Florida Senate - 2023 SB 750 By Senator Calatayud 38-00918-23 2023750__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to articulation agreements; amending 3 s. 1007.23, F.S.; requiring the Articulation 4 Coordinating Committee to convene a workgroup by a 5 specified date to develop specified articulation 6 agreements; providing requirements for the workgroups; 7 requiring state universities and Florida College 8 System institutions to adopt specified articulation 9 agreements by a specified date; amending s. 1007.24, 10 F.S.; requiring Florida College System institutions to 11 award transfer credit for certain courses; prohibiting 12 Florida College System institutions from requiring a 13 student to repeat certain coursework; revising the 14 application of transfer course credit; amending s. 15 1007.25, F.S.; providing requirements for an associate 16 in arts specialized transfer degree; requiring the 17 State Board of Education to establish criteria for the 18 review and approval of new specialized transfer 19 degrees; requiring the Division of Florida Colleges to 20 review proposals and, in the event of deficiencies, to 21 provide certain written notice to the Florida College 22 System institution; providing requirements for the 23 approval process; providing that, upon approval of a 24 new associate in arts specialized transfer degree, 25 Florida College System institutions may offer the 26 degree and shall report certain data; requiring the 27 State Board of Education to adopt rules; conforming a 28 provision to changes made by the act; providing an 29 effective date. 30 31 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 32 33 Section 1.Present subsections (8) and (9) of section 34 1007.23, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (9) 35 and (10), a new subsection (8) is added to that section, and 36 subsection (6) of that section is amended, to read: 37 1007.23Statewide articulation agreement. 38 (6)The articulation agreement must guarantee the statewide 39 articulation of appropriate courses within associate in science 40 degree programs to baccalaureate degree programs. Courses within 41 an associate in applied science degree program may articulate 42 into a baccalaureate degree program on an individual or block 43 basis as authorized in local interinstitutional articulation 44 agreements. 45 (a)By September 1, 2023, the Articulation Coordinating 46 Committee shall convene a workgroup composed of State University 47 System, Florida College System institution, and district career 48 center faculty to facilitate the seamless transfer of the 49 associate in science degree and reduce time to credential 50 completion. The workgroup shall develop a minimum of eight 51 statewide 2+2 associate in science programs to baccalaureate 52 degree articulation agreements in high-demand fields that 53 articulate the associate in science degree into a related 54 baccalaureate degree. These agreements must be developed for 55 programs that are widely offered at Florida College System 56 institutions and state universities and must guarantee the 57 transfer, acceptance, and credit application of the full 58 associate in science degree toward the baccalaureate degree 59 program requirements. The workgroup shall provide its proposed 60 articulation agreements to the Articulation Coordinating 61 Committee by August 1, 2024. 62 (b)In addition to awarding credit in accordance with the 63 statewide 2+2 associate in science programs to baccalaureate 64 degree articulation agreements developed pursuant to paragraph 65 (a), each state university shall, by the start of the 2023-2024 66 academic year, adopt a minimum of one local 2+2 associate in 67 science programs to baccalaureate degree articulation agreement 68 with one or more Florida College System institutions. The 69 agreements must guarantee the transfer, acceptance, and credit 70 application of the full associate in science degree program of 71 study toward the baccalaureate degree program requirements. By 72 March 1, 2024, each state university must submit the local 2+2 73 associate in science programs to baccalaureate degree 74 articulation agreement to the Department of Education. 75 (8)To strengthen educator preparation programs in this 76 state and provide seamless pathways to continued educational 77 opportunities, by September 1, 2023, the Articulation 78 Coordinating Committee shall convene a workgroup responsible for 79 developing recommendations for seamless student transfer from 80 one educational level to the next in teacher preparation 81 programs for education paraprofessionals and individuals who 82 have earned the child development associate credential. The 83 workgroup shall also develop recommendations for the seamless 84 transfer of teacher apprentices for the completion of their 85 baccalaureate degree. 86 (a)The workgroup must be composed of State University 87 System and Florida College System institution faculty and 88 faculty of career centers established under s. 1001.44. 89 (b)The workgroup shall review existing statewide, 90 regional, and intrainstitutional agreements to identify seamless 91 pathways and course sequences through the attainment of 92 baccalaureate degree and develop a statewide articulation 93 agreement that includes articulated postsecondary credit for the 94 child development associate credential as specified in paragraph 95 (7)(a) and college-level training, experience, and education 96 acquired while serving as an education paraprofessional as 97 defined in s. 1012.01(2)(e), and a teacher apprentice to include 98 the award of credit toward a baccalaureate degree for experience 99 acquired in the teacher apprenticeship program. 100 (c)The workgroup shall provide its recommendation and 101 proposed articulation agreement to the Articulation Coordinating 102 Committee by March 1, 2024. State universities and Florida 103 College System institutions must accept and apply articulated 104 credit as stipulated in the articulation agreement. 105 Section 2.Subsections (7) and (8) of section 1007.24, 106 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 107 1007.24Statewide course numbering system. 108 (7)Any student who transfers among postsecondary 109 institutions that are fully accredited by a regional or national 110 accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of 111 Education and that participate in the statewide course numbering 112 system shall be awarded credit by the receiving institution for 113 courses satisfactorily completed by the student at the previous 114 institutions. Credit shall be awarded if the courses are judged 115 by the appropriate statewide course numbering system faculty 116 committees representing school districts, public postsecondary 117 educational institutions, and participating nonpublic 118 postsecondary educational institutions to be academically 119 equivalent to courses offered at the receiving institution, 120 including equivalency of faculty credentials, regardless of the 121 public or nonpublic control of the previous institution. The 122 Department of Education shall ensure that credits to be accepted 123 by a receiving institution are generated in courses for which 124 the faculty possess credentials that are comparable to those 125 required by the accrediting association of the receiving 126 institution. The award of credit may be limited to courses that 127 are entered in the statewide course numbering system. 