As defined by Florida statutes for dual enrollment programs, students who are eligible for dual enrollment are permitted to enroll in college-level courses for dual credit conducted during school hours, after school hours, and during the summer term. In addition, dual enrollment courses are available on the high school, local career education center, community college, or state university campuses. In 2006, House Bill 7087, commonly known as the “A++ Bill,” included language that requires district school boards to include access to dual enrollment courses on the high school campus whenever possible.
In addition to traditional dual enrollment, Florida offers a program called “early admission,” which is a form of dual enrollment permitting high school students to enroll in college or career courses on a full-time basis on a college or technical center campus. A student must enroll for a minimum of 12 college credit hours per semester or the equivalent to participate in the early admission program. As with all dual enrollment programs, students earn both high school and college/career credits for courses successfully completed. Participation in the early admission program is limited to students who have completed a minimum of six semesters of full-time secondary enrollment, including studies undertaken in the ninth grade.
Overall, Florida has one of the most supportive state-level policy environments in the nation for dual enrollment, particularly in the areas of funding and program quality. Students who attend a Florida public college or university are exempt from tuition, registration, matriculation, instructional materials, or laboratory fees for courses taken through dual enrollment, and there is no cost to school districts for college tuition. Reimbursement for postsecondary institutions is based on proportional shares of full-time equivalent enrollment for dual enrollment students attending Florida College System institutions.
The Articulation Coordinating Committee, a K-20 advisory body appointed by the Commissioner of Education, develops policy recommendations and administrative standards for dual enrollment coordination to ensure high-quality implementation across the state. To develop dual enrollment programs, institutional partners must form Interinstitutional Articulation Agreements that define program elements related to student eligibility criteria, course and instructor quality, credit transferability expectations, and institutional roles and responsibilities. State policies also require that postsecondary institutions provide comprehensive supports and professional development to all dual enrollment instructors regardless of the location of course delivery. Finally, the Articulation Coordinating Committee requires that the Division of Community Colleges conduct a comprehensive review of dual enrollment programs every three years. The reviews are to include information such as annual participation rates by gender and ethnicity, student performance in courses, and college persistence rates of dual enrollment graduates.
Dual enrollment operates out of the Florida Department of Education’s Office of Articulation and is governed by policies developed by the State Board of Education.
Policy mandates an “Interinstitutional Articulation Agreement” between school districts and postsecondary partners for dual enrollment. This agreement must include student eligibility requirements to enroll in college-level courses for dual credit.
High school students must obtain a minimum score in the appropriate section on a common placement test adopted by the State Board of Education. However, dual enrollment students must also meet eligibility criteria such as a minimum 3.0 GPA in high school courses for general studies, which does not distinguish by proficiency in a given subject area. To participate in courses counting toward a career certificate, students mush have a 2.0 GPA, though exceptions may be granted based on terms defined in the articulation agreement between secondary and postsecondary partners.
The eligibility criteria described above take into account multiple indicators. In addition, Florida College System institution boards of trustees can establish additional eligibility requirements to ensure student readiness for postsecondary instruction.
In Florida, the dual enrollment program is the enrollment of an eligible secondary student or home education student in a postsecondary course creditable toward high school completion and a career certificate or an Associate's or Bachelor's degree.
Faculty members teaching courses in dual enrollment programs must submit a copy of the course syllabus to the discipline chair or department chair of the postsecondary institution before each term. Furthermore, course requirements—such as tests, papers, or other assignments—for dual enrollment students must be at the same level of rigor or depth as those for all nondual enrollment postsecondary students.
Policy dictates that college course instructors in dual enrollment programs meet the qualifications required by the entity accrediting the postsecondary institution offering the course. These qualifications must apply to all instructors regardless of where college-level courses are delivered. Also, statewide dual enrollment standards endorsed by the Articulation Coordinating Committee require that dual enrollment instructors be observed by a community college faculty member or administrator for evaluation.
Students who attend a Florida public college or university are exempt from registration, tuition, and laboratory fees.
Policy does not address the flexible use of funding streams. However, public high school students are to have laboratory and instructional materials provided free of charge. Students enrolled in home education programs or private secondary schools must provide their own materials.
Appointed by the Commissioner of Education, Florida’s Articulation Coordinating Committee is a K-20 advisory board charged with providing oversight and advisement for the state’s college and career transition activities, including dual enrollment and early admission programs.
Policy does not require annual reporting of dual enrollment participation at the state level. However, the Articulation Coordinating Committee requires that the Division of Community Colleges conduct a comprehensive program review of dual enrollment programs every three years. The reviews are to include information such as annual participation rates by gender and ethnicity, student performance in courses, and college persistence rates of dual enrollment graduates.
The state has a P-20 system database and can track dual enrollment students across the K-12 and postsecondary education systems.
According to statute, school districts and community colleges must annually develop or revise an Interinstitutional Articulation Agreement that delineates a variety of institutional responsibilities and roles. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: defining eligibility criteria; determining a process for monitoring student performance; sharing information about dual enrollment opportunities with students and families; explaining information regarding funding and program costs and responsibilities for all parties; and educating students and families on credit transferability and articulation policies within the state’s postsecondary education systems.
The Articulation Coordinating Committee requires a full-time faculty contact or liaison to support instructors in dual enrollment programs, but policy does not require liaisons to provide support or advisement for students. Articulation agreements between secondary and postsecondary partners must outline institutional responsibilities within the partnership, including the monitoring of student performance while participating in the dual enrollment program. These provisions notwithstanding, the state does not explicitly define student support roles for institutions or identify a common support structure for students participating in dual enrollment programs.