Florida Department of Education
Curriculum Framework 

The standards and/or benchmarks for this program were updated for the 2026-27 academic year.

Program Title:	Advanced Network Infrastructure
Career Cluster:	Information Technology

College Credit Certificate	
CIP Number	0511100115	
Program Type	College Credit Certificate (CCC)	
Program Length	36 credit hours	
CTSO	PBL, BPA 	
SOC Codes (all applicable) 	For program SOC codes, please see the Program and Course Tables section of the CTE Program Resources page linked below.	
CTE Program Resources 	http://www.fldoe.org/academics/career-adult-edu/career-tech-edu/program-resources.stml	

Purpose

This certificate program is part of the Network Systems Technology AS degree program (1511100112)  

A College Credit Certificate consists of a program of instruction of less than sixty (60) credits of college-level courses, which is part of an AS or AAS degree program and prepares students for entry into employment (Rule 6A-14.030, F.A.C.).

This program offers a sequence of courses that provides coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in the Information Technology career cluster; provides technical skill proficiency, and includes competency-based applied learning that contributes to the academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills, work attitudes, general employability skills, technical skills, and occupation-specific skills, and knowledge of all aspects of the Information Technology career cluster. 

The content includes but is not limited to instruction in computer literacy; software application support; basic hardware configuration and troubleshooting; networking technologies, troubleshooting, security, and administration; and customer service and human relations skills.

Additional Information relevant to this Career and Technical Education (CTE) program is provided at the end of this document.

Program Structure   

This program is a planned sequence of instruction consisting of 36 credit hours.

When developing the course sequence for the local implementation of this program, select courses that:
•	Meet the skill development requirements of the standards and benchmarks of this program.
•	Where reasonable and practicable, align with programs offered by your institution or other postsecondary institutions in Florida, including: 
o	Related AS and AAS degrees.
o	Baccalaureate degrees within the same career pathway and/or Federal CIP code.

Visit FloridaShines’ Discover Programs website to identify other institutions that offer similar programs to review their course sequencing. Where appropriate, course alignment between institutions offering related programs can facilitate interagency student articulation.

Visit FloridaShines’ Common Prerequisites Manual to identify courses that are prerequisites for admission into an upper division program.  When sub-baccalaureate courses are aligned to the course admissions requirements of baccalaureate programs with the same career pathway, students can enter upper division coursework seamlessly.   

Florida’s Career Readiness Skills for CTE Programs  

Employability Skills	
01.0	Apply academic skills to workplace scenarios.	
01.01	Use reading skills.	
01.02	Use writing skills.	
01.03	Use mathematical strategies and procedures.	
01.04	Use scientific principles and procedures.	
02.0	Design a solution to an industry problem.	
02.01	Use critical thinking.	
02.02	Use creativity.	
02.03	Make sound decisions.	
02.04	Solve problems.	
02.05	Reason. 	
02.06	Plan and organize.	
03.0	Manage resources within an industry project	
03.01	Manage time.	
03.02	Manage money or resources.	
03.03	Manage materials.	
03.04	Manage personnel.	
04.0	Oversee the subcomponents, operations and output of a technical or organizational system.	
04.01	Manage systems.	
04.02	Monitor systems.	
04.03	Improve systems.	
05.0	Use information for decision making.	
05.01	Locate information.	
05.02	Organize information.	
05.03	Use information.	
05.04	Analyze information.	
05.05	Communicate information.	
06.0	Apply relevant technology to workplace scenarios to aid productivity.	
06.01	Use technology.	
07.0	Interpret and express interpersonal communication.	
07.01	Communicate verbally.	
07.02	Listen actively.	
07.03	Comprehend written material.	
07.04	Convey information in writing.	
07.05	Communicate nonverbally.	
07.06	Interpret nonverbal communication.	
08.0	Interact with others to accomplish workplace goals.	
08.01	Collaborate with others in a team.	
08.02	Respond to customer needs.	
08.03	Exercise leadership.	
08.04	Negotiate to resolve conflict.	
08.05	Respect others.	
09.0	Manage personal behavior to maximize productivity and professional growth.	
09.01	Demonstrate responsibility and self-discipline.	
09.02	Adapt and show flexibility.	
09.03	Work independently.	
09.04	Demonstrate a willingness to learn.	
09.05	Demonstrate integrity.	
09.06	Demonstrate professionalism.	
09.07	Take initiative.	
09.08	Display positive attitude.	
09.09	Take responsibility for professional growth.	
Job Attainment	
10.0	Find, assess and apply to job opportunities.	
10.01	Identify online job posts relevant to his or her career aspirations.	
10.02	Compare and contrast the job posts’ required qualifications, job duties, compensation, benefits and employers. 	
10.03	Define what information, documentation and writing prompts are required for the positions.	
11.0	Communicate personal competence, character and fit for a job opportunity.	
11.01	Develop a resume.	
11.02	Write a cover letter.	
11.03	Curate a professional portfolio that includes work products.	
11.04	Prepare for and experience a mock job interview.	
12.0	Cultivate and leverage relationships to professionally advance.	
12.01	Request a signed reference letter, letter of recommendation and/or an online skill/professionalism endorsement. 	
12.02	Develop a plan to cultivate a professional digital footprint.	
12.03	Develop a networking plan for a specific industry of interest.	

