FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

F. PHILIP HANDY,

Chairman

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T. WILLARD FAIR,

Vice Chairman

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Members

SALLY B RADSHAW

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LINDA J. E ADS, ED.D.

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CHARLES PATRICK G ARCÍA

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JULIA L. J OHNSON

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WILLIAM L. P ROCTOR, PH.D.

March 17, 2003

Dear Educators,

JIM HORNE

Commissioner of Education

The Florida Department of Education is transforming the way educational information is accessed with

FACTS.org, making the process more convenient and efficient. FACTS.org is the State’s official student

advising Web site. It bridges educational resources, personal academic information, and technology to

assist high school students, college students, teachers, counselors, and parents in planning for and

tracking a student's educational progress. FACTS.org is an exceptional tool for K-20. It provides online

services that match student needs from high school all the way through college graduation such as

academic and career advising, tools for planning high school and college coursework, online college

admissions and financial aid applications, a degree program search, and access to transcripts and grades.

I invite you to visit FACTS.org and explore a revolutionary new feature for high school students called

the

High School Academic Evaluations

.

Using transcripts that are electronically transmitted to the

Department of Education, all public high school students and their parents can receive an evaluation of

student progress towards meeting the Bright Futures Scholarship program eligibility requirements and the

State University System course requirements for admission.

A course summary evaluation is also

available that shows all high school courses and grades received and how the courses were applied in the

evaluations.

To use the new evaluations, go to www.facts.org and click on

High School Academic

Evaluations.

An online tutorial and instructions for creating a new user login are available.

FACTS.org empowers students and parents and allows them to be more participatory and proactive in

planning for the future. This month, ninth-grade students will begin receiving notification of this service

via a home mailing. Other materials are being made available to schools for distribution from the Florida

Center for Advising & Academic Support (FCAAS) which manages FACTS.org. FCAAS has also made

promotional materials available from the FACTS.org Web site.

I encourage you to utilize these materials

and promote the site within your community.

If you’d like further information, please contact FCAAS at factshelp@admin.usf.edu and/or sign up on

the Department of Education's Paperless Communication to receive announcements about this ground-

breaking Web site for Florida’s students.

Sincerely,

Jim Horne

325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 1414 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 201-7400 • www.fldoe.org