Section 6A-6.0576 - [Effective 9/24/2024] CAPE Industry Certification Funding List(1) Purpose. The purpose of this rule is to specify the procedures and timelines for implementation of an industry certification process and adoption of the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List.(2) Definitions. The following definitions must be used in this rule and incorporated documents: (a) "CAPE" means career and professional education.(b) "CAPE Industry Certification Funding List" or "Funding List" means the list of industry certifications and certificates adopted by the State Board of Education for implementation of the Florida Career and Professional Education Act. Certifications and certificates identified on the Funding List are assigned additional full-time equivalent (FTE) membership funding, as specified in Sections 1008.44 and 1011.62(1), F.S.(c) "CAPE Acceleration Industry Certifications" means certifications identified on the Funding List pursuant to the requirements in Sections 1003.4203(4) and 1008.44(1)(e), F.S. These certifications have statewide articulation agreements for fifteen (15) or more college credits in a related postsecondary associate degree program.(d) "CAPE Digital Tool Certificates" means certificates identified on the Funding List pursuant to the requirements in Sections 1003.4203(2) and 1008.44(1)(b), F.S. These certificates assess digitals skills that are necessary for a student's academic work and are appropriate for elementary school and middle grades students.(e) "CAPE Industry Certifications" means certifications identified on the Funding List pursuant to the requirements in Sections 1003.4203(3) and 1008.44(1)(a), F.S. An industry certification is a voluntary process through which students are assessed by an independent, third-party certifying entity using predetermined standards for knowledge, skills, and competencies, resulting in the award of a credential. These certifications either do not have a statewide articulation agreement for college credit or have a statewide articulation agreement for no more than fourteen (14) college credits in a related postsecondary associate degree program.(f) "Career-themed course" means a course as defined in Section 1003.493(1)(b), F.S., offered in secondary schools which meets the requirements in Section 1003.493(4), F.S. This may be any course available to students in grades 6-12 with career education content related to an industry certification.(g) "Career and technical education program or program of study" means a career preparatory, technology education apprenticeship, or pre apprenticeship program with a curriculum framework adopted by the State Board of Education in Rule 6A-6.0571, F.A.C. The courses for this program are identified in each curriculum framework with a course sequence. Career and technical education programs or programs of study, along with dual enrollment courses that may be substituted for these programs are included on the Secondary Career and Technical Education Programs and Associated Courses with Dual Enrollment Course Substitutions List.(h) "Master Credentials List" means the industry certification and digital tool certificate list adopted by Credentials Review Committee and CareerSource Florida and transmitted to the Department in accordance with Section 445.004, F.S. This list includes industry certifications and digital tool certificates, which must be used to determine eligibility for inclusion on the Funding List.(i) "Monitor" is the individual assigned to independently observe the administration of an industry certification exam.(j) "Proctor" is the individual assigned to administer industry certification exams.(k) "Remote proctoring" is the process of taking an exam while the test taker is in one location and the virtual proctor is in another location.(l) "Virtual proctor" is a live human who remotely watches the test taker during the exam. This person must see the test candidate and the exam synchronously, as well as the environment in which the test is taken.(3) Adoption of the Master Credentials List. The 2024-2025 Master Credentials List submitted to the Department by CareerSource Florida is adopted by the State Board of Education and incorporated by reference in this rule.(4) Adoption of the annual Funding List. The 2024-25 Funding List is composed of industry certifications and certificates as specified in Sections 1008.44 and 1011.62(1), F.S. (a) The list includes the following certifications and certificates: 1. CAPE Industry Certifications;2. CAPE Acceleration Industry Certifications; and,3. CAPE Digital Tool Certificates.(b) Industry certifications on the Funding List are designated as postsecondary funding eligible in accordance with Sections 1011.80 and 1011.81, F.S., based upon the postsecondary funding recommendation provided by CareerSource Florida on the Master Credentials List.(c) The Funding List contains waivers of age, grade level, diploma or degree, and post-graduation work experience. Students earning a certification with a waived requirement may be reported for funding if the student completed all requirements for earning the certification except for the waived component.