1004.93 Adult general education.
1004.93 Adult general education.
(1)(a) The intent of this section is to encourage the provision of educational services that will enable adults to acquire:
1. The basic skills necessary to attain basic and functional literacy.
2. A high school diploma or successfully complete the General Educational Development test.
3. An educational foundation that will enable them to become more employable, productive, and self-sufficient citizens.
(b) It is further intended that educational opportunities be available for adults who have earned a diploma or high school equivalency diploma but who lack the basic skills necessary to function effectively in everyday situations, to enter the job market, or to enter career certificate instruction.
(2) The adult education program must provide academic services to students in the following priority:
(a) Students who demonstrate skills at less than a fifth grade level, as measured by tests approved for this purpose by the State Board of Education, and who are studying to achieve basic literacy.
(b) Students who demonstrate skills at the fifth grade level or higher, but below the ninth grade level, as measured by tests approved for this purpose by the State Board of Education, and who are studying to achieve functional literacy.
(c) Students who are earning credit required for a high school diploma or who are preparing for the General Educational Development test.
(d) Students who have earned high school diplomas and require specific improvement in order to:
1. Obtain or maintain employment or benefit from certificate career education programs;
2. Pursue a postsecondary degree; or
3. Develop competence in the English language to qualify for employment.
(e) Students who enroll in lifelong learning courses or activities that seek to address community social and economic issues that consist of health and human relations, government, parenting, consumer economics, and senior citizens.
(f) Students who enroll in courses that relate to the recreational or leisure pursuits of the students. The cost of courses conducted pursuant to this paragraph shall be borne by the enrollees.
(3)(a) Each district school board or 1community college board of trustees shall negotiate with the regional workforce board for basic and functional literacy skills assessments for participants in the welfare transition employment and training programs. Such assessments shall be conducted at a site mutually acceptable to the district school board or 1community college board of trustees and the regional workforce board.
(b) State employees who are employed in local or regional offices of state agencies shall inform clients of the availability of adult basic and secondary programs in the region. The identities of clients who do not possess high school diplomas or who demonstrate skills below the level of functional literacy shall be conveyed, with their consent, to the local school district or 1community college, or both.
(c) To the extent funds are available, the Department of Children and Family Services shall provide for day care and transportation services to clients who enroll in adult basic education programs.
(4)(a) Adult general education shall be evaluated and funded as provided in s. 1011.80.
(b) Fees for adult basic instruction are to be charged in accordance with chapter 1009.
(c) The State Board of Education shall define, by rule, the levels and courses of instruction to be funded through the college-preparatory program. The state board shall coordinate the establishment of costs for college-preparatory courses, the establishment of statewide standards that define required levels of competence, acceptable rates of student progress, and the maximum amount of time to be allowed for completion of college-preparatory instruction. College-preparatory instruction is part of an associate in arts degree program and may not be funded as an adult career education program.
(d) Expenditures for college-preparatory and lifelong learning students shall be reported separately. Allocations for college-preparatory courses shall be based on proportional full-time equivalent enrollment. Program review results shall be included in the determination of subsequent allocations. A student shall be funded to enroll in the same college-preparatory class within a skill area only twice, after which time the student shall pay 100 percent of the full cost of instruction to support the continuous enrollment of that student in the same class; however, students who withdraw or fail a class due to extenuating circumstances may be granted an exception only once for each class, provided approval is granted according to policy established by the board of trustees. Each 1community college shall have the authority to review and reduce payment for increased fees due to continued enrollment in a college-preparatory class on an individual basis contingent upon the student’s financial hardship, pursuant to definitions and fee levels established by the State Board of Education. College-preparatory and lifelong learning courses do not generate credit toward an associate or baccalaureate degree.
(e) A district school board or a 1community college board of trustees may negotiate a contract with the regional workforce board for specialized services for participants in the welfare transition program, beyond what is routinely provided for the general public, to be funded by the regional workforce board.
(5) If students who have been determined to be adults with disabilities are enrolled in workforce development programs, the funding formula must provide additional incentives for their achievement of performance outputs and outcomes.
(6) The commissioner shall recommend the level of funding for public school and 1community college adult education within the legislative budget request and make other recommendations and reports considered necessary or required by rules of the State Board of Education.
(7) Buildings, land, equipment, and other property owned by a district school board or 1community college board of trustees may be used for the conduct of the adult education program. Buildings, land, equipment, and other property owned or leased by cooperating public or private agencies, organizations, or institutions may also be used for the purposes of this section.
(8) The State Board of Education may adopt rules necessary for the implementation of this section.
History. s. 236, ch. 2002-387; s. 95, ch. 2004-357.
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Note. Section 21, ch. 2010-70, directs the Division of Statutory Revision to prepare a reviser’s bill to substitute the term “Florida College System institution” for the terms “Florida college,” “community college,” and “junior college” where those terms appear in the Florida K-20 Education Code.