The FCAT Reading and FCAT Math exams are administered annually, in March, to all public school students in grades three through eleven. Private and parochial school students are not required to take the FCAT; most of these schools administer another standardized test instead, such as the Stanford Achievement Test. FCAT Science is administered annually to public school students in the fifth, eighth, and eleventh grades. In the fourth, eighth, and tenth grades, public school students take an FCAT Writing exam (formerly called "Florida Writes!"); unlike the other tests, the Writing exam is administered in early February, so as to allow adequate time for scoring before the end of the school year.
Promotion and Graduation
When originally introduced, students in fourth grade were required to pass the reading portion of the test in order to be promoted to the fifth grade. After passage of the No Child Left Behind Act by Congress in 2001, the mandatory passage was moved from fourth grade down to third grade, so as to align Florida with federal statutory requirements. In addition to the third grade requirement, public school students in Florida must also pass the tenth grade FCAT, not only in reading, but also in math, in order to be eligible to receive a high school diploma. These are the only two times that federal or state statute require passage of the FCAT; it is given at the other grades for the intention of providing diagnostic information, both on students and schools. However, many counties in the state have adopted other promotional requirements tied to the FCAT, but these are at the discretion of each individual county school board.
A student failing the tenth grade test—that is, the test required for graduation—is allowed additional opportunities to pass it. Originally, students were given four more chances to pass the test after failing it in 10th grade—in October and March of both their junior and senior years in high school. However, starting in 2006, students were provided an additional test administration during the summer between school years, bringing a student’s opportunities for passing the FCAT before graduation from five to seven.
If a student completes the minimum number of credits for high school graduation but does not pass the FCAT, he or she may still be allowed to receive a regular diploma. A score of 15 on the ACT or 940 on the SAT can be used to waive the FCAT requirement after the student has failed the 10th grade test at least three times. ESE students may apply for a waiver. Students may also transfer their credits to a private or out-of-state school. In any case, students in most Florida school districts are generally allowed the privilege of “walking” at graduation if they have met all graduation requirements apart from passing the FCAT. Several high schools in North and South Carolina regularly market in Florida on radio stations annually during the spring and early summer, advertising their 'service' that is available to 'graduating' Florida high school students who for whatever reason failed to passed the FCAT and were unable to receive a high school diploma, despite having excellent grade point averages and having completed all course requirements for a high school diploma.
Students' results from the FCAT are compiled to generate a rank for each public school under Governor Jeb Bush's A+ Plan. Under this plan, public schools receive a grade from A to F, depending on student performance and the degree to which the bottom 25% of the school has improved compared to its past performances. The higher a public school scores, the more funding it receives.