(5) General requirements for inclusion on the Funding List. For inclusion on this list, each certification must: (a) Require written or performance-based examinations for students that are designed to award a certificate only when a student demonstrates competency or proficiency in the certification area;(b) Be developed by a third party and administered in accordance with the test administration procedures specified by the certifying agency;(c) Require all written examinations be proctored by a third party and not proctored by the individual providing direct instruction for the industry certification;(d) Require performance-based competency examinations be independently evaluated and not performed by the student's direct instructor;(e) Require the exam questions be delivered in a secure manner and not available to the test proctor for an extended period of time, other than the time necessary to receive, distribute, and return any written materials to the scoring entity; and,(f) Require that the written examinations be scored by the certifying agency.(6) Designation of K-12 funding eligibility on the Funding List. In order for a certification or digital tool certificate to be eligible for additional FTE membership funding pursuant to Section 1011.62(1), F.S., the following criteria must be met:(a) To be included as a CAPE Industry Certification or a CAPE Acceleration Industry Certification on the Funding List, a certification must: 1. Be on the Master Credentials List,2. Be requested by a school district for inclusion with Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) funding eligibility,3. Be achievable by students in a secondary level program or a career dual enrollment program offered by a school district,4. Require a minimum of one hundred fifty (150) hours of instruction; and,5. Be achievable without the requirement for the use of a specific curriculum in order to sit for the certification.(b) To be included as a CAPE Acceleration Industry Certification, the certification must have a statewide articulation agreement approved by the State Board of Education in Rule 6A-10.0401, F.A.C., with fifteen (15) or more college credits.(c) To be included as a CAPE Digital Tool Certificate, the certificate must be designated on the 2024-2025 Master Credentials List as a certificate as of June 30, 2023, or be approved by the Department of Education as specified in Sections 1003.4203(2) and 1008.44(1)(b), F.S. 1. School districts career and professional education directors may request a review of assessments and credentials for approval as CAPE Digital Tool Certificates during a submission window from the first business day in March to first business day in April of each year. Submissions will be reviewed for approval for the following academic year. Form FCAPE-05, CAPE Digital Tool Certificate Submission Form, must be utilized by school districts for submission of new CAPE Digital Tool Certificates.2. For Department of Education approval as a CAPE Digital Tool Certificate and inclusion on the Funding List, the assessment of digital skills must: a. Require a written examination for students which is designed to award a certificate only when a student demonstrates competency or proficiency in the content area;b. Be developed by a third party and administered in accordance with the test administration procedures specified by the certifying agency;c. Require all written examinations be proctored;d. Require the exam questions be delivered in a secure manner and not available to the test proctor for an extended period of time, other than the time necessary to receive, distribute, and return any written materials to the scoring entity;e. Require that the written examinations be scored by the certifying agency; and,f. Demonstrate proficiency of students in targeted skills necessary to the student's academic work and skills the student may need in future employment.(7) School District Requests for an Industry Certification for FEFP Funding Eligibility and Secondary Career and Technical Education Program Linkages. School districts may request an industry certification approved on the Master Credentials List for FEFP funding eligibility and industry certification linkages to secondary career and technical education program or program of study during an annual submission window. The request window allows school districts to submit information for the following purposes: request FEFP funding eligibility and program linkages for an industry certification which was added to the Master Credentials List since the last funding list adoption; request FEFP funding eligibility and program linkages for an industry certification on the Master Credentials List which only has postsecondary funding eligibility on the most recent CAPE funding list; and, request new program linkages for certifications that are already approved for the CAPE funding list. (a) The submission window for each academic year occurs from the March 5 to April 1 time period, preceding the beginning of the K-12 academic year.(b) The request must demonstrate that the certification meets the requirements for inclusion on the CAPE funding list as specified in paragraph (6)(a) of this rule.(c) The request submitted by the district's career and technical education director or other individual authorized by the superintendent must use Form FCAPE-06, Florida Career and Professional Education Act Funding and Program Request, and must include the following information: request type, valid certification code and name from the Master Credentials List, valid secondary career and technical education program number and program title, a minimum of fifteen (15) unique standards from the approved secondary career and technical education program curriculum framework adopted by the State Board of Education in Rule 6A-6.0571, F.A.C., a link to the test blueprint or other similar document on the standards assessed by the industry certification, and submitter information including district, name of submitter and contact information.(d) The certification to program linkage request will be reviewed to determine whether the skills assessed by the certification are linked to at least fifteen (15) standards from the curriculum framework.