Testing

Graduation Requirements for Florida’s Statewide Assessments

Overview

According to section (s.) 1003.4282, Florida Statutes (F.S.), students must meet certain academic requirements to earn a standard high school diploma from a public school, including passing required courses, earning a minimum number of credits, earning a minimum grade point average, and passing certain required statewide assessments. Students who meet these requirements but do not pass the required assessments will receive a certificate of completion, which is not equivalent to a standard high school diploma. Passing scores for the statewide assessments are determined by the State Board of Education (SBE) and defined in Rule 6A-1.09422, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.).

Assessment Graduation Requirements

On October 18, 2023, the SBE adopted new score scales and passing scores for the statewide, standardized assessments aligned to the Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.), which include the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) and B.E.S.T. end-of-course (EOC) assessments. The FAST assessments and B.E.S.T. EOC assessments were administered for the first time during the 2022–23 school year, and the passing scores adopted by the SBE are effective beginning with the second administration (PM2) of FAST during the 2023–24 school year and the Winter 2023 B.E.S.T. EOC administration. The passing standard for a student is determined based on when they took or will take the required assessment, as outlined in the sections and tables below. Students who took these tests for the first time and passed prior to the rule adoption have met the assessment graduation requirement.

Grade 10 FAST English Language Arts (ELA) Reading Assessment

The ELA assessment students must pass to graduate with a standard high school diploma is determined by the student’s year of enrollment in grade 9. The FAST Grade 10 ELA Assessment is the required assessment for graduation purposes for students who entered grade 9 in 2021–22 and after. The FAST assessments, aligned to the B.E.S.T. Standards, were administered for the first time during the 2022–23 school year. Students must earn a passing Grade 10 FAST ELA Reading score in the third progress monitoring window (PM3) to meet this graduation requirement (see Table 1). In accordance with s. 1008.22, F.S., all students enrolled in grade 10 are required to participate in the grade 10 ELA assessment regardless of whether they have a passing concordant score on file.

B.E.S.T. Algebra 1 EOC Assessment

The Algebra 1 EOC assessment students must pass to graduate with a standard high school diploma is determined by when students completed Algebra 1 or an equivalent course. Students who complete an applicable course in the 2022–23 school year and beyond are required to pass the B.E.S.T. Algebra 1 EOC Assessment (see Table 1). In accordance with s. 1008.22, F.S., students enrolled in Algebra 1 or an equivalent course are required to participate in the Algebra 1 EOC assessment, regardless of whether they have a passing comparative score on file. For more information on the B.E.S.T. Algebra 1 EOC Assessment, please see the B.E.S.T. Assessments webpage. 

Additional Testing

All students must attempt the Biology EOC, Geometry EOC, US History, and Florida Civics Literacy Exam (FCLE) in order to earn the necessary credits for graduation.

Concordant and Comparative Scores

A student can also meet assessment graduation requirements by earning a concordant or comparative score as specified in Rule 6A-1.09422, F.A.C. 

 

Subject	Test	Minimum Score Needed
ELA EOC Score & Concordant Scores	FAST Grade 10 EOC	Level 3
	SAT EBRW/RW	480
	ACT English & Reading Subtests (averaged)	36
	CLT Verbal Reasoning & Grammar/Writing Sections (Sum)	36
Algebra 1 EOC Scores & Concordant Scores	BEST Algebra 1 EOC	Level 3
	Geometry EOC	Level 3
	PSAT/NMSQT Math	430
	SAT Math	420
	ACT Math	16
	CLT Quantitative Reasoning Section	11