P R E PAR ING ST UDE NT S FOR C OLLE GE AND C AR E E R SUC C E SS H OV ER V I EW
PREPARING STUDENTS FOR
COLLEGE AND CAREER SUCCESS
Closing the Talent Gap
Today’s workforce requires students to have higher skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM) fields. To ensure students gain these skills in high school,
Florida raised high school graduation requirements in math and science. Florida has
established end-of-course assessments to measure student learning in these critical
skills and competency areas.
Mathematics
Florida has required students to take Algebra I since 1997–1998. Florida required students to pass the Algebra I end-of-course assessment beginning with 9th graders in
2010–2011. The graduation rate under the federal guidelines has increased from 70.6%
in 2010–2011 to 74.5% in 2011–2012.
Likewise, students are required to take Geometry as a requirement for graduation, with
the Geometry end-of-course assessment counting 30% of a student’s grade.
Industry certification courses that lead to college credit may substitute for up to 2 of the
4 required math credits.
Science
Florida requires students to take Biology, and the Biology end-of-course assessment
counts 30% of the student’s grade. Industry certification courses that lead to college
credit may substitute for up to 1 of the 3 required science credits.
Increase Access to More Rigorous Courses
Recognizing that students need and want access to more rigorous courses, Florida provides and funds Advanced Placement (AP) courses, dual enrollment courses, International
Baccalaureate (IB) programs, and Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE)
programs. Each Florida high school is required to offer IB, AICE, or a combination of at
least four core courses in dual en- rollment or AP to students. The requirement may be
met through digital courses offered by the Florida Virtual School or school district virtual
instruction programs.
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P R E PAR ING ST UDE NT S FOR C OLLE GE AND C AR E E R SUC C E SS H OV ER V I EW
Florida waives tuition and fees for dual enrollment students and funds AP, IB and AICE
on a performance basis. Students who earn sufficient scores in AP, IB and AICE earn
college credit and generate additional funding for school districts and bonuses to teachers
who taught those students in the courses or program. As a result, student participation
and performance in more rigorous courses is soaring.
Acceleration
Student disengagement is one of the leading causes of droping out. Florida has begun
to address this issue as well. Florida created the Credit Acceleration Program (CAP) to
allow students to try to earn high school credit, by taking and passing the state endof-course assessment. With a passing score that demonstrates student mastery of the
content, a student earns course credit without having to enroll or complete the course.
Moreover, Florida allows school districts to report that student for funding thereby encouraging school districts to allow students who are ready to complete the course in a
more accelerated fashion.
FIGURE 1
Florida has also addressed the so-called “senior-skip year” phenomena, where students take less rigorous courses their senior
year after completing all the requirements for high school graduation, by creating an early graduation option. Students can graduate high school early if they have earned the credits required
for high school graduation. School districts receive funding for
unpaid credits earned by the student, even though, the student
has already graduated thereby encouraging school districts to
allow students who are ready to graduate from high school and
pursue college or a career.
Industry Certification
Georgetown University recently reported that almost 2/3 of the
new and available jobs by 2020 will require some type of postsecondary education or training. In recognition of the changing
business needs of employers for specified and verified job skills,
Florida was one of the first states to allow students in middle
school and high school to earn industry-recognized credentials
for employment in high-demand, high-skill and high-wage employment. School districts work with the business community to
identify employment demand, and a national industry certification
Increase in
AP Test Takers
1999–2012
+135,473 More Students
+585%
Hispanic Students
+36,142 More Students
+710%
African American Students
+18,432 More Students
Increase in
AP Test Passers
1999–2012
+316%
All Students
+103,490 More Students
+478%
Hispanic Students
+26,812 More Students
African American Students
+6,235 More Students
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+391%
All Students
2
+475%
P R E PAR ING ST UDE NT S FOR C OLLE GE AND C AR E E R SUC C E SS H OV ER V I EW
assessment ensures that students have mastered the skills needed by employers. Students can now pursue industry certifications
in a field where employers are clamoring to hire and students can
begin employment in a well-paid field upon completion of high
school. This is not your grandfather’s woodshop, this an opportunity for students to earn Oracle or CISCO database credentials,
ASE mechanic certification, and many others.
Florida experienced real increases in industry certification program
enrollment and certifications earned shown in Figure 2.
Florida has also seen that students who earn national industry
certifications in a career academy have a higher GPA on average
(2.98 GPA vs. 2.59 GPA for non-industry certification career academy students with no certification), are more likely to graduate
(95.0% vs. 73.2%), have greater attendance, and fewer discipline
issues than other students. These are exactly the students that
employers need and want.
Florida funds industry certification on a performance basis. School
districts earn bonus funding for each student who completes an
industry certification by passing the national industry certification
assessment.
FIGURE 2
INDUSTRY CERTIFICATION
Program Enrollment and
Certifications Earned
2007–2011
833%
Increase in the number of students
enrolled in high school
industry certification programs
2011–2012
32,004
Industry Certifications earned
for a pass rate of 84.3%
POLICY LIBRARY
CATEGORIES
College and
Career Readiness
Digital Learning
Effective Teachers
and Leaders
K-3 Reading
Outcome-Based
Funding
School Choice
Standards and
Accountability
For more papers visit
excelined.org/policy-library
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