(e) Approved program to certification linkages will be included on the annual Secondary Career and Technical Education Program to Industry Certification Linkage List for programs or programs of study identified on the Secondary Career and Technical Education Programs and Associated Courses with Dual Enrollment Course Substitutions List as defined in paragraph (2)(g) of this rule.(8) Publication Date for the Funding List. The Funding List for the school year must be published no later than August 1.(9) K-12 Funding weights for certifications on the Funding List. Pursuant to Section 1011.62(1), F.S., the weight used for CAPE Industry Certifications and CAPE Acceleration Industry Certifications in the FEFP is based on statewide articulation agreements approved by the State Board of Education in Rule 6A-10.0401, F.A.C., which is incorporated herein. If an articulation agreement is no longer current and is removed from Rule 6A-10.0401, F.A.C., after the start of the academic year, the funding weight will be updated during the adoption cycle for the following academic year.(10) Conditions for Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) calculation and reporting for industry certifications and CAPE digital tool certificates.(a) A school district is eligible for additional FTE membership under the following conditions:1. Middle grades or high school student is enrolled in a registered career-themed course and completes a related CAPE Industry Certification or CAPE Acceleration Industry Certification on the Funding List, or2. Elementary or middle grades student completes a CAPE Digital Tool Certificate on the Funding List.(b) A certification reported with a prior year course may be funded if the certification is earned within two academic years after the course is taken and the certification is identified as eligible for lagged funding on the Funding List. The district must not report a certification for funding if a portion of the industry certification exams were previously funded as a CAPE Industry Certification or CAPE Acceleration Industry Certification.(c) To report successful attainment of certifications and certificates on the Funding List, the following test administration procedures for all examinations associated with earning the industry certification must be followed: 1. The written exam is not proctored by the individual providing the direct instruction for the industry certification or certificate, except if the only individual permitted to be a proctor by the certifying agency is providing direct instruction for the industry certification and only one (1) eligible proctor is approved in a school. In this situation, all written tests are independently monitored by a second individual who does not provide direct instruction for the industry certification to the individuals taking the test(s).2. The written exam questions are delivered in a secure manner and paper-based tests are not available to the test proctor for a period of time, other than the time necessary to receive, distribute, and return any written materials to the scoring entity.3. The exam is scored by the certifying agency for the industry certification or certificate or an approved vendor of the certifying agency and may not be scored by a representative of the school district or the examinee.4. The exam has been administered in accordance with the test administration procedures specified by the certifying agency; and,5. The exams leading to the industry certification must not have been administered to a student more than three (3) times during the academic year with a minimum of twenty (20) calendar days between test administrations. If an exam attempt is invalidated by the certifying agency due to a testing irregularity which is not due to student misconduct, the district may administer a re-test before the twenty (20) day waiting period has elapsed.6. If the only requirement for the certification is a performance-based competency exam, the instructor may not proctor the exam.(d) School districts may report students who complete industry certifications during the update period allowed by the Department of Education for survey 5 after an initial submission as specified in Rule 6A-1.0451, F.A.C.(e) Postsecondary dual enrollment courses must be registered by the district as career-themed courses for the CAPE Industry Certification or CAPE Acceleration Industry Certification earned in these courses to be included in the additional FTE membership calculation, under the conditions specified in Section 1011.62(1), F.S.(f) Exams may not be used to satisfy the requirements for more than one industry certification or certificate.(11) Conditions for FEFP calculation of the 0.3 FTE for Career Pathways Completion. (a) The Department of Education shall use the following program and industry certification documents for the calculation of the 0.3 FTE for each student who completes three (3) or more courses in a single career and technical education program or program of study and earns a related industry certification: 1. Secondary Career and Technical Education Programs and Associated Courses with Dual Enrollment Course Substitutions; and,2. Secondary Career and Technical Education Program to Industry Certification Linkage List(b) School districts must report information in the following manner for use in this calculation: 1. Career and technical education courses must be reported on the Student Transcript Course Information format with reported credit earned in the course greater than zero (0).2. The student must be reported in a career and technical education program or program of study on the Career and Technical Education Student Course Schedule.3. The student must be reported with an industry certification on the Industry Certification format.