SESSION WATCH
THE BILL ITSELF

HB 417

Career and Academic Planning For Middle and High School Students

VERSION H 417 Filed · BACK TO THE SUMMARY · OFFICIAL RECORD

underlined language is being added; struck language is being deleted. Line numbers are the Legislature's own — the same ones amendments cite.

1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to career and academic planning for
3 middle and high school students; amending s. 1001.43,
4 F.S.; requiring district school boards to annually
5 provide students and their parents with certain
6 information relating to career and technical education
7 programs beginning in a specified grade; requiring
8 middle schools to hold a career and academic planning
9 meeting for specified students and their parents;
10 requiring certain information to be included in the
11 meeting; amending s. 1003.4156, F.S.; revising the
12 information included in a student's personalized
13 academic and career plan; requiring students in
14 specified grades to annually review the personalized
15 academic and career plan; requiring such review to
16 include a certain demonstration; providing an
17 effective date.
19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
21 Section 1. Subsections (15) and (16) are added to section
22 1001.43, Florida Statutes, to read:
23 1001.43 Supplemental powers and duties of district school
24 board.—The district school board may exercise the following
25 supplemental powers and duties as authorized by this code or
26 State Board of Education rule.
27 (15) PARENTAL NOTIFICATION OF STUDENT CAREER AND TECHNICAL
28 EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS.—Before the end of grade 5 and each school
29 year thereafter, each student and his or her parent must be
30 provided a list of schools within the school district that offer
31 career and technical education programs and a description of
32 each program.
33 (16) CAREER AND ACADEMIC PLANNING MEETING.—Before course
34 registration for students entering grade 9, each district school
35 board must require each middle school to hold a career and
36 academic planning meeting for grade 8 students and their
37 parents. The meeting must include the following information:
38 (a) A list of schools within the school district that
39 offer career and technical education programs and a description
40 of each program.
41 (b) Information relating to career and postsecondary
42 planning.
43 (c) The eligibility requirements for federal and state
44 grants and scholarships, including the requirements for each
45 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program award.
46 (d) Information obtained from the Department of Commerce,
47 local workforce boards, and CareerSource Florida, Inc., about
48 career and academic jobs available in the region of the school
49 district, including starting salaries.
50 (e) Information relating to dual enrollment opportunities
51 with public and private postsecondary educational institutions
52 in the region for high school students, including admission
53 requirements. For purposes of this paragraph, "region" means the
54 Florida College System service area in which the school district
55 is located.
56 (f) A demonstration of Florida's online career planning
57 and work-based learning coordination system and how to access
58 the student's personalized academic and career plan.
59 Section 2. Paragraph (e) of subsection (1) of section
60 1003.4156, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
61 1003.4156 General requirements for middle grades
62 promotion; student personalized academic and career plan
63 requirements.—
64 (1) In order for a student to be promoted to high school
65 from a school that includes middle grades 6, 7, and 8, the
66 student must successfully complete the following courses:
67 (e)1. One course in career and education planning to be
68 completed in grades 6, 7, or 8, which may be taught by any
69 member of the instructional staff. The course must be Internet-
70 based, customizable to each student, and include research-based
71 assessments to assist students in determining educational and
72 career options and goals. In addition, the course must result in
73 a completed personalized academic and career plan for the
74 student, which must use, when available, Florida's online career
75 planning and work-based learning coordination system. The course
76 must teach each student how to access and update the plan and
77 encourage the student to access and update the plan at least
78 annually as the student progresses through middle school and
79 high school. The personalized academic and career plan must
80 emphasize the importance of entrepreneurship and employability
81 skills and must include information from the Department of
82 Commerce's economic security report under s. 445.07 and other
83 state career planning resources. The required personalized
84 academic and career plan must inform students of high school
85 graduation requirements, including a detailed explanation of the
86 requirements for earning a high school diploma designation under
87 s. 1003.4285 and the career and technical education pathway to
88 earn a standard high school diploma under s. 1003.4282(10); the
89 requirements for each scholarship in the Florida Bright Futures
90 Scholarship Program; state university and Florida College System
91 institution admission requirements; available opportunities to
92 earn college credit in high school, including Advanced Placement
93 courses; the International Baccalaureate Program; the Advanced
94 International Certificate of Education Program; dual enrollment,
95 including career dual enrollment; career and technical education
96 programs available within the school district; work-based
97 learning opportunities, including internships and
98 preapprenticeship and apprenticeship programs; and career
99 education courses, including career-themed courses and course
100 sequences that lead to industry certification pursuant to s.
101 1003.492 or s. 1008.44. The course may be implemented as a
102 stand-alone course or integrated into another course or courses.
103 2. Beginning when a student enters grade 9, the student's
104 personalized academic and career plan must be reviewed annually
105 and include a demonstration of the state's online career
106 planning and work-based learning coordination system.
107 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.