FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
?
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
JIM HORNE
Commissioner of Education
F. PHILIP HANDY,
Chairman
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Vice Chairman
Members
LINDA J. E ADS, ED.D.
CHARLES PATRICK G ARCÍA
JULIA L. J OHNSON
WILLIAM L. P ROCTOR, PH.D.
December 19, 2003
Dear Educators:
All Florida’s public high schools and postsecondary institutions have Internet access available for
students. With this access, students can perform research on virtually any subject including
educational opportunities here in Florida. The Department’s advising website, FACTS.org, allows
students to research careers, higher education institutions, and specific requirements for high school
and college graduation. Now, FACTS.org is better than ever as we unveil a new web design and
features that help students plan their academic future.
Since its creation, FACTS.org has advised students by utilizing cutting-edge technology and
providing personalized transcript and degree information. Earlier this year, high school students
gained the ability to run evaluations with their transcript information against Bright Futures
students can perform graduation evaluations for each of the new 24-hour/4-year Standard Diploma
and, the 18-hour/3-year College and Career Diplomas. In addition to showing their status,
enhancements were made that allow students to see which courses will meet the specific
requirements of each evaluation from a drop-down list. Counselors have direct access to the
information as well.
In addition to the new web design and high school graduation evaluations, students can also utilize a
new institution search that provides a detailed profile for over 200 Florida institutions. The new
search helps students locate higher education institutions that meet their specific academic interests
by a variety of characteristics such as region, enrollment, on-campus housing availability, athletics,
cost of tuition, and degrees/certificates offered.
Prospective college students can now submit an electronic admissions application using FACTS.org
to any of the 39 public postsecondary institutions or participating independent institutions. The
online applications are easy to use and allow prospective students to apply to multiple Florida
colleges by completing just one application. A PDF version of the state university common
application was added to FACTS.org so it can be downloaded and printed by students who prefer
this method. As noted in a previous communication, the Division of Colleges & Universities will no
longer provide schools with hardcopies of this application.
325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 1414 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0518 • www.fldoe.org
FACTS.org Enhancements
Page Two
December 19, 2003
I invite you to visit FACTS.org and inform students and other staff about this tremendous
advising tool. Don’t miss an opportunity to help Florida’s students achieve their dreams. If you
are currently promoting FACTS.org on your institution’s website, be sure to check current
links/directions as they may have been affected during the re-design. For your convenience, a
summary of changes is attached. Should you have any questions, need ideas for promotion, or
want to schedule a demonstration, please contact the Florida Center for Advising and Academic
Support at (850) 245-0518 or Suncom 205-0518.
Sincerely,
Jim Horne
Commissioner
JH/cgl
Attachment
Please take a moment to review the changes below. It could affect directions on your
institution’s website, links, and/or how you access certain items.
Summary of changes:
�
FACTS-Administration
is re-named
Counselor & Administrator Access
. It also moved
from the main menu on the left-hand-side to the bottom-page footer.
�
High School Resources
and
High School Academic Evaluations
are combined into a new
section called
High School Planning
. It includes new resources for high school students
such as Graduation Options, an annual plan for Preparing for College, FCAT Resources,
College Entrance Tests, and Higher Ed Admissions Requirements.
�
A new section for prospective higher education students is available called
College/Vo-
Tech Planning
. It includes the Degree/Program Search, a Degree/Program Requirements
Audit (old Sample Degree Audit), the new Institution Search, and enhanced Locator
Maps.
�
A new section called
Transfer Services
is available. It contains a page for the
Transient
Student Form
and specific resources for transfer (articulation) students.
�
Academic Advising
is re-named
College Advising Tools
. It includes five types of college
advising audits that allow college students to compare their actual transcripts to degree
requirements. They provide the flexibility of running audits at any public institution in
Florida with any major, not just declared majors at a current institution.
�
Academic Reference Resources
is re-named
Advising Manuals
.