(c) For student records reported as specified in paragraph (11)(b), the Department shall calculate an additional FTE membership for each student who completed three (3) courses in program list identified on the Secondary Career and Technical Education Programs list and Associated Courses with Dual Enrollment Course Substitutions and earned at least one (1) certification linked to the program on the Secondary Career and Technical Education Program to Industry Certification Linkage List. A student must have satisfied the requirements for a course upon completion of a course sequence. A certification may only be used to satisfy the requirements for one career and technical education program or program of study. The district in which the student was enrolled at the time of completing the third course or more shall generate the funding; funds shall be pro-rated among districts if more than one district awarded credit toward the third or more course requirement during the academic year.(12) Registration of career-themed courses eligible for funding as specified in Section 1011.62(1), F.S. School districts must annually register each career-themed course offered in their district by school using the web-based application available at https://web02.fldoe.org/CAPE/login.aspx. (a) Eligible courses must be registered by the school district for an academic year during the following registration windows: October 16 to the last business day in November, February 1 to first business day in March, and July 15 to the last business day in August.(b) A course must have students enrolled in the academic year in order to be registered.(c) A course must have a minimum of five (5) unique standards from secondary career and technical education program curriculum framework adopted by the State Board of Education in Rule 6A-6.0571, F.A.C., that link to the standards assessed by the industry certification. The Department of Education will review the course submissions after each registration period to confirm compliance with this requirement and will notify the district secondary career and technical education director regarding any compliance issues.(d) The registration system includes all career education courses approved for grades 6 through 12 in the course code directory as adopted in Rule 6A-1.09441, F.A.C. Other courses available to students in grades 6 through 12 may be added to the registration system if requested by a school district and with documentation that student mastery of at least five (5) core standards are assessed by an industry certification exam adopted on the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List. To request additions of non-career education courses to the registration system for the academic year, the school district must notify the department in writing with the course number, industry certification and academic standards for the course that align to the certification. The request must be received no later than the first business day of March in the academic year for the career-themed course registration. Upon validation of alignment between standards and the requirements for the industry certification, the course will be added to the registration system for use in the next open registration period.(e) Districts will be eligible for the additional FTE membership provided in Section 1011.62(1)(o), F.S., for the industry certifications on the Funding List which are identified by the school district in the course registration.(f) A dual enrollment course at a public or private postsecondary institution may be registered by the district as a career themed course if the district has an articulation agreement with the postsecondary institution and the course leads to an industry certification on the Funding List and is not eligible for other performance funds as specified in Section 1011.62(1)(o)1.b., F.S. A district may submit requests for dual enrollment courses to be added to the registration system in writing with the course number, industry certification and academic standards for the course. The request must be received no later than the first business day of March in the academic year for the career-themed course registration. Upon validation of alignment between standards and the requirements for the industry certification, the course will be added to the registration system for use in the next open registration period.(g) The registration system requires final approval by the district superintendent, which certifies that the course is being registered in accordance with the statutory definition and requirements for career-themed courses in Sections 1003.493(1)(b) and 1003.493(4), F.S., including that the course is being taught by instructors in the school who hold the industry certifications or higher-level industry certifications for which the course is being registered. An instructor may hold a higher-level certification in the same pathway from the same certifying agency to satisfy the industry certification requirement.(h) Registration of career-themed courses is required for funding in the FEFP.(i) Form FCAPE-02, Florida Career and Professional Education Act Career-Themed Course (CTC) Registration Form, must be utilized for reporting the career-themed course information.