| 15 | | - | An act relating to personal financial literacy; 2 |
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| 16 | | - | providing a short title; amending s. 1003.4282, F.S.; 3 |
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| 17 | | - | revising the requirements for the one -half credit in 4 |
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| 18 | | - | personal financial literacy to include specified 5 |
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| 19 | | - | instruction; providing an effective date. 6 |
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| 20 | | - | 7 |
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| 21 | | - | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 8 |
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| 22 | | - | 9 |
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| 23 | | - | Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Smart Living 10 |
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| 24 | | - | Act." 11 |
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| 25 | | - | Section 2. Paragraph (h) of subse ction (3) of section 12 |
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| 26 | | - | 1003.4282, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 13 |
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| 27 | | - | 1003.4282 Requirements for a standard high school 14 |
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| 28 | | - | diploma.— 15 |
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| 29 | | - | (3) STANDARD HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA; COURSE AND ASSESSMENT 16 |
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| 30 | | - | REQUIREMENTS.— 17 |
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| 31 | | - | (h) One-half credit in personal financial literac y.—18 |
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| 32 | | - | Beginning with students entering grade 9 in the 2023 -2024 school 19 |
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| 33 | | - | year, each student must earn one -half credit in personal 20 |
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| 34 | | - | financial literacy and money management. This instruction must 21 |
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| 35 | | - | include discussion of or instruction in all of the following: 22 |
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| 36 | | - | 1. Types of bank accounts offered, opening and managing a 23 |
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| 37 | | - | bank account, and assessing the quality of a depository 24 |
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| 38 | | - | institution's services. 25 |
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| 15 | + | An act relating to the Smart Living course; providing 2 |
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| 16 | + | a short title; amending s. 1003.4156, F.S.; requiring 3 |
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| 17 | + | students in grade 8 to take the Smart Living Course 4 |
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| 18 | + | for promotion to high school beginning in a specified 5 |
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| 19 | + | school year; amending s. 1003.42, F.S.; requiring that 6 |
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| 20 | + | a curriculum known as "Smart Living" be included in 7 |
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| 21 | + | required instruction as two stand -alone courses 8 |
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| 22 | + | beginning in a specified school year; providing 9 |
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| 23 | + | requirements for the curriculum; amending s. 10 |
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| 24 | + | 1003.4282, F.S.; revising the number of credits 11 |
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| 25 | + | certain students must earn to be awarded a standard 12 |
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| 26 | + | high school diploma beginning in a specified year; 13 |
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| 27 | + | requiring certain students to earn one credit in Smart 14 |
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| 28 | + | Living to be awarded a standard high school diploma; 15 |
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| 29 | + | providing an effective date. 16 |
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| 30 | + | 17 |
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| 31 | + | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 18 |
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| 32 | + | 19 |
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| 33 | + | Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Smart Living 20 |
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| 34 | + | Curriculum Act." 21 |
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| 35 | + | Section 2. Paragraph (f) is added t o subsection (1) of 22 |
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| 36 | + | section 1003.4156, Florida Statutes, to read: 23 |
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| 37 | + | 1003.4156 General requirements for middle grades 24 |
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| 38 | + | promotion.— 25 |
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| 51 | | - | 2. How to write a check, including signing such check in 26 |
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| 52 | | - | cursive writing and balancing a checkbook. 27 |
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| 53 | | - | 3. Basic principles of money management, such as how to 28 |
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| 54 | | - | create a personal budget, spending, how personal credit works, 29 |
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| 55 | | - | including using a credit card , credit scores, and managing debt, 30 |
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| 56 | | - | including retail and credit card debt. 31 |
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| 57 | | - | 4. Completing a loan application for different types of 32 |
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| 58 | | - | loans. 33 |
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| 59 | | - | 5. The home-buying process, including residential property 34 |
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| 60 | | - | insurance. 35 |
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| 61 | | - | 6.5. Receiving an inheritance and related implications. 36 |
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| 62 | | - | 7.6. Basic principles of personal insurance policies. 37 |
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| 63 | | - | 8.7. Computing federal income taxes and how to file a tax 38 |
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| 64 | | - | return. 39 |
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| 65 | | - | 9.8. Local tax assessments. 40 |
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| 66 | | - | 10.9. Computing interest rates by various mechanisms. 41 |
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| 67 | | - | 11.10. Simple contracts. 42 |
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| 68 | | - | 12.11. Contesting an incorrect billing statement. 43 |
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| 69 | | - | 13.12. Types of savings and investments. 44 |
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| 70 | | - | 14.13. State and federal laws conc erning finance. 45 |
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| 71 | | - | 15. Personal future planning, including, but not limited 46 |
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| 72 | | - | to, all of the following: 47 |
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| 73 | | - | a. Career readiness, such as exploration of one's own 48 |
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| 74 | | - | personality and passions. 49 |
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| 75 | | - | b. Postgraduation paths, such as college, trade school, 50 |
