Fla. Admin. Code Ann. R. 6A-6.014 - General Requirements for Adult General Education Program

(1) Purpose. The purpose of this rule is to set forth requirements for adult general education programs operated by school districts, community-based organizations and Florida College System institutions, including enrollment critieria, determination of educational functioning levels and measurable skills gains for adult education students.

(2) Definitions.

(a) "Adult general education" means comprehensive instructional programs designed to improve the employability of the state's workforce through adult basic education, adult secondary education, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), applied academics for adult education instruction and instruction for adults with disabilities, as defined in Section 1004.02(3), F.S.

(b) "Basic skills" means reasoning through language arts, mathematics, English language acquisition or other foundational educational areas that enable someone to obtain employment or succeed in postsecondary education. To be deficient in basic skills means that a student is below a secondary school level in one or more areas.

(c) "Educational functional level" or "EFL" is a measurement of the academic progress of adult education students based on National Reporting System-approved assessments. There are twelve levels, each describing the academic skills that an adult should be able to perform: 6 levels for Adult Basic Education (ABE) and 6 levels for English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).

(d) "National Reporting System for Adult Education" or "NRS" is the accountability system for the federally funded adult education program, required by Section 212 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

(e) "Occupational completion points" or "OCPs" means the skills or competencies that qualify a person to enter an occupation that is linked to a career and technical education program, as defined in Section 1004.02(21), F.S., which are identified in each postsecondary career certification and applied technology diploma framework in Rule 6A-6.0571, F.A.C.

(3) Facilities. Instructional facilities should be consistent with the number and nature of adults served, as well as instructional methods and objectives.

(4) Enrollment Criteria (General). For all adult general education programs, other than the Adult High School Co-Enrolled Program described in paragraph (5)(f), students must meet the following criteria prior to enrollment:

(a) Be at least 16 years of age; and

(b) Have filed a formal declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment pursuant to Section 1003.21(1)(c), F.S., or for home education students, have filed a written notice of termination of their home education program with the district superintendent pursuant to Section 1002.41(1)(c), F.S.

(5) Enrollment Criteria (Program Specific). In addition to the general age and school termination requirements set forth in subsection (4) of this rule, students enrolling in adult general education must also meet the following minimum requirements specific to their program(s) of enrollment:

(a) Adult Basic Education (ABE) Program. To enroll in ABE, students must:

1. Have pre-tested at an Educational Functioning Level (EFL) of level 1-4 on one of the assessments listed in paragraph (7)(b) of this rule; and,

2. Be deficient in basic skills or have not earned a high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma.

(b) GED Preparation Program. To enroll in GED Preparation, students must:

1. Have not earned a high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma; and

2. Have pre-tested at an EFL of level 5-6 on one of the assessments listed in paragraph (7)(b) of this rule.

(c) Academic Skills Building. To enroll in Academic Skills Building, students must:

1. Need remediation in basic skills to pursue postsecondary education or to enter the workforce; and

2. Have pre-tested at an EFL of level 5-6 on one of the assessments listed in paragraph (7)(b) of this rule.

(d) English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program. To enroll in ESOL, students must:

1. Be deficient in basic skills; and

2. Have pre-tested at an EFL of level 1-6 on one of the assessments listed in paragraph (7)(c) of this rule.

(e) Adult High School (AHS) Program. To enroll in AHS, students must not have earned a high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma. Currently enrolled K-12 students may not be withdrawn from their public schools in order to enroll in a adult high school program during a summer break in public school enrollment.

(f) Adult High School Co-Enrolled Program. School districts or Florida College System institutions with current enrollment in an adult high school program may offer adult high school courses to currently enrolled public school students. Currently enrolled public school students may only be enrolled if they satisfy the following criteria:

1. Require credit recovery due to a deficiency in one or more high school credits required for graduation, which impacts their ability to graduate on-time with their cohort; and,

2. Do not have a pattern of excessive absenteeism or habitual truancy or a history of disruptive behavior in school. School districts and Florida College Systems must have policies for enrollment related to excessive absenteeism and disruptive behavior and must submit a copy of of those policies to the Department of Education by July 1 of each academic year. Policies must be submitted to FloridaAdultEducation@fldoe.org.

(6) Teacher qualifications. Each school district shall establish the minimal qualifications for part-time and full-time teachers in adult education programs per Section 1012.39, F.S.

(7) Academic skills tests for adults enrolled in ABE, GED® Preparation, ASB and ESOL.