(13) Teacher, proctor or monitor conduct provisions for maintaining the validity of the industry certification credential for K-12 students. Industry certifications are independent, third-party verification of technical skills achieved by students. Any practice that jeopardizes the validity of industry certifications disadvantages the students and prospective employers. Teachers who provide direct instruction leading to industry certification exams and proctors assigned to administer industry certification exams must not engage in any conduct that jeopardizes the validity of the industry certification exam results. Only authorized proctors may be provided access to testing materials associated with industry certification exams. (a) Teachers providing instruction leading to industry certification exams must not: 1. Assist students with answering exam questions during an active test administration.2. Create any study guide or other document that includes any exam questions that are part of a current test form for the industry certification.3. Administer an industry certification exam to students to whom they provide direct instruction for the certification, or to any student taking an industry certification exam for which the teacher provides direct instruction, except as specified in subparagraph (9)(c)1. of this rule.4. Administer an industry certification exam to themselves.5. Administer an industry certification exam to other staff members, if they provide direct instruction for the certification.6. Administer any industry certification exam to a family member.7. Preview active exam content, even in the presence of a monitor or assigned proctor.8. Access any testing materials, either computer-based or paper-based, unless assigned as the only available proctor as specified in paragraph (10)(c) of this rule.9. Reveal, print, copy, screen capture or otherwise reproduce test questions that are part of an active version of an industry certification exam.10. Take any industry certification exam using any name other than their own legal name.11. Allow or entice another person to take an exam for a test candidate.12. Interfere in any way that jeopardizes the integrity of the test with persons assigned to administer or proctor industry certification exams.13. Provide answer keys to any student before, during or after test administration.14. Assist a certifying agency in reviewing and creating exam questions for an industry certification exam for which they provide direct instruction.15. Participate in, direct, aid, counsel, assist in, or engage in conduct or activity which could result in inaccurate measurement of student achievement on industry certification exams.(b) Authorized proctors or monitors for the industry certification exams must not: 1. Assist students with answering exam questions during an active test administration.2. Create any study guide or other document that includes any exam questions that are part of a current test form for the industry certification.3. Reveal, print, copy, screen capture or otherwise reproduce exam questions, unless expressly authorized by the certifying agency for the industry certification.4. Provide access to an exam to any teacher or other district employee, except as part of any official administration of the exam for the purpose of that teacher or employee obtaining the industry certification.5. Take any industry certification exam using any name other than their own legal name.6. Allow or entice another person to take an exam for a test candidate.7. Provide answer keys to any student before, during, or after test administration.8. Share credentials provided by the certifying agency for the purpose of administering industry certification exams.9. Administer any industry certification exam to a family member.10. Participate in, direct, aid, counsel, assist in, or engage in conduct or activity which could result in inaccurate measurement of student achievement on industry certification exams.(c) The school district must not report an exam score that is the product of any of the activities set out in paragraphs (13)(a)-(b).(14) Teacher, proctor or monitor conduct provisions for maintaining the validity of digital tool certificates. Teachers of digital tool certificates may be authorized by the school district to administer and proctor the exams for digital tool certificates to their own students. (a) Teachers providing instruction leading to digital tool certificate exams must not: 1. Assist students with answering exam questions during an active test administration.2. Create any study guide or other document that includes any exam questions that are part of a current test form for the digital tool certificate.3. Preview active exam content.4. Reveal, print, copy, screen capture or otherwise reproduce test questions that are part of an active version of a digital tool certificate exam.5. Allow or entice another person to take an exam for a test candidate.6. Provide answer keys to any student before, during or after test administration.7. Participate in, direct, aid, counsel, assist in, or engage in conduct or activity which could result in inaccurate measurement of student achievement on digital tool certificate exams.(b) The school district must not report an exam score that is the product of any of the activities set out in paragraph (14)(a).