performance data in industry-
certified career education programs and career-themed courses that includes, but is not limited
to, graduation rates, retention rates, Florida Bright Futures Scholarship awards, additional
educational attainment, employment records, earnings, industry certification, return on
investment, and employer satisfaction.7
CAPE Industry Certification Funding List
The SBE is required to adopt, at least annually, based on recommendations by the commissioner,
the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List that assigns additional full-time equivalent
membership to certifications identified in the Master Credentials List that meet a statewide,
regional, or local demand.8
Certifications included on the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List: 9
Require at least 150 hours of instruction; and
Can be earned in middle and high school.
Usually require passage of a subject area examination and some combination of work
experience, educational attainment, or on-the-job training.
4
Section 1003.491(2), F.S.
5
Section 1003.491(5)(a), F.S.
6
The Master Credentials List is maintained by the Credentials Review Committee, which is appointed by the State
Workforce Development Board, to serve as a public and transparent inventory of state-approved credentials of value. Section
445.004(4)(h)1., F.S.
7
Section 1003.492(3), F.S.
8
Section 1008.44(1), F.S.
9
Rule 6A-6.0576(5)-(6), F.S.
BILL: SB 1688 Page 3
Career and Professional Academies and Career-themed Courses
A “career and professional academy” is a research-based program that integrates a rigorous
academic curriculum with an industry-specific curriculum aligned directly to priority workforce
needs established by the local workforce development board or the Department of Commerce
(DOC).10 School districts are required to offer a career and professional academy.11
A “career-themed course” is a course, or a course in a series of courses, that leads to an industry
certification identified in the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List.12 Career-themed courses
have industry-specific curriculum aligned directly to priority workforce needs established by the
local workforce development board or the DOC. School districts must offer at least two career-
themed courses, and each secondary school is encouraged to offer at least one career-themed
course. Students completing a career-themed course must be provided opportunities to earn
postsecondary credit if the credit for the career-themed course can be articulated to a
postsecondary institution approved to operate in the state.13
Each career and professional academy and secondary school providing a career-themed course is
required to:14
Provide a rigorous standards-based academic curriculum integrated with a career curriculum;
Consider multiple styles of student learning;
Promote learning by doing through application and adaptation;
Maximize relevance of the subject matter;
Enhance each student’s capacity to excel;
Include an emphasis on work habits and work;
Include one or more partnerships with postsecondary institutions through specified
articulation agreements, businesses, industry, employers, economic development
organizations, or other appropriate partners from the local community.
Each district school board, in collaboration with local workforce development boards, economic
development agencies, and state-approved postsecondary institutions, is required to include plans
to implement a career and professional academy or a career-themed course in at least one middle
school in the district as part of the strategic 3-year plan.15
In the 2021-2022 academic year, there were 10,942 registered career-themed courses and 1,842
registered career and professional academies, which served 197,266 students.16
10
Section 1003.493(1)(a), F.S. In 2023, the Department of Economic Opportunity was renamed the Department of
Commerce. Chapter 2023-173, s. 10, Laws of Fla.
11
Section 1003.493(1)(a), F.S.
12
Section 1003.493(1)(b), F.S.
13
Section 1003.493(1)(b), F.S.
14
Section 1003.493(4)(a), F.S.
15
Section 1003.4935(1), F.S.
16
Florida Department of Education, State Secondary Career, Technical, and Adult Education: 2021-2022 Summary,
available at https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/9904/urlt/2122secondarycte.pdf, at 3, (last visited January 29, 2024).
BILL: SB 1688 Page 4
III. Effect of Proposed Changes:
SB 1688 adds requirements to improve student awareness of career and technical education
(CTE) opportunities. The bill adds requirements for:
Strategic planning among local education, workforce, and economic development agencies.
The collection of data in industry-certified career education programs and career-themed
courses.
Student and parent notifications about available career and professional academies and
career-themed courses.
The bill modifies s. 1003.491, F.S., to add to the information required to inform the strategic 3-
year plan developed jointly by the local school district, local workforce development boards,
economic development agencies, and state-approved postsecondary institutions. The bill adds
that the plan must be constructed and based, in part, on strategies to inform and promote the CTE
opportunities available in the district to students, parents, the community, and stakeholders.
The bill modifies s. 1003.492, F.S., to align the collection by the DOE of student achievement
and performance data in industry-certified career education programs and career-themed courses
with the annual review conducted by the Commissioner of Education regarding K-12 and
postsecondary CTE offerings.
The bill modifies s. 1003.4935, F.S., to require each district school board inform students and
parents during course selection for middle school of the career and professional academy or
career-themed courses available within the district.
The bill takes effect July 1, 2024.
IV. Constitutional Issues:
A. Municipality/County Mandates Restrictions:
None.
B. Public Records/Open Meetings Issues:
None.
C. Trust Funds Restrictions:
None.
D. State Tax or Fee Increases:
None.
E. Other Constitutional Issues:
None identified.
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V. Fiscal Impact Statement:
A. Tax/Fee Issues:
None.
B. Private Sector Impact:
None.
C. Government Sector Impact:
None.
VI. Technical Deficiencies:
None.
VII. Related Issues:
None.
VIII. Statutes Affected:
This bill substantially amends the following sections of the Florida Statutes: 1003.491, 1003.492,
and 1003.4935.
IX. Additional Information:
A. Committee Substitute – Statement of Changes:
(Summarizing differences between the Committee Substitute and the prior version of the bill.)
None.
B. Amendments:
None.
This Senate Bill Analysis does not reflect the intent or official position of the bill’s introducer or the Florida Senate.
Statutes affected: S 1688 Filed: 1003.491, 1003.492, 1003.4935
S 1688 er: 1003.491, 1003.492