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| 51 | + | (1) In order for a student to be promoted to high school 26 |
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| 52 | + | from a school that includes middle grades 6, 7, and 8, the 27 |
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| 53 | + | student must successfully complete the following courses: 28 |
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| 54 | + | (f) Beginning in the 2026 -2027 school year, the Smart 29 |
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| 55 | + | Living course as described in s. 1003.42(2)(w). 30 |
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| 56 | + | Section 3. Paragraph (w) is added to subsection (2) of 31 |
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| 57 | + | section 1003.42, Florida Statutes, to read: 32 |
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| 58 | + | 1003.42 Required instruction. — 33 |
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| 59 | + | (2) Members of the instructional staff of the public 34 |
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| 60 | + | schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of Education 35 |
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| 61 | + | and the district school board, shall teach efficiently and 36 |
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| 62 | + | faithfully, using the books and materials requi red that meet the 37 |
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| 63 | + | highest standards for professionalism and historical accuracy, 38 |
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| 64 | + | following the prescribed courses of study, and employing 39 |
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| 65 | + | approved methods of instruction, the following: 40 |
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| 66 | + | (w)1. Beginning in the 2026 -2027 school year, a curriculum 41 |
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| 67 | + | known as "Smart Living" must be implemented in two stand -alone 42 |
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| 68 | + | courses for students in Grade 8 and in Grades 9 -12, 43 |
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| 69 | + | respectively. The Smart Living curriculum must be centered 44 |
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| 70 | + | around preparing students for life after graduation as adults. 45 |
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| 71 | + | The curriculum must cover pr actical subjects deemed necessary to 46 |
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| 72 | + | transition effectively to and function in adulthood. Such 47 |
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| 73 | + | subjects shall be divided appropriately between the two courses 48 |
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| 74 | + | required under this subparagraph and must include, but need not 49 |
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| 75 | + | be limited to: 50 |
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| 88 | | - | and full-time employment. 51 |
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| 89 | | - | c. Creating a resume. 52 |
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| 90 | | - | d. Applying for scholarships. 53 |
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| 91 | | - | 16. Critical thinking and decisionmaking. 54 |
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| 92 | | - | 17. Practical knowledge for situations an adult may find 55 |
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| 93 | | - | himself or herself in, such as changing a car tire or performing 56 |
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| 94 | | - | home maintenance. 57 |
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| 95 | | - | 18. How to complete the Free Application for Federal 58 |
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| 96 | | - | Student Aid (FAFSA), including the need to create a Federal 59 |
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| 97 | | - | Student ID, documents and information required to complete the 60 |
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| 98 | | - | FAFSA, and how to interpret a FAFSA submission summary and a 61 |
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| 99 | | - | financial aid offer. 62 |
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| 100 | | - | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 63 |
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| 88 | + | a. Financial literacy, in addition to the requirements of 51 |
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| 89 | + | s. 1003.4282(3)(h), including, but not limited to, all of the 52 |
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| 90 | + | following: 53 |
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| 91 | + | (I) How to create a personal budget. 54 |
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| 92 | + | (II) How personal credit works, including using a credit 55 |
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| 93 | + | card and applying for different types of lo ans. 56 |
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| 94 | + | (III) How to manage debt. 57 |
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| 95 | + | (IV) How to file a tax return. 58 |
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| 96 | + | (V) The home-buying process, including home insurance. 59 |
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| 97 | + | (VI) How to write a check, including signing such check in 60 |
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| 98 | + | cursive writing. 61 |
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| 99 | + | b. Personal future planning, including, but not limited 62 |
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| 100 | + | to, all of the following: 63 |
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| 101 | + | (I) Career readiness, such as exploration of one's own 64 |
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| 102 | + | personality and passions. 65 |
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| 103 | + | (II) Postgraduation paths, such as college, trade school, 66 |
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| 104 | + | and full-time employment. 67 |
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| 105 | + | (III) Creating a resume. 68 |
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| 106 | + | (IV) Applying for schola rships. 69 |
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| 107 | + | c. Critical thinking and decisionmaking. 70 |
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| 108 | + | d. Practical knowledge for situations an adult may find 71 |
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| 109 | + | himself or herself in, such as changing a car tire or doing home 72 |
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| 110 | + | maintenance. 73 |
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| 111 | + | e. Reading and writing in cursive. 74 |
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| 112 | + | f. How to complete the Free Ap plication for Federal 75 |
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| 120 | + | Page 4 of 6 |
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| 121 | + | F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S |
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| 122 | + | |
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| 123 | + | |
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| 124 | + | |
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| 125 | + | Student Aid (FAFSA), including the need to create a Federal 76 |
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| 126 | + | Student Aid ID, documents and information required to complete 77 |
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| 127 | + | the FAFSA, and how to interpret a FAFSA submission summary and a 78 |
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| 128 | + | financial aid offer. 79 |
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| 129 | + | 80 |
