FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
�
CHARLIE CRIST
Commissioner
M E M O R A N D U M
TO:
District School Superintendents
€
FROM:
Betty Coxe
€
DATE:
July 9, 2002
€
SUBJECT:
PSAT and PLAN Student Testing
€
BETTY COXE
DEPUTY COMMISSIONER
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
CONTACT PERSON
€
NAME:
Dr. Thomas Fisher
€
PHONE:
(850) 488-8198
€
SUNCOM:
278-8198
€
EMAIL:
Thomas.Fisher@FLDOE.ORG
€
DPS:
02-110
€
The Florida Legislature appropriated funds to support the administration of the PSAT or
PLAN pre-college entrance examinations to tenth grade 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 166E, each school district
shall choose either the PSAT or the PLAN for implementation of this program. Please
make this selection not later than July 29, 2002.
The tests are scheduled to be
administered from late September to late December (PLAN) or October (PSAT).
As a first step in arranging for the administration of one of these two tests in your
district, it is necessary for districts to submit to the Department two pieces of information
as follows:
1.
?
A district decision as to which test will be administered, the PSAT or the PLAN;
and
PLAZA LEVEL – 08, THE CAPITOL – TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA 32399-0400 – (850) 413-0555 – FAX (850) 488-2869
€
http:/www.firn.edu/doe
€
An affirmative action/equal opportunity employer
€
District School Superintendents
€
DPS Memorandum
€
Page Two
€
2.
?
Information describing which high schools will be administering the
selected test, the expected enrollment of the tenth grade class this fall,
and the number of tenth graders to be tested.
Attached to this letter, please find a form to complete and fax to the Department. This
form requires you to identify your test selection and estimate the total number of tenth
grade students to be tested.
In addition, we request that you submit an EXCEL
spreadsheet containing the following four data elements in the specified columns:
1.
district number (column A)
2.
school number (column B)
3.
fall 2002 estimated school enrollment of tenth graders (column C)
4.
?
estimated number of tenth graders who will take the test your district
selected (column D).
Districts may submit their spreadsheets as an attachment to an e-mail message to Dr.
Gambhir Shrestha at the following address:
Gambhir.Shrestha@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 in this program.
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 to identify students who are ready or who 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 that can be successful in advanced courses if given
the encouragement and information on the importance of these courses to their future
success.
PLAZA LEVEL – 08, THE CAPITOL – TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA 32399-0400 – (850) 413-0555 – FAX (850) 488-2869
€
http:/www.firn.edu/doe
€
An affirmative action/equal opportunity employer
€
District School Superintendents
€
DPS Memorandum
€
Page Three
€
If there are any questions about the nature of the tests, the reports of results, optional
€
services, or registration details, please contact either of the following two people:
€
Mary D. Hendrix, ACT, (850) 878-2729
Patricia Sullivan, The College Board, (850) 222-7999
The testing organizations will track the number of students who actually are tested and
will bill the Department of Education accordingly.
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 call the contact person identified
at the top of this memorandum. (This document is available on the DOE home page at
http://www.firn.edu/doe/bin00005dpsmemo02/index.htm.)
Thank you for your cooperation.
BC/tfk
cc
?
District Superintendents of Instruction
District Coordinators of Assessment
Mary Hendrix, ACT
Patricia Sullivan, The College Board
Enclosure
PLAZA LEVEL – 08, THE CAPITOL – TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA 32399-0400 – (850) 413-0555 – FAX (850) 488-2869
€
http:/www.firn.edu/doe
€
An affirmative action/equal opportunity employer
€
Florida Pre-College Entrance Examination Program
DIRECTIONS:
Each school district shall complete this form and return it to the Department of
Education not later than July 29, 2002.
Send the completed form to Victoria Wagner, Assessment and Evaluation Section,
Department of Education, by fax transmission to (850) 487-8431.
Please provide answers to the following items:
NAME OF SCHOOL DISTRICT:
NAME OF PERSON COMPLETING FORM:
TELEPHONE NUMBER OF PERSON COMPLETING FORM:
Mark below your district’s selection for the pre-college entrance examination to be
administered:
(
) PSAT (from The College Board)
(
) PLAN (from ACT)
WHAT IS THE ESTIMATED TOTAL NUMBER OF TENTH GRADE STUDENTS TO BE
TESTED THIS FALL: (write in the space below)
Please send the school population data spreadsheet separately by e-mail.
Thank you for your assistance.
PLAZA LEVEL – 08, THE CAPITOL – TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA 32399-0400 – (850) 413-0555 – FAX (850) 488-2869
€
http:/www.firn.edu/doe
€
An affirmative action/equal opportunity employer
€
