FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
JIM HORNE
Commissioner of Education
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
F. PHILIP HANDY,
Chairman
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Vice Chairman
Members
SALLY BRADSHAW
LINDA J. EADS, ED.D.
CHARLES PATRICK GARCÍA
JULIA L. JOHNSON
WILLIAM L. PROCTOR, PH.D.
July 7, 2003
M E M O R A N D U M
TO:
District School Superintendents
FROM:
Jim
Horne
SUBJECT:
House Bill 23B Relating to Alternate Assessment Options for Meeting Grade
10 FCAT Graduation Requirement
The 2003 Legislature, in Special Session B, passed House Bill 23B focusing on high school
graduation requirements, including the provision of additional opportunities and alternatives for
students to meet certain high school graduation requirements. The law directs me to determine
the comparable validity of certain available standardized tests. If these tests are determined to be
valid and reliable, the law requires that students be permitted to use them as alternate
assessments to the grade 10 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) for students
graduating in the 2002-2003 school year.
The SAT and ACT generally measure the same curriculum areas contained in the Sunshine State
Standards for tenth grade. Although the concordance scores outlined below have been calculated
for the SAT and ACT, it is my position that these instruments do not provide the most desirable
assessment of the Sunshine State Standards and should not be used as a primary assessment of
these skills. However, the SAT and ACT are widely accepted measures of college preparation
by public and private universities.
325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 1514 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0505 • www.fldoe.org
District Superintendents
July 7, 2003
Page Two
The Department recently conducted concordance studies to determine the score relationship
between the FCAT and the SAT and ACT. The concordance studies were based on Florida
students who had taken the FCAT in the spring of 2000 and 2001 and had also taken one of the
two standardized national tests. The studies involved matching score reports for 71,118 students
who had taken both the FCAT and the SAT and 47,682 students who had taken both the FCAT
and the ACT.
The studies resulted in the concordant scores shown below.
Twelfth-grade students in the
2002-2003 graduating class who have attained the SAT or ACT scores concordant with the
FCAT passing scores shown below shall satisfy the assessment requirement for a standard
high school diploma as provided in s. 1003.43(5)(a), F.S.
The FCAT passing scores of 287 in
reading and 295 in mathematics apply only to seniors graduating in 2002-2003.
FCAT
287
FCAT
295
SAT
370
SAT
350
ACT
14
ACT
15
Concordant Scores
Reading
Math
For the 2002-2003 school year, only SAT or ACT test scores shall be used as an alternate
assessment to passing the grade 10 FCAT. I am not authorizing concordance scores for
any other assessment or national standardized test for the 2003 graduating class.
Districts are responsible for identifying students who meet the score requirements by using the
SAT or ACT as an alternate assessment option. Districts must document that students using this
option have met all other graduation requirements in s. 1003.43, F.S., and then provide a process
for awarding the high school diploma. Students who meet all graduation requirements except
passing the FCAT and use this option (alternate assessment) to meet the graduation test
requirement must be reported in Survey 5 using Withdrawal Reason “WFT – Any student who
graduated from school with a standard diploma and satisfied the graduation test requirement
through an alternate assessment.”
Districts are to report to the Department no later than
August 29, 2003,
those students who failed
to attain the required FCAT score in reading and/or mathematics but who qualify for the use of
alternate assessment scores. Instructions for reporting the data are attached. Districts are
responsible for verifying if any of these students earned passing scores on the June 2003
administration of the FCAT. Students who meet all of the requirements for graduation, including
earning passing scores on the grade 10 FCAT, should be reported in Survey 5 using
District Superintendents
July 7, 2003
Page Three
Withdrawal Reason “W06 – any student who graduated from school and met all of the
requirements to receive a standard diploma.” If you have questions regarding the transmission of
data or other technical matters, please contact Dr. Martha Haynes, martha.haynes@fldoe.org,
850/245-0400. If you have questions regarding the use of the alternate assessment option, please
contact Mary Jo Butler, maryjo.butler@fldoe.org, 850/245-0479.
House Bill 23B authorizes the use of concordant standardized test scores as an option only for
seniors in the 2002-2003 graduating class. This option will not be in effect for students
graduating in future school years unless the Legislature authorizes the continued use of an
alternate assessment for meeting the high school FCAT requirement.
It should also be noted that FCAT passing scores for 2003-2004 graduating seniors are higher
than those represented here. If the Legislature should adopt a policy regarding the future use of
such assessments as alternatives, the concordant scores will be matched to the FCAT tenth-grade
passing scores approved by the State Board of Education for a standard diploma in the year in
which the students are graduating, and I shall notify you of such action.
House Bill 915 also addresses assessment alternatives to the grade 10 FCAT graduation
requirement. This legislation authorizes the State Board of Education to approve alternative tests
and scores. In its public meeting on June 17, 2003, the State Board of Education voted not to
approve any alternate to the grade 10 FCAT graduation requirement.
The State Board of Education will continue to work with the Legislature to review this policy
and its effect on student achievement. The Board is committed to ensuring that students are
prepared to enter postsecondary education or the world of work upon graduation. While
providing options for students to demonstrate achievement is desirable, we must ensure that
students demonstrate achievement without lowering academic standards or reducing the value of
a Florida high school diploma.
Attachment
cc:
District MIS Directors
District Student Services Directors
District Assessment Coordinators
