M-DCPS WILL NOT INCLUDE STANDARDIZED ALGEBRA AND GEOMETRY TEST SCORES IN STUDENTS’ FINAL GRADES; THIRD GRADE PROMOTION TO BE DETERMINED LOCALLY

The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) announced on Monday, May 18, that due to the unavailability of the independently verified state-wide assessment results for Algebra 1, Algebra 2 and Geometry, “the statutory requirements to include these results as 30 percent of a student's final course grade are inoperative”. Therefore, the state has indicated that districts can release the final grades without incorporating the 30 percent calculation.                                       

“Although the state allows districts to retroactively apply Algebra 1, Algebra 2 and Geometry End-Of-Course results to students’ final grades, I shall not do so,” said Superintendent of Schools Alberto M. Carvalho. “I fully trust the judgment of our teachers, and our students need to be scheduled for the 2015-16 school year.”

It should be noted that passing the Algebra I EOC assessment is still required for graduation.

The FDOE also confirmed that results from the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) are not expected prior to the end of the 2014-15 school year for grade 3 students.  As a result, the district will need to identify and apply available criteria to be used in determining Grade 3 promotion decisions. M-DCPS has decided to use results from the I-Ready 3rd Diagnostic and Stanford Achievement Test, Tenth Edition (SAT-10) as indicators for promoting students to grade 4. In addition, all the statutory good causes for promotion will also be applied. Those include: 

• English Language Learners (ELL) with less than 2 years of instruction in an English for Speakers of Other Language program based on initial entry into a U.S school  
• Students previously retained in grade 3 or retained a total of two years in K, 1, or 2
• Students who demonstrate mastery on the Grade 3 Reading Portfolio 
• Students with disabilities whose IEP indicates that participation in the FCAT/FSA statewide assessment programs is not appropriate (students who participate in FAA)
• Students with disabilities whose IEP/Section 504 plan reflect 2 or more years of intensive instruction and previous retention in Grades K, 1, 2 or 3

           
It should be noted that once the state releases the list of students in the lowest quintile, adjustments for students who may have met the promotion criteria will also be completed.

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15-DGD/280/JJS

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