128 Institutions shall award transfer credit toward program 129 requirements for courses that contain similar learning outcomes 130 as identified in the statewide course numbering system. Credits 131 awarded pursuant to this subsection shall satisfy institutional 132 requirements on the same basis as credits awarded to native 133 students. Institutions may not require a student to repeat 134 equivalent coursework as described in this section if the 135 student earned credit for the coursework at a prior institution. 136 (8)Participating postsecondary institutions receiving 137 transfer course credit must accept and apply general education 138 courses and credit in accordance with this section, s. 1007.25, 139 and other provisions of law, including credit earned through 140 dual enrollment, course equivalencies, and other acceleration 141 mechanisms, as first satisfying general education core course 142 credit requirements and other general education subject area 143 course credit requirements, as appropriate before applying the 144 course credit as elective credit. Transfer course credit not 145 applied in satisfying general education requirements must be 146 applied as satisfying institutional and program-specified 147 requirements before it is applied as elective credit. 148 Section 3.Subsections (9) and (12) of section 1007.25, 149 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 150 1007.25General education courses; common prerequisites; 151 other degree requirements. 152 (9)(a)An associate in arts degree must shall require no 153 more than 60 semester hours of college credit and include 36 154 semester hours of general education coursework. Beginning with 155 students initially entering a Florida College System institution 156 or state university in the 2014-2015 academic year and 157 thereafter, coursework for an associate in arts degree must 158 shall include demonstration of competency in a foreign language 159 pursuant to s. 1007.262. Except for developmental education 160 required pursuant to s. 1008.30, all required coursework must 161 shall count toward the associate in arts degree or the 162 baccalaureate degree. 163 (b)An associate in arts specialized transfer degree must 164 include 36 semester hours of general education coursework and 165 require 60 semester hours or more of college credit. Specialized 166 transfer degrees are designed for Florida College System 167 institution students who need supplemental lower-level 168 coursework in preparation for transfer as provided under 169 paragraph (7). The State Board of Education shall establish 170 criteria for the review and approval of new specialized transfer 171 degrees. The approval process must require: 172 1.Each Florida College System institution to submit a 173 notice of its intent to propose a new associate in arts 174 specialized degree program to the Division of Florida Colleges. 175 The notice must include the recommended credit hours, rationale 176 for the specialization, the demand for students entering the 177 field, and the coursework being proposed to be included beyond 178 the 60 semester hours required or the general transfer degree, 179 if applicable. Notices of intent may be submitted by a Florida 180 College System institution at any time. 181 2.The Division of Florida Colleges to forward the notice 182 of intent within 10 business days after receipt to the 183 Chancellor of the State University System and all Florida 184 College System institutions. State universities and Florida 185 College System institutions have 60 days after receipt of the 186 notice to submit comments on the proposed associate in arts 187 specialized transfer degree. 188 3.After the submission of comments pursuant to 189 subparagraph 2., the requesting Florida College System 190 institution to submit a proposal that, at a minimum, includes: 191 a.Evidence that the coursework for the associate in arts 192 specialized transfer degree includes demonstration of competency 193 in foreign language as provided in s. 1007.262 and demonstration 194 of civic literacy competency as provided in subsection (5). 195 b.Demonstration that all required coursework will count 196 toward the associate in arts degree or the baccalaureate degree. 197 c.An analysis of demand and unmet need for students 198 entering the specialized field of study at the baccalaureate 199 level. 200 d.Justification for the program length if it exceeds 60 201 credit hours, including references to the common prerequisite 202 manual or other requirements for the baccalaureate degree. This 203 includes documentation of alignment between the exit 204 requirements of a Florida College System institution and the 205 admissions requirements of a baccalaureate degree program at a 206 state university to which students would typically transfer. 207 e.Articulation agreements for graduates of the associate 208 in arts specialized transfer degree. 209 f.Responses to comments received under subparagraph 2. 210 (c)The Division of Florida Colleges shall review the 211 proposal and, within 30 days after receipt, shall provide 212 written notification to the Florida College System institution 213 of any deficiencies and provide it with an opportunity to 214 correct the deficiencies. Within 45 days following receipt of a 215 completed proposal by the Division of Florida Colleges, the 216 Commissioner of Education shall recommend approval or 217 disapproval of the new specialized transfer degree to the State 218 Board of Education. The State Board of Education shall consider 219 the recommendation at its next meeting. 220 (d)Once the State Board of Education approves an associate 221 in arts specialized transfer degree, a Florida College System 222 institution may offer the degree and shall report data on 223 student and program performance in a manner prescribed by the 224 Department of Education. 225 (e)The State Board of Education shall adopt rules, 226 pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54, to prescribe format and 227 content requirements and submission procedures for notices of 228 intent, proposals, and compliance reviews under this subsection. 229 (12)A student who received an associate in arts degree for 230 successfully completing 60 semester credit hours may continue to 231 earn additional credits at a Florida College System institution. 232 The university must provide credit toward the students 233 baccalaureate degree for an additional Florida College System 234 institution course if, according to the statewide course 235 numbering, the Florida College System institution course is a 236 course listed in the university catalog as required for the 237 degree or as prerequisite to a course required for the degree. 238 Of the courses required for the degree, at least half of the 239 credit hours required for the degree must shall be achievable 240 through courses designated as lower division, except in degree 241 programs approved by the State Board of Education for programs 242 offered by Florida College System institutions and by the Board 243 of Governors for programs offered by state universities. 244 Section 4.This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.