Statewide articulation agreement.

(1) The State Board of Education and the Board of Governors shall enter into a statewide articulation agreement which the State Board of Education shall adopt by rule. The agreement must preserve Florida’s “2+2” system of articulation, facilitate the seamless articulation of student credit across and among Florida’s educational entities, and reinforce the provisions of this chapter by governing:

(a) Articulation between secondary and postsecondary education;

(b) Admission of associate in arts degree graduates from Florida College System institutions and state universities;

(c) Admission of applied technology diploma program graduates from Florida College System institutions or career centers;

(d) Admission of associate in science degree and associate in applied science degree graduates from Florida College System institutions;

(e) The use of acceleration mechanisms, including nationally standardized examinations through which students may earn credit;

(f) General education requirements and statewide course numbers as provided for in ss. 1007.24 and 1007.25; and

(g) Articulation among programs in nursing.

(2)(a) The articulation agreement must specifically provide that every associate in arts graduate of a Florida College System institution shall have met all general education requirements and must be granted admission to the upper division of a:

1. State university, except for a limited access or teacher certification program or a major program requiring an audition.

2. Florida College System institution if it offers baccalaureate degree programs, except for a limited access or teacher certification program or a major program requiring an audition.

(b) Florida College System institution associate in arts graduates shall receive priority for admission to the upper division of a Florida College System institution or to a state university over out-of-state students. Orientation programs, catalogs, and student handbooks provided to freshman enrollees and transfer students at Florida College System institutions and state universities must include an explanation of this provision of the articulation agreement.

(3) To facilitate seamless transfer of credits, reduce excess credit hours, and ensure students take the courses needed for their future careers, the articulation agreement must establish three mathematics pathways for students by aligning mathematics courses to programs, meta-majors, and careers. A representative committee consisting of State University System faculty, faculty of career centers established under s. 1001.44, and Florida College System institution faculty shall collaborate to identify the three mathematics pathways and the mathematics course sequence within each pathway which align to the mathematics skills needed for success in the corresponding academic programs and careers.

(4) To improve articulation and reduce excess credit hours, beginning with students initially entering a Florida College System institution in 2013-2014 and thereafter, the articulation agreement must require each student who is seeking an associate in arts degree to indicate a baccalaureate degree program offered by an institution of interest by the time the student earns 30 semester hours. The institution in which the student is enrolled shall inform the student of the prerequisites for the baccalaureate degree program offered by an institution of interest.

(5) The articulation agreement must guarantee the statewide articulation of appropriate workforce development programs and courses between school districts and Florida College System institutions and specifically provide that every applied technology diploma graduate must be granted the same amount of credit upon admission to an associate in science degree or associate in applied science degree program unless it is a limited access program. Preference for admission must be given to graduates who are residents of Florida.

(6) The articulation agreement must guarantee the statewide articulation of appropriate courses within associate in science degree programs to baccalaureate degree programs. Courses within an associate in applied science degree program may articulate into a baccalaureate degree program on an individual or block basis as authorized in local interinstitutional articulation agreements.

(7) The articulation agreement must guarantee the articulation of 9 credit hours toward a postsecondary degree in early childhood education for programs approved by the State Board of Education and the Board of Governors which:

(a) Award a child development associate credential issued by the National Credentialing Program of the Council for Professional Recognition or award a credential approved under s. 1002.55(3)(c)1.b. or s. 402.305(3)(c) as being equivalent to the child development associate credential; and

(b) Include training in emergent literacy which meets or exceeds the minimum standards for training courses for prekindergarten instructors of the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program in s. 1002.59.

(8) By the 2019-2020 academic year, to strengthen Florida’s “2+2” system of articulation and improve student retention and on-time graduation, each Florida College System institution shall execute at least one “2+2” targeted pathway articulation agreement with one or more state universities, and each state university shall execute at least one such agreement with one or more Florida College System institutions to establish “2+2” targeted pathway programs. The agreement must provide students who graduate with an associate in arts degree and who meet specified requirements guaranteed access to the state university and a degree program at that university, in accordance with the terms of the “2+2” targeted pathway articulation agreement.

(a) To participate in a “2+2” targeted pathway program, a student must:

1. Enroll in the program before completing 30 credit hours, including, but not limited to, college credits earned through articulated acceleration mechanisms pursuant to s. 1007.27;

2. Complete an associate in arts degree; and

3. Meet the university’s transfer requirements.

(b) A state university that executes a “2+2” targeted pathway articulation agreement must meet the following requirements in order to implement a “2+2” targeted pathway program in collaboration with its partner Florida College System institution:

1. Establish a 4-year, on-time graduation plan for a baccalaureate degree program, including, but not limited to, a plan for students to complete associate in arts degree programs, general education courses, common prerequisite courses, and elective courses;

2. Advise students enrolled in the program about the university’s transfer and degree program requirements; and

3. Provide students who meet the requirements under this paragraph with access to academic advisors and campus events and with guaranteed admittance to the state university and a degree program of the state university, in accordance with the terms of the agreement.

(c) To assist the state universities and Florida College System institutions with implementing the “2+2” targeted pathway programs effectively, the State Board of Education and the Board of Governors shall collaborate to eliminate barriers in executing “2+2” targeted pathway articulation agreements.

(9) The articulation agreement must specifically provide for a reverse transfer agreement for Florida College System associate in arts degree-seeking students who transfer to a state university before earning an associate in arts degree. Students must be awarded an associate in arts degree by the Florida College System institution upon completion of degree requirements at the state university if the student earned more than 30 credit hours toward the associate in arts degree from the Florida College System institution. State universities must identify each student who has completed requirements for the associate in arts degree and, upon consent of the student, transfer credits earned at the state university back to the Florida College System institution so that the associate in arts degree may be awarded by the Florida College System institution.