Florida Department of Education
Adult General Education
Program Description 

                                          	                         ADULT HIGH SCHOOL	
Program Title	Adult High School	
Program Number*	9900010 	
Course Number	Seethe FDOE Course Code Directory (https://www.fldoe.org/policy/articulation/ccd/) 	
CIP Number	1532010500	
Grade Level 	9.0-12.9	
Recommended Length	Maximum 1300 hours	
* Report the Program Number in combination with the Secondary Course Number

PURPOSE	
Adult General Education Program: The Florida Department of Education administers the Adult General Education Program under the authority of s. Florida Statute 1004.93, F.S., and the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act (WIOA), 2014. The AGE Program has multiple purposes. Primarily, it provides instruction in reading and language and mathematics to students seeking to obtain a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent. Another purpose is to supports parents to become full partners in the educational development of their children and to improve the economic opportunities of their family. Finally, the AGE Program helps learners transition to postsecondary education and training and obtain employment.

Adult High School Program: The purpose of the Adult High School (AHS) program is to provide eligible individuals with state-approved high school courses and assessments that lead to a standard high school diploma. In addition, the AHS program also serves to meet the intent of the Florida Legislature and Office of the Governor as formulated in Florida Statutes and the Florida Department of Education State Board Rules. 

Two Florida Statutes form the underlying basis of the AHS program:

•	1002.3105, F.S. – Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL) options
•	1003.4282, F.S. – Requirements for a Standard High School Diploma 

The following Florida Statues and State Board Rules also support the AHS program:

•	1003.41, F.S. – State Academic Standards 
•	1003.433, F.S. – Learning opportunities for out-of-state and out-of-country transfer students and students needing additional instruction to meet high school graduation requirements
•	1004.02, F.S. – Definitions 
•	1004.92, F.S. – Purpose and Responsibilities for Career Education 
•	1004.93, F.S. – Adult General Education 
•	1008.22, F.S. – Student Assessment Program for Public Schools
•	Rule 6A.020, F.A.C. – Granting High School Credits to Adults
•	Rule 6A.09941, F.A.C. – State Uniform Transfer of Students in Middle Grades and High School
•	Rule 6A-1.09422, F.A.C. – Statewide Standardized Assessment Program Requirements
•	Rule 6A-6.014, F.A.C. – General Requirements for Adult General Education Program

STUDENTS
Individuals eligible to enroll in the AHS program are those who meet the following criteria:

•	Are age 16 years or older
•	Are not enrolled in the K12 system
•	Do not possess a high school diploma or state-approved diploma from Florida or another state (Students with a Certificate of Completion are allowed to enroll in AHS.)

EDUCATIONAL FUNCTIONING LEVELS
The Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act defines the term Educational Functioning Level as “the ABE and ESL literacy levels, as provided in the NRS Guidelines, that describe a set of skills and competencies that students demonstrate in the skill areas of the National Reporting System.” (Code of Federal Regulations Title 34 Subtitle B Chapter IV Part 462). 

Table 1 presents the NRS Adult Basic Education (ABE) levels of the AHS course, with the Grade Equivalents, and Credit Options.

Table 1: NRS ABE levels, Grade Equivalents and Credit Options

NRS ABE Levels	Grade Equivalent	ACCEL
18 Credits	CTE Career Pathways
18 Credits	Standard Diploma
24 Credits	
NRS ABE Level 5	11.0 – 11.9	0 – 9	0 – 9	0 – 12 	
NRS ABE Level 6	12.0 – 12.9	10 – 18	10 – 18	13 – 24 	
Completion	Above 12.9	More than 18	More than 18	More than 24	

PROGRAM LENGTH
The Florida Legislature provides funding to local agencies to provide instruction for a maximum of 1300 hours of per student per program year. Although it is allowable for local agencies to provide more than 1300 hours of instruction per program year, the additional hours are not eligible for funding.

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
The AHS program provides the following three options to obtain a standard State of Florida Diploma:

•	18 Credits – Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL) High School Diploma 
•	18 Credit – Career and Technical Pathway High School Diploma 
•	24 Credit – Standard High School Diploma

The Florida Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T) Standards serve as the curriculum guide for AHS instructors. The B.E.S.T. Standards are posted on the following websites:
•	Florida DOE CPALMS (https://www.cpalms.org/Public/)
•	Florida DOE Course Code Directory (http://www.fldoe.org/policy/articulation/ccd/)

PLACEMENT INTO THE AHS PROGRAM
Placement: Local adult education agencies have several options for placing students in the AHS program:

•	Students who provide a transcript of high school credits that places them in Adult Basic Education (ABE) level 5 or 6 of the National Reporting System (NRS) may be placed into the program without taking a placement exam
•	Students who have withdrawn from a K-12 program prior to earning any high school credits are required to be assessed and placed in accordance with Rule 6A-6.014, F.A.C.
•	Students who report having earned high school credits but lack a transcript showing evidence of credits earned should be assessed and placed in accordance with Rule 6A-6.014, F.A.C.

Progression: Students show progression in the AHS program by earning credits that move them from NRS ABE level 5 (11th grade) to NRS ABE level 6 (12th grade). Students must complete all required statewide exams in accordance with State of Florida guidelines. Depending on the course, students may be required to complete an End of Course (EOC) exam. Students may also earn concordant or comparative scores in certain courses.

Completion: Students complete the AHS program and obtain a State of Florida Standard High School Diploma by fulfilling the following criteria:

1.	Meet all state and local standards required for graduation
2.	Maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA)
3.	Complete state exams in accordance with FDOE guidelines (not required if the student has met criteria #1)

ACCOMMODATIONS
Federal and state laws require that local agencies provide accommodations to students with disabilities. In order to be eligible for accommodations, adult students with disabilities must identify themselves as having a disability and request accommodation(s) that they need. Examples include accommodations in instructional methods, materials, assignments, assessments, time demands, school schedules, the learning environment, assistive technology and special communication systems. The local agency is required to maintain documentation of the accommodations requested and provided in a manner that complies with confidentiality requirements.

CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS OF INSTRUCTORS IN ADULT HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Instructors of students enrolled in the AHS program are required to meet the certification requirements of the courses they teach. For certification requirements, see sections 3 and 5 of the Florida DOE Course Code Directory (http://www.fldoe.org/policy/articulation/ccd/).