FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
?
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
?
Jeanine Blomberg
Commissioner of Education
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Chairman
Members
DONNA G. CALLAWAY
DR. AKSHAY DESAI
ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
PHOEBE RAULERSON
KATHLEEN SHANAHAN
LINDA K. TAYLOR
Contact Information
MEMORANDUM
Lillian Finn
TO:
?
District
Superintendents
(850) 245-0509
Lillian.Finn@fldoe.org
FROM:
?
Cheri Pierson Yecke, PhD
K-12: 2007-129
DATE:
?
August 3, 2007
SUBJECT:
?
UPDATE ON SECONDARY REFORM AND THE MAJOR AREAS OF
INTEREST
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide school districts with updates and changes relative
to Secondary Reform and the Major Areas of Interest (MAI).
With the signing of Florida Senate Bill 2092, in 2007, the following changes relative to
Secondary Reform occurred:
•
The one credit in fine arts needed for high school graduation now reads
“one
credit in fine
or performing arts, which may include speech and debate.”
[Section 1003.428 (2)(a)5., Florida Statutes (F.S.)]
•
New language concerning grade forgiveness was added, as follows:
Forgiveness policies for required courses shall be limited to replacing a
grade of “D” or “F,” or the equivalent of a grade of “D” or “F,” with
a grade of “C” or higher, or the equivalent of a grade of “C” or higher,
earned subsequently in the same or comparable course. Forgiveness
policies for elective courses shall be limited to replacing a grade of “D”
or “F,” or the equivalent of a grade of “D” or “F,” with a grade of
“C” or higher, or the equivalent of a grade of “C” or higher, earned
subsequently in another course. The only exception to these forgiveness
policies shall be made for a student in the middle grades who takes any
high school course for high school credit and earns a grade of “C,”
CHERI PIERSON YECKE
?
Chancellor
?
K-12 Public Schools
?
325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 514 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0505 • www.fldoe.org
Update on Secondary Reform and the Major Areas of Interest
August 3, 2007
Page Two
“D,” or “F” or the equivalent of a grade of “C,” “D,” or “F.” In such
case, the district forgiveness policy must allow the replacement of the
grade with a grade of “C” or higher, or the equivalent of a grade of
“C” or higher, earned subsequently in the same or comparable course.
In all cases of grade forgiveness, only the new grade shall be used in the
calculation of the student’s grade point average. Any course grade not
replaced according to a district school board forgiveness policy shall be
included in the calculation of the cumulative grade point average
required for graduation.
(Section 1003.428(4)(d), F.S.)
•
?
The language concerning credit recovery
is now stricken from statute
. The
stricken language reads “Credit recovery courses shall be offered so that students
can simultaneously earn an elective credit and the recovered credit.” (Section
1003.428(3), F.S.)
The following is an update and reminder for the Major Areas of Interest:
•
?
On August 6, 2007, the Web-based submission site for Major Areas of Interest at
http://fldoe.org/APlusPlus/ will be made available for all districts for the
submission of new MAIs or to update existing MAIs. The site will close on
October 1, 2007, to permit the MAI committee to review the MAIs and course
submissions and provide recommendations to the Commissioner. The
Commissioner will respond within 60 days (by December 1, 2007) to approve or
deny new MAI and course proposals. Upon approval, courses will be included on
the state approved list which will be posted to the Department of Education
(DOE) Web site beginning in January 2008. The tentative timeline for districts to
update their course availability is scheduled for January 1, 2008, through the third
week of February 2008. Students will likewise be able to update their Electronic
Personal Education Planner (ePEP) annually and can then include the new
course(s).
•
?
Of the eight elective credits required for graduation, students must complete four
credits in an MAI but do not have to be enrolled in an MAI every semester.
Students may change their designated MAI annually and are not required to
complete four credits in the same MAI in order to graduate; i.e., four MAI credits
may be completed in several different areas. However, those students completing
four credits in a single MAI will earn the distinction of graduating with a “Major
Area of Interest,” with recognition at the time of graduation.
•
?
Remember that all MAIs must include course credit that totals at least
four
credits.
•
?
Social Studies: There are 21 statewide majors that include specifically-named
Social Studies courses required for high school graduation (American History,
Update on Secondary Reform and the Major Areas of Interest
August 3, 2007
Page Three
American Government, Economics, and World History); and three of the 21
MAIs do not currently include enough Social Studies courses beyond the required
core to meet the four required credits for an MAI. We are currently revising these
MAIs to correct this situation.
•
?
Dual Enrollment Courses: Some of the approved MAIs contain dual enrollment
courses that are very limited or not relevant. There are also 256 MAIs that do not
include any dual enrollment credits. Over the next several weeks, we will modify
the online data entry system to include all dual enrollment courses that
complement the MAIs. The online system will match a district to the local
service provider/community college, allowing the college to propose available
lower-level courses, Postsecondary Adult Vocational (PSAV) courses, and
postsecondary courses related to the MAIs offered at local high schools. For
2007-2008 school year, districts and school counselors should approve
appropriate dual enrollment courses on a case-by-case basis for eligible ninth
grade students. However, plans are in place to have this system modification in
place to allow dual enrollment course availability for the 2008-2009 school year.
•
?
Only 62 high schools selected MAI #6111-AA Degree. This appears to limit
student opportunities to participate in dual enrollment courses. This may be due,
in part, to the title of this MAI. Because MAIs only include four credits of a
student’s 24 required credits, the student is not expected to earn an Associate’s
Degree upon completion of this MAI, but is expected to earn four high school
credits through successful completion of dual enrollment courses. We are
currently considering a title clarification for this MAI and will be automatically
adding MAI #6111-AA Degree to every school’s major offerings.
•
?
Additional information regarding the recording of earned MAI credits on student
transcripts will be released this fall.
•
?
Remember, when students select a high school Major Area of Interest they are not
selecting a college major or making a life-long commitment to a specific
occupation. Selecting a high school Major Area of Interest is an opportunity for
students to choose electives that truly interest them, providing a meaningful
connection to coursework and time spent in school.
For assistance using the Web-based system or on the implementation of these requirements,
please contact Lillian Finn, Director of Secondary Reform, at (850) 245-0509 or via e-mail at
Lillian.Finn@fldoe.org.
CPY/lfk