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| 130 | + | The State Board of Educa tion is encouraged to adopt standards 81 |
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| 131 | + | and pursue assessment of the requirements of this subsection. 82 |
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| 132 | + | Instructional programming that incorporates the values of the 83 |
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| 133 | + | recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor and that is 84 |
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| 134 | + | offered as part of a social studies , English Language Arts, or 85 |
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| 135 | + | other schoolwide character building and veteran awareness 86 |
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| 136 | + | initiative meets the requirements of paragraph (u). 87 |
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| 137 | + | Section 4. Paragraph (g) of subsection (3) and paragraph 88 |
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| 138 | + | (a) of subsection (9) of section 1003.4282, Florida Statu tes, 89 |
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| 139 | + | are amended, and paragraph (i) is added to subsection (3) of 90 |
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| 140 | + | that section, to read: 91 |
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| 141 | + | 1003.4282 Requirements for a standard high school 92 |
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| 142 | + | diploma.— 93 |
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| 143 | + | (3) STANDARD HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA; COURSE AND ASSESSMENT 94 |
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| 144 | + | REQUIREMENTS.— 95 |
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| 145 | + | (g) Credits in electives. —School districts must develop 96 |
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| 146 | + | and offer coordinated electives so that a student may develop 97 |
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| 147 | + | knowledge and skills in his or her area of interest, such as 98 |
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| 148 | + | electives with a STEM or liberal arts focus. Such electives must 99 |
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| 149 | + | include opportunities for students to earn college credit, 100 |
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| 158 | + | F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S |
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| 162 | + | including industry-certified career education programs or series 101 |
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| 163 | + | of career-themed courses that result in industry certification 102 |
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| 164 | + | or articulate into the award of college credit, or career 103 |
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| 165 | + | education courses for which there is a statewide or l ocal 104 |
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| 166 | + | articulation agreement and which lead to college credit. A 105 |
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| 167 | + | student entering grade 9 before the 2023 -2024 school year must 106 |
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| 168 | + | earn eight credits in electives. A student entering grade 9 in 107 |
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| 169 | + | the 2023-2024 school year through the 2025-2026 school year or 108 |
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| 170 | + | thereafter must earn seven and one -half credits in electives. A 109 |
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| 171 | + | student entering grade 9 in the 2026 -2027 school year or 110 |
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| 172 | + | thereafter must earn six and one -half credits in electives. 111 |
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| 173 | + | (i) One credit in Smart Living. —Beginning with students 112 |
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| 174 | + | entering grade 9 in the 2026-2027 school year, each student must 113 |
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| 175 | + | earn one credit in Smart Living to prepare for life after 114 |
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| 176 | + | graduation. This instruction must meet the requirements of s. 115 |
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| 177 | + | 1003.42(2)(w). 116 |
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| 178 | + | (9) CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION GRADUATION PATHWAY 117 |
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| 179 | + | OPTION.—Beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, a student is 118 |
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| 180 | + | eligible to complete an alternative pathway to earning a 119 |
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| 181 | + | standard high school diploma through the Career and Technical 120 |
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| 182 | + | Education (CTE) pathway option. Receipt of a standard high 121 |
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| 183 | + | school diploma awarded through the CTE pathway option requires 122 |
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| 184 | + | the student's successful completion of at least 18 credits. A 123 |
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| 185 | + | student completing the CTE pathway option must earn at least a 124 |
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| 186 | + | cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. 125 |
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| 199 | + | (a) In order for a student to satisfy the requirements of 126 |
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| 200 | + | the CTE pathway option, he or she must meet the GPA requirement 127 |
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| 201 | + | and: 128 |
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| 202 | + | 1. Meet the requirements in paragraphs (3)(a) -(d) and, 129 |
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| 203 | + | additionally, for students entering grade 9 in the 2023 -2024 130 |
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| 204 | + | school year and thereafter, paragraph (3)(h) , and for students 131 |
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| 205 | + | entering grade 9 in the 2026 -2027 school year and thereafter, 132 |
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| 206 | + | paragraph (3)(i); 133 |
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| 207 | + | 2. Complete two credits in career and technical education. 134 |
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| 208 | + | The courses must result in a program completion and an industry 135 |
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| 209 | + | certification; and 136 |
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| 210 | + | 3.a. For a student who enters grade 9 before the 2023 -2024 137 |
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| 211 | + | school year, complete two credits in electives or work -based 138 |
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| 212 | + | learning programs. A one -half credit in financial literacy may 139 |
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| 213 | + | be included in the two credits of electives; or 140 |
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| 214 | + | b. For a student who enters grade 9 in the 2023-2024 141 |
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| 215 | + | school year and thereafter, complete one and one -half credits in 142 |
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| 216 | + | electives or work-based learning programs. 143 |
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| 217 | + | Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 144 |
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