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Current FL Legislation with possible Home Education Impact
Pending Florida legislation:
Bright Futures Update - March 2008:
Home Education Foundation
lobbyist Brenda Dickinson recently sent out an update regarding pending
legislation addressing how homeschoolers qualify for Bright Futures.
Her entire explanation can be found at LIFE of FL
, but the gist of the changes are that private schools are specifically
included in the new language, and the test score is no longer
specified, but is tied to the relevant statute.
Current requirements can be found here:
http://www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org/ssfad/bf/fmsrequire.htm
And visit http://tinyurl.com/22xh5t to read HB 957 and
http://tinyurl.com/37z96c to read SB 2262
to read the proposed legislation. Both bills are identical, and this
seems to be the text in question, regarding students eligible for
Bright Futures:
(b) Has
attended a home education program according to s.1002.41 at least
during grades 11 and 12 and has attained a score of at least 100 points
higher than the score identified by rules of the State Board of
Education under paragraph (a) on the combined verbal and quantitative
parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test,
or the recentered Scholastic Assessment Test of the College Entrance
Examination, or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program; or
has attended a home education program according to s. 1002.41 at least
during grades 11 and 12, has documented successful completion of a
college-preparatory curriculum as outlined in paragraph (a) through a
Florida public school, a private school registered with the Department
of Education, or dual enrollment pursuant to s. 1007.271, and has
attained at least the score identified by rules of the State Board of
Education under paragraph (a) on the combined verbal and quantitative
parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Assessment Test,
or the recentered Scholastic Assessment Test of the College Entrance
Examination, or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program;
Essentially, the changes are saying homeschooled students *without*
public ed credits from FLVS, or from part time or dual enrollment, can
qualify for BF with "a score of at least 100 points higher than the
score identified by rules of the State Board of Education under
paragraph (a)..."
But those using FLVS, part time enrolled at a public school, or at an
"approved" private school, or dual enrolled at a local college can
qualify by having successfully documented "completion of a
college-preparatory curriculum as outlined in paragraph (a) through a
Florida public school, a private school registered with the Department
of Education, or dual enrollment pursuant to s. 1007.271," and can then
earn a BF with the same college entrance score as public school
students ("at least the score identified by rules of the State Board of
Education under paragraph (a)."
The bill will be voted on this summer.
Future of Bright Futures - September 2007
Recent news about the potentially shakey future of Bright Futures scholarships, a popular merit based program that can pay anything from 100% of community college tuition to 100% of university tuition, has prompted area families to inquire about its status. Information is difficult to come by, but LIFE of FL suggests you inform yourself about the latest arguments pro and con (see links below) and drop Governor Crist a line (http://www.flgov.com/contact_form )with your thoughts, if you feel Bright Futures is important to you, since he appears to be it's most influential supporter:
http://checksnbalances.blogspot.com/2007/04/fl-college-tuition-increase.html
Additional articles/discussions:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/columnists/orl-miket1407aug14,0,4172612.column (read through the comments, too)
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/orlando-sentinel/TR9CHVID9MSJM3NPQ
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/07/24/Opinion/Bright_Futures_progra.shtml
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20070820/BLOG29/70820040
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/09/State/Incentive_to_stay_in_.shtml
(old - 2004, but interesting)
http://tinyurl.com/2rbjzy - even older, a 2003 rallying cry to "save Bright Futures"
You can also visit the Board of Governors website for more information on anything related to the FL University system or additional contact information: http://www.flbog.org/ and http://www.flbog.org/BOG_regs/ to sign up for email updates regarding regulations changes.
Proposed College admissions changes - August 2007 (comment period ended)
The Florida Board of Governors has proposed a change in their policy that may have an effect on home education students' admission to state universities in Florida. Pursuant to 1002.41 (8), home education students are eligible for admission to state universities in accordance with the policies and guidelines of the Board of Governors. Notice of a proposed change to BOG Rule 6C-6.002, which relates to undergraduate admission of first-time, degree-seeking freshmen (including home education students), has been posted on the Florida Board of Governors website at http://www.flbog.org/BOG_regs .
FHSAA new eligibilty forms and guidelines - July 2007
From Home Education Foundation: [HEF_Info] FHSAA (Florida High school Athletic Association) new eligibilty forms and guidelines
"After weeks of cooperative work between the FHSAA, the Home Education Foundation, HEAT teams, and county liaisons, we have some new, and very worthwhile, information for home educators statewide. The FHSAA recently updated their EL 07 form which is used by student athletes wishing to participate in competitive sports with FHSAA member teams."The information we are providing is uniform throughout the State and consists of the new EL 07 form, a Guide to filling out the EL 07, and a new Verification form which is to be filled out by your county's home education liaison.
Please download and/or print the information and familiarize yourself with it. All 3 parts may be found individually on the HEF website at: http://www.flhef.org/extracurricular-activities/sports.html or on the FHSAA's website under Eligibility and Compliance. (http://www.fhsaa.org/compliance/ )
"Home education students wishing to participate in fall sports will need to have these forms filled out and returned relatively soon, so please forward this email to your groups as soon as possible. We recommend you have this information printed and available at your next group meeting."As we are updating our email loop, please let us know of any new group leaders you wish to have added to this list": http://www.flhef.org
LIFE encourages you to make educated decisions about legislation that may affect you and to get all the facts necessary to make those decisions.
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