FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

JIM HORNE

Commissioner of Education

 

  

 

 

 

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

  

 

F. PHILIP HANDY,

Chairman

 

T. WILLARD FAIR,

Vice Chairman

 

 

Members

 

LINDA J. EADS, ED.D.

 

CHARLES PATRICK GARCÍA

 

JULIA L. JOHNSON

 

WILLIAM L. PROCTOR, PH.D.

  

 

LINDA K. TAYLOR

 

 

 

MEMORANDUM

 

 

TO:

 

District

School

Superintendents

 

FROM:

 

  

Jim Warford and Jeanine Blomberg

 

DATE:

 

  

June 16, 2004

 

SUBJECT:

PSAT and PLAN Student Testing

 

The Florida Department of Education is pleased to announce that the Florida Legislature has

again appropriated funds to support the administration of the PSAT or PLAN pre-college

entrance examinations to grade 10 students in public high schools. The purpose of this

memorandum is to provide additional information to each school district about the

implementation of this program.

 

In accordance with the language in Specific Appropriation 139, and the new language in

1007.35, F.S., each school district shall choose either the PSAT or the PLAN for implementation

of this program and “ensure that each of its high schools, including Department of Juvenile

Justice schools and alternative sites and centers, administer the Preliminary SAT/National Merit

Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), or the Preliminary ACT (PLAN) to all enrolled

grade 10 students.” Please select the test your district will use no later than July 14, 2004. The

tests are scheduled to be administered from September to December (PLAN) or October (PSAT).

 

In order to arrange for the administration of one of these two tests in your district, it is necessary

for districts to submit information to the Department as follows:

 

1.

A district decision as to which test will be administered, the PSAT or the PLAN; and

 

2.

Information describing each participating site, as well as the projected Fall 2004 grade 10

enrollment at each of those sites.

JEANINE BLOMBERG

Deputy Chief of Staff

 

325 WEST GAINES STREET • SUITE 1502 • TALLAHASSEE FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0437 • www.fldoe.org

 

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District School Superintendents

June 16, 2004

Page Two

 

 

Attached to this letter is a form to complete and fax to the Department no later than July 14,

2004. This form requires you to identify your test selection and provide the projected total

enrollment of grade 10 students in your district.

 

In addition, we request that you create and submit an EXCEL spreadsheet containing the

following five data elements in the specified columns:

 

1. Florida school district number (column A)

2. Florida school number (column B)

3. College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) code (column C)

4. School name (column D)

5. Fall 2004 estimated school enrollment of grade 10 students (column E)

Districts may submit their spreadsheets, no later than August 2, 2004, as an attachment to an

e-mail message to Deborah Meloche at: Deborah.Meloche@fldoe.org.

 

This is not your actual order form, but rather a form that provides an estimate to be used by

the Department for procurement purposes.

Schools will separately submit an order to the

selected testing organizations to receive test materials.

 

The purpose of this program is to contribute to increased college preparation for our high

school students, so it is to a student’s advantage to participate. Please take steps to inform

students about the testing program and encourage their participation.

 

Test results will provide each high school guidance counselor with student assessment data

that will help identify students who are ready or need additional work in order to enroll and

be successful in Advanced Placement and other college preparatory courses. Materials are

also available to allow guidance counselors to use preliminary examinations to identify

students who can be successful in advanced courses if given the encouragement and

information on the importance of these courses to their future success.

 

If there are any questions about the nature of the tests, the reports of results, optional

services, or registration details, please contact the appropriate person below:

 

PLAN - Mary Hendrix, ACT, (850) 878-2729

PSAT – Linda Owens, The College Board, (850) 222-7999

 

 

 

 

 

 

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District School Superintendents

June 16, 2004

Page Three

 

 

The testing organizations will track the number of students who are actually tested and will

invoice the Department of Education accordingly.

Please be aware that schools are

responsible for the cost of testing students who are not in grade 10. Districts have the

responsibility of cooperating with the testing organizations to arrange for test

registration and administration.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Victoria Ash via e-mail at

Victoria.Ash@fldoe.org or by telephone, (850)245-0513 or SunCom 205-0513.

Thank you for your cooperation.

 

JW/va

 

cc District Assistant Superintendents of Instruction

District Coordinators of Assessment

Mary Hendrix, ACT

Linda Owens, The College Board

 

Enclosure