(a) Requirements for pre- and post-tests for adult general education students are as follows:

1. All newly enrolled students must be pre-tested to determine EFL within the first twelve (12) hours of instruction.

2. Programs must comply with test publishers' recommended timeframes for post-testing.

3. In certain limited cases, instructors and test administrators, based on their professional judgment, may request an exception to the test publishers' recommended timeframes for post-testing an adult learner, but the administrator or designee must approve and record the deviation and reasons therefore.

4. Students completing the required course work to earn their high school diploma or earning the State of Florida High School Equivalency Diploma in accordance with Rule 6A-6.0201, F.A.C., are not required to post-test upon earning this credential.

(b) The following tests, English language versions only, are approved to pre-test students to determine initial educational functioning level and to post-test for documentation of learning gains of a student enrolled in the ABE, GED or ASB program. The tests shall be used with appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities as specified in Section 1004.02(6), F.S.

1. Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE);

2. Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS);

3. ACT WorkKeys Applied Math;

4. ACT WorkKeys Workplace Documents.

(c) The following tests, English language versions only, are approved to pre-test students to determine educational functioning level and to post-test for documentation of learning gains of a student enrolled in the adult English for Speakers of Other Languages program and shall be used with appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities, as specified in Section 1004.02(6), F.S.

1. Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS);

2. Basic English Skills Test (BEST) Plus;

3. Basic English Skills Test (BEST) Literacy;

4. Tests for Adult Basic Education Complete Language Assessment System - English (TABE CLAS-E).

(8) Student progress will be measured by attainment of Measurable Skill Gains (MSGs) using one or more of the following:

(a) EFL Gain;

1. Documented achievement of at least one EFL in reading, writing, speaking and listening and functional areas, as measured by an NRS approved assessment listed in subsection (7) of this rule.

2. Earning the requisite number of credits to advance from ABE Level 5 to ABE Level 6 based on the student's selected diploma option in AHS, as described below:

a. 24-credit diploma option. Students documented at ABE Level 5 have earned from 0-12 high school credits toward a traditional 24 credit diploma. Students who reach or complete ABE Level 6 must earn 13-24 credits toward a 24-credit diploma.

b. 18-credit diploma option. Students documented at ABE Level 5 have earned from 0-9 high school credits toward a Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL) 18-credit diploma. Students who reach or complete ABE Level 6 10-18 credits toward the 18-credit ACCEL option.

3. Enrollment in a postsecondary educational or training program during the program year; and

4. Passage of a subtest of the state of Florida approved high school equivalency examination, the 2014 GED® Test.

(b) Attainment of State of Florida High School Equivalency Diploma or Adult Standard High School Diploma.

(c) Earning at least 360 clock hours or 12 credit hours in an approved CTE post-secondary program of enrollment within the program year (July 1 -June 30);

(d) Demonstration of progress toward milestones as follows:

1. Full program completion of a registered preapprenticeship program, as defined in Rule 6A-23.010, F.A.C.; or

2. Earning an occupational completion point (OCP).

(e) Passage of an industry certification credential examination on the Master Credentials List, adopted in Rule 6A-6.0576, F.A.C., or on the Perkins V Industry Recognized Credential List, available at https://www.fldoe.org/academics/career-adult-edu/research-evaluation/perkins.stml.

Notes

Fla. Admin. Code Ann. R. 6A-6.014

Rulemaking Authority 1001.02(1), (2)(n), 1004.93(9), 1011.80(12) FS. Law Implemented 1004.93, 1011.80 FS.

Amended 2-20-64, 4-11-70, 11-17-73, 2-18-74, 6-17-74, Repromulgated 12-5-74, Amended 12-6-84, Formerly 6A-6.14, Amended 12-28-86, 10-17-89, 12-29-98, 4-26-06, 9-19-07, 8-18-09, 2-1-11, Amended by Florida Register Volume 41, Number 052, March 17, 2015 effective 4/1/2015, Amended by Florida Register Volume 44, Number 025, February 6, 2018 effective 2/20/2018, Amended by Florida Register Volume 51, Number 023, February 4, 2025 effective 2/18/2025.

New 2-20-64, Amended 4-11-70, 11-17-73, 2-18-74, 6-17-74, Repromulgated 12-5-74, Amended 12-6-84, Formerly 6A-6.14, Amended 12-28-86, 10-17-89, 12-29-98, 4-26-06, 9-19-07, 8-18-09, 2-1-11, 4-1-15, 2-20-18.