(15) Local test administration procedures and training for industry certification exam administration for K-12 students. School districts must create and maintain local test administration procedures for the administration of all industry certification exams. (a) These test administration procedures must include the following:1. Verification that each responsible teacher or proctor has received training on test security. Teachers and proctors must annually sign a statement of educational integrity which includes the detrimental and negative impact academic dishonesty brings upon a profession, as well as safety and security hazards which may result when candidates have not met the industry standard for acceptable training.2. Notification of disciplinary actions and consequences for engaging in or allowing testing irregularities and compromises.3. Notification of disciplinary actions and consequences for failure to abide by all security protocol.4. Procedures for handling test interruptions, testing irregularities and technical abnormalities that occur during exam administration.5. Annual training on Florida Statutes and State Board of Education Rules pertaining to industry certification.(b) All teachers providing instruction, proctors administering industry certification exams, and monitors for industry certification exams must annually sign Form FCAPE-03, Florida Career and Professional Education Act Industry Certification Test Administration and Security Agreement.(c) School districts shall maintain records and rosters for required training, including signed documents, for a minimum of five (5) years.(d) In order for students enrolled in career-themed courses to take industry certification exams, the teacher of the career-themed course must annually sign Form FCAPE-03, Florida Career and Professional Education Act Industry Certification Test Administration and Security Agreement.(e) In order to proctor an industry certification exam, a proctor must annually sign Form FCAPE-03, Florida Career and Professional Education Act Industry Certification Test Administration and Security Agreement.(16) Reporting requirements for violations of industry certification test administration provisions for K-12 students. In those situations, where provisions of subsections (13) and (14) of this rule are violated by a teacher, proctor or monitor the district must prepare a report made to the department and the certifying agency. This notification must occur within five (5) business days, unless the certifying agency has a more stringent requirement. The report must include a description of the incident, the names of the persons involved in or witness to the incident, and other information as appropriate. Districts shall report to the department using Form FCAPE-04, Florida Career and Professional Education Act Testing Violation Report. (a) A teacher, proctor or monitor that is currently under investigation for a testing violation may not serve as a proctor for any industry certification exams while the investigation is ongoing.(b) In the event of a confirmed finding of a testing violation, the teacher, proctor or monitor may not serve as a proctor for a minimum of twelve (12) months and must complete a department approved course in the area of Educational Ethics. The teacher or proctor shall submit documentation verifying successful completion to the Department of Education.(c) In the event of a second confirmed finding of a testing violation, the teacher, proctor or monitor is permanently prohibited from serving as a proctor or administrator.(17) K-12 student conduct provisions during test administrations. School districts must have local policies and procedures for the review of student conduct during and after industry certification and certificate exam administrations. These procedures must address any student conduct that violates certifying agency requirements for test administration or jeopardizes the integrity of the test. This conduct includes but is not limited to use of unauthorized materials during the testing, use of a cell phone or any other device with the ability to take photos of exam materials, assisting any other test taker with exam questions, and the disclosure of any test questions after the test administration. If a district determines the student violated the conduct provisions, the student must be prohibited from testing on any industry certification or certificate for a minimum period of six (6) months. If the district determines that the student conduct jeopardized the integrity of the exam beyond the scope of the student's own performance on the exam, the district must complete Form FCAPE-04 and report the incident to the department for review.(18) Remote proctoring of industry certification exams for K-12 students. Remote proctoring of industry certifications and digital tool certificates is allowed in circumstances where the certifying agencies offer remotely proctored testing options under certain conditions. (a) Remotely proctored exams must include: 1. Confirmation of student test taker's identity,3. Secure delivery of electronic exam; and,4. Process for identifying testing irregularities.(b) The certifying agency must issue the same credential that would have been earned in the traditional proctoring setting.(19) The following documents are hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of this rule. Copies may be obtained from the Florida Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400, or at the websites listed below. Fla. Admin. Code Ann. R. 6A-6.0576
Rulemaking Authority 1001.02(1), (2)(n), 1003.4203(8), 1003.491(5)(d), 1008.44(1), 1011.62(1) FS. Law Implemented 1003.4203, 1003.491, 1003.492, 1003.493, 1003.4935, 1011.80, 1011.81, 1008.44, 1011.62(1) FS.
Adopted by Florida Register Volume 48, Number 174, September 7, 2022 effective 9/20/2022, Amended by Florida Register Volume 49, Number 090, May 9, 2023 effective 5/23/2023, Amended by Florida Register Volume 49, Number 177, September 12, 2023 effective 9/26/2023, Amended by Florida Register Volume 50, Number 119, June 18, 2024 effective 7/2/2024, Amended by Florida Register Volume 50, Number 177, September 10, 2024 effective 9/24/2024.New 9-20-22, Amended 5-23-23, 9-26-23.