Standards

After successfully completing this program, the student will be able to perform the following:

01.0	Describe routing concepts.
02.0	Demonstrate understanding of routing protocols.
03.0	Demonstrate router configuration skills.
04.0	Explain LAN design and concepts.
05.0	Demonstrate VLAN configuration skills.
06.0	Describe WAN protocols and technologies.
07.0	Demonstrate WAN configuration skills. 
08.0	Demonstrate an understanding of network security.
09.0	Describe remote access options.
10.0	Describe and implement IP addressing services.
11.0	Demonstrate an understanding of network maintenance, support and troubleshooting.

Florida Department of Education
Student Performance Standards

Program Title:	Advanced Network Infrastructure 
CIP Number:		0511100115
Program Length:	36 credit hours

This certificate program is part of the Network Systems Technology AS degree program (1511100112).  At the completion of this program, the student will be able to:	
01.0	Describe routing concepts. The student will be able to:	
01.01	Differentiate between routing and routable protocols. 	
01.02	Identify the hardware and software components of routers.	
01.03	Explain the purpose and nature of routing tables.	
01.04	Describe administrative distance and routing metrics such as hop counts and cost.	
01.05	Explain how a router determines a path and forwards or drops a packet.	
01.06	Differentiate between static and dynamic routing.	
01.07	Explain the differences between class-full and classless routing.	
01.08	Describe the use and operation of VLSM and CIDR.	
01.09	Describe how a network converges.	
02.0	Demonstrate understanding of routing protocols. The student will be able to:	
02.01	Describe the characteristics of distance vector routing protocols.	
02.02	Describe the characteristics of link state routing protocols.	
02.03	Describe the differences between distance vector and link state routing protocols and determine the best routing protocol to use in a given situation.	
02.04	Describe the features and operation of current internal and external routing protocols.	
03.0	Demonstrate router configuration skills. The student will be able to:	
03.01	Configure and verify router interfaces.	
03.02	Perform basic router configuration using the Command Line Interface (CLI) to inspect the operations of the router.	
03.03	Design and implement a classless IP addressing scheme for a network.	
03.04	Describe a router for RIP version 2 operation.	
03.05	Use advanced configuration commands with routers.	
03.06	Configure a router for OSPF routing in a network.	
03.07	Fine-tune OSPF settings on a router, including the configuration of reference bandwidth, redistribution of static and default routes, and modification of OSPF intervals, in order to optimize network performance.	
03.08	Verify and troubleshoot router operations in an OSPF network.	
03.09	Configure and modify metric on a router to improve network performance.	
03.10	Configure summarization and default route settings on a router to optimize network performance.	
03.11	Verify and troubleshoot router operations in complex network environment.	
04.0	Explain LAN design and concepts. The student will be able to:	
04.01	Identify the layers and functions of switched network architecture.	
04.02	Describe the principles and benefits of a hierarchical network design.	
04.03	Explain the technology and media access control method for Ethernet networks.	
04.04	Describe the issues associated with Layer 2.	
04.05	Describe the operation of a LAN switch.	
04.06	Describe the benefits of Virtual Local Area Networks (VLAN).	
04.07	Identify and describe the different VLAN encapsulation protocols and their operation.	
04.08	Describe the purpose and operation of VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP) in the management of a switched network domain.	
04.09	Describe the purpose and operation of Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), and its variants.	
04.10	Describe the use of Inter-VLAN routing to connect different Networks in a switch-based network topology.	
04.11	Analyze business requirements and design a LAN structure to meet those requirements.	
04.12	Discuss quality-of-service considerations and switching prioritization.	
05.0	Demonstrate VLAN configuration skills. The student will be able to:	
05.01	Perform and verify initial LAN switch configuration tasks including remote access management, switch port modes, and trunks.	
05.02	Configure, verify, and troubleshoot VLANs on a LAN switch.	
05.03	Implement a VLAN Domain by configuring LAN switches for VTP network operation.	
05.04	Configure a router to provide Inter-VLAN routing using multiple physical interfaces, and on a single physical interface with sub-interfaces.	
05.05	Configure and troubleshoot STP and its variants on a switched network environment.	
05.06	Configure and verify the bridge to optimize STP.	
05.07	Establish and configure port priorities.	
05.08	Troubleshoot and resolve issues with STP operations.	
05.09	Manage router and switch OS software.	
06.0	Describe (WAN). The student will be able to:	
06.01	Describe WAN and MAN topologies.	
06.02	Differentiate between WAN and LAN topologies.	
06.03	Identify and describe WAN protocols.	
06.04	Describe the impact of applications (Voice Over IP, Video Over IP) on a network.	
06.05	Identify major network issues associated with the Internet, intranets and extranets.	
06.06	Explain the differences between the use of leased lines, packet-switched, and circuit-switched technologies.	
06.07	Describe typical WAN links and discuss bandwidth considerations.	
06.08	Identify and manage licensing.	
07.0	Demonstrate WAN protocols and technologies. The student will be able to:	
07.01	Configure and verify Point-to-Point WAN connection.	
07.02	Configure and verify a packet switched WAN connection.	
07.03	Configure and verify a basic WAN serial connection and PPP connection between routers.	
07.04	Configure and verify a PPP connection between routers.	
07.05	Troubleshoot WAN implementation issue.	
07.06	Implement LAN/WAN connections, including virtual private networks (VPN), tunneling.	
08.0	Demonstrate an understanding of network security. The student will be able to:	
08.01	Implement basic switch security measures such as port security, trunk access, and management VLANs.	
08.02	Identify current network security threats and explaining how to implement a comprehensive security policy to mitigate common threats to network devices, hosts, and applications.	
08.03	Describe the functions of common security appliances and applications. 	
08.04	Implement recommended security practices to secure network devices.	
08.05	Discuss the functions of authentication servers.	
08.06	Describe the function and use of Access Control Lists (ACLs).	
08.07	Verify, monitor, and troubleshoot ACLs in a network environment.	
09.0	Describe remote access options. The student will be able to:	
09.01	Compare and contrast remote access protocols, wireless standards and network authentication methods.	
09.02	Configure static and dynamic routing and Network Address Translation (NAT).	
09.03	Configure remote access services, protocols and policies, conditions and settings.	
09.04	Describe Remote Access Dial-In User Service (RADIUS).	
09.05	Monitor and troubleshoot remote access.	
10.0	Describe and implement IP addressing services. The student will be able to:	
10.01	Describe the purpose and operation of DHCP and DNS in a networked environment.	
10.02	Configure, verify, and troubleshoot DHCP and DNS operations on a router.	
10.03	Describe the operation and use of NAT and Port Address Translation (PAT) to provide Internet access to Private IP Address networks.	
10.04	Configure, verify, and troubleshoot NAT on a router, including static translation, use of IP Address pools, and sharing a public IP address on a router interface.	
10.05	Explain the abbreviating rules, purpose and operation of IPv6.	
10.06	Configure, verify, and troubleshoot IPv4 and IPv6 routing in a network.	
11.0	Demonstrate an understanding of network maintenance, support and troubleshooting. The student will be able to:	
11.01	Identify, interpret and maintain network documentation, procedures and practices.	
11.02	Describe effective troubleshooting strategies and techniques to resolve basic hardware, software, and network problems.	
11.03	Follow standard operating procedures for troubleshooting hardware and software.	
11.04	Manage, maintain and backup router and switch system and configuration files.	
11.05	Recognize and resolve hardware and software configuration problems.	
11.06	Identify and explain resolution of common network problems found on layers 1 through 7 of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. 	
11.07	Determine type of programs and procedures required to: baseline network performance, identify intrusion and unacceptable system use, identify performance issues, predict system failures, and optimize network availability.	
11.08	Inspect and evaluate malicious and suspicious activities via logs, Intrusion Detection Systems, software and appliances. 	
11.09	Describe various attack vectors to a network and the threat mitigation techniques that protect those vectors. 	
11.10	Explain how SIEM, SOAR, and AI is used in today’s networks for automation and threat detection. 	
11.11	Explain the basics of the MITRE Att&CK framework, the Diamond Model, and the Cyber Kill Chain and how these intrusion analysis models are used. 	
11.12	Describe how Security Onion is used to train security analysts and threat hunters. 	
11.13	Identify and explain the function, main tasks, and goal of the RED, BLUE, PURPLE, and WHITE teams in cyber security. 	

