This document does not reflect the intent or official position of the bill sponsor or House of Representatives.
STORAGE NAME:
DATE:
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STAFF FINAL BILL ANALYSIS
BILL #: HB 553 Career-themed Courses
SPONSOR(S): Dunkley and others
TIED BILLS: None. IDEN./SIM. BILLS: SB 1688
FINAL HOUSE FLOOR ACTION: 115 Y’s
0 N’s GOVERNOR’S ACTION: Approved
SUMMARY ANALYSIS
HB 553 passed the House on March 5, 2024, as SB 1688.
To provide awareness of the career academies and career themed courses available to students, the bill
requires districts to inform students and parents during course selection for middle school of the career and
professional academy or career-themed course available within the district.
The bill requires the school district’s Career and Professional Education Act strategic 3-year plan to include
strategies to inform and promote the career and technical education (CTE) opportunities available in the district
to students, parents, the community, and stakeholders.
The Department of Education is required to include data collected on student achievement and performance in
industry-certified career education programs and career-themed courses in the Commissioner of Education’s
annual CTE program review.
The bill does not appear to have a fiscal impact.
The bill was approved by the Governor on April 26, 2024, ch. 2024-119, L.O.F., and will become effective on
July 1, 2024.
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I. SUBSTANTIVE INFORMATION
A. EFFECT OF CHANGES:
Present Situation
Florida Career and Professional Education (CAPE) Act
The Career and Professional Education (CAPE) Act was created to provide a statewide planning
partnership between the business and education communities to attract, expand and retain targeted,
high-value industry to sustain a strong, knowledge-based economy.
1
The primary purpose of the CAPE
Act is to:
2
improve middle and high school academic performance by providing rigorous and relevant
curriculum opportunities;
provide rigorous and relevant career-themed courses that articulate to postsecondary-level
coursework and lead to industry certification;
support local and regional economic development;
respond to Florida's critical workforce needs; and
provide state residents with access to high-wage and high-demand careers.
Middle Grades Career and Professional Academy Courses and Career-Themed Courses
In accordance with the CAPE Act, each school district must plan and implement at least one middle
school CAPE academy or career-themed course.
3
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 Florida Department of Commerce.
4
A career-themed course is a course in a series of courses, that leads to an industry certification
identified in the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List adopted by the State Board of Education.
5
Middle school academies and career-themed courses must:
6
be aligned with at least one high school CAPE academy or career-themed course offered in the
district and maintain partnerships with local business and industry and economic development
boards;
lead to careers in occupations aligned to the approved Cape Industry Certification Funding List;
integrate content from core subjects;
integrate career and professional academy or career-themed course content with intensive
reading, English Language Arts, and mathematics;
coordinate with high schools to maximize opportunities for middle grades students to earn high
school credit;
provide access to virtual instruction courses;
provide instruction from highly skilled professionals certified in the career subject matter;
offer externships; and
1
Section 1003.491, F.S.
2
Section 1003.491(1), F.S.
3
Section 1003.4935(1), F.S.
4
Section1003.493(1)(a), F.S.; Ch. 2023-173, L.O.F., renamed the Department of Economic Opportunity as the Department of
Commerce.
5
Section 1003.493(1)(b), F.S. and rule 6A-6.0571. see also, Florida Department of Education, CAPE Industry Certification Funding
List, https://www.fldoe.org/academics/career-adult-edu/cape-secondary/cape-industry-cert-funding-list-current.stml (last visited Mar.
11, 2024).
6
Section 1003.4935, F.S.
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provide personalized student advisement that includes a parent-participation component.
Strategic Plan
To comply with the CAPE Act, school boards are required to develop a strategic plan in partnership
with local workforce boards, economic development agencies, and state-approved postsecondary
institutions to better align academy programs with local workforce needs. Two or more school districts
may collaborate in the development of the strategic plan and jointly offer an academy or career-themed
courses.
7
The strategic 3-year plan must, among other factors, be constructed and based on:
8
research conducted to objectively determine local and regional workforce needs for the ensuing
3 years, using labor projections as identified by the Department of Commerce and the Labor
Market Estimating Conference as factors in the criteria for the plan;
strategies to develop and implement career academies or career-themed courses based on
occupations identified by the Department of Commerce and the Labor Market Estimating
Conference;
strategies to develop and implement career academies and career-themed courses that provide
personalized student advisement, including a parent-participation component, and coordination
with middle grades to promote and support career-themed courses and education planning;
alignment of requirements for middle school career planning, middle and high school career and
professional academies or career-themed courses leading to industry certification or
postsecondary credit, and high school graduation requirements;
strategies to provide professional development for secondary certified school counselors on the
benefits of career and professional academies and career-themed courses that lead to industry
certification;
plans to sustain and improve career-themed courses and career and professional academies;
and,
strategies to ensure instruction by industry-certified faculty and standards and strategies to
maintain current industry credentials and for recruiting and retaining faculty to meet those
standards.
The strategic plan must be reviewed, updated, and jointly approved every 3 years.
9
Career and Technical Education (CTE) Review
Current law requires the Commissioner of Education (commissioner) to annually conduct a review of K-
12 and postsecondary CTE programs that, at a minimum, must examine:
10
Alignment of offerings with the framework of quality established by the Credentials Review
Committee.
11
7
Section 1003.491(2), F.S.
8
Section 1003.491(3), F.S.
9
Section 1003.491(2), F.S.
10
Section 1003.491(5)(a), F.S.
11
Section 445.004(4)(h), F.S. The Credentials Review Committee serves to centralize identification and designation of non-degree
and degree credentials of value for inclusion on the Master Credentials List. Credentials must include registered apprenticeship
programs, industry certification, licenses, advanced technical certificates, college credit certificates, career certificates, applied
technology diplomas, associate degrees, baccalaureate degrees, and graduate degrees. See also, Florida Department of Education,
Master Credential List (2022-2023), available at https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/20129/urlt/13-3.pdf.
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Alignment of offerings at the K-12 and postsecondary levels with credentials or degree
programs identified on the state’s 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.
Using the findings from the CTE review,
12
the commissioner is required to phase out CTE offerings
which are not aligned with the framework of quality established by the Credentials Review Committee,
do not meet labor market demand or institutional performance, or are unwarranted program
duplications.
13
In addition to the CTE review, the DOE is required to collect student achievement and performance
data in industry-certified career education programs and career-themed courses that includes, but need
not be 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.
14
Effect of the Bill
To provide awareness of the career academies and career themed courses available to students, the
bill requires districts to inform students and parents during course selection for middle school of the
career and professional academy or career-themed course available within the district.
The bill requires the CAPE Act strategic 3-year plan a school district develops with stakeholders, to
include strategies to inform and promote the CTE opportunities available in the district to students,
parents, the community, and stakeholders.
The DOE is required to include data collected on student achievement and performance in industry-
certified career education programs and career-themed courses in the commissioner’s annual CTE
program review.
II. FISCAL ANALYSIS & ECONOMIC IMPACT STATEMEN T
A. FISCAL IMPACT ON STATE GOVERNMENT:
1. Revenues:
None.
2. Expenditures:
12
Florida Department of Education, Career and Technical Education Audit,
https://www.fldoe.org/careerpathways/index.stml#overview (last visited Mar. 11, 2024).
13
Section 1003.491(5)(c), F.S.
14
Section 1003.492(3), F.S.
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None.
B. FISCAL IMPACT ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
1. Revenues:
None.
2. Expenditures:
None.
C. DIRECT ECONOMIC IMPACT ON PRIVATE SECTOR:
None.
D. FISCAL COMMENTS:
The bill does not appear to have a fiscal impact.