Additional Information

Laboratory Activities

Laboratory investigations that include scientific inquiry, research, measurement, problem solving, emerging technologies, tools and equipment, as well as, experimental, quality, and safety procedures are an integral part of this career and technical program/course. Laboratory investigations benefit all students by developing an understanding of the complexity and ambiguity of empirical work, as well as the skills required to manage, operate, calibrate and troubleshoot equipment/tools used to make observations. Students understand measurement error; and have the skills to aggregate, interpret, and present the resulting data. Equipment and supplies should be provided to enhance hands-on experiences for students.

Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO)

CTSOs are co-curricular career and technical student organizations providing leadership training and reinforcing specific career and technical skills. Career and Technical Student Organizations provide activities for students as an integral part of the instruction offered. Other CTSOs not listed in this curriculum framework or recognized by the Florida Department of Education are permissible provided they support student mastery over the standards and benchmarks of this curriculum framework.

Accommodations

Federal and state legislation requires the provision of accommodations for students with disabilities to meet individual needs and ensure equal access. Postsecondary students with disabilities must self-identify, present documentation, request accommodations if needed, and develop a plan with their counselor and/or instructors. Accommodations received in postsecondary education may differ from those received in secondary education. Accommodations change the way the student is instructed. Students with disabilities may need accommodations in such areas as instructional methods and materials, assignments and assessments, time demands and schedules, learning environment, assistive technology and special communication systems. Documentation of the accommodations requested and provided should be maintained in a confidential file.