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Florida Statutes
Florida Administrative Code
General requirements for high
school graduation: FCAT Waiver, Section 1003.43 (11) (b), Florida Statutes
Students with disabilities may be eligible for an FCAT waiver if they
are working toward a 4-year, 24-credit standard diploma. The
student must have attempted the grade 10 FCAT at least twice, once in
the tenth grade and once in the eleventh grade, and must meet all other
graduation requirements. Students must also participate in remediation
activities for improvement of skills tested on the FCAT. The IEP team
must decide whether or not the FCAT accurately measures the student’s
ability and whether the student has mastered the Sunshine State Standards
assessed on the FCAT. The IEP team may determine that the required passing
score of one or both parts of the FCAT (reading or mathematics should
be waived).
List of Statutes and Rules
Test Accommodations, Section 1008.22(3)(c)6, Florida
Statutes
Participation in the statewide testing program is mandatory for all students
attending public school. This includes students with disabilities, students
with limited English proficiency and students served in Department of
Juvenile Justice programs. If a student does not participate in the statewide
assessment, the district must notify the student's parent and provide
the parent with information regarding the implications of such nonparticipation.
If modifications are made in the student's instruction to provide accommodations
that would not be permitted on the statewide assessment tests, the district
must notify the student's parent of the implications of such instructional
modifications. A parent must provide signed consent for a student to receive
instructional modifications that would not be permitted on the statewide
assessments and must acknowledge in writing that he or she understands
the implications of such accommodations.
The State Board of Education shall adopt rules for the provision of test
accommodations and modifications of procedures as necessary for students
in exceptional education programs and for students who have limited English
proficiency. Accommodations that negate the validity of a statewide assessment
are not allowable
List of Statutes and Rules
Course Modifications for Exceptional Students, Rule
6A-6.0312, FAC
Basic education courses and
career education (vocational) courses may be changed to assist
students with disabilities in meeting the requirements for a standard
or special diploma. The following accommodations may be provided:
- Increase or decrease in instructional time
- Use of different instructional methods and materials
- Use of a special communication system by the teacher or student
- Accommodations for assessments
Requirements for basic education courses may not be changed if the course
is to be used to meet credit requirements for a standard diploma. If the
course requirements or student performance standards are changed, the
course may be used for a special diploma. Exceptional students may take
basic education courses in a regular education class or in an exceptional
student education class with the same student performance standards required
of students without disabilities.
Career education (vocational) courses and programs may
be changed in accordance with the student's individual educational plan
. Changes to the outcomes and performance standards for career education courses
are called Modified Occupational Completion Points (MOCPs) .
List of Statutes and Rules
Statewide Assessment for Students with Disabilities,
Rule 6A-1.0943, FAC
This rule identifies accommodations that are allowed on the statewide
assessment tests for exceptional students. Accommodations are defined
as adjustments to the presentation of the assessment questions, method
of recording examinee responses to the questions, schedule for administration
of the assessment, or use of assistive devices to facilitate administration
of the assessment.
The presentation format of the test may be revised:
- Students may be tested with materials which are in large print
or are enlarged through mechanical or electronic means.
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Student may be tested with materials in Braille. Test items which
have no application for the nonsighted person will be deleted.
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Signed or oral presentation-The test administrator may sign,
provide oral interpretation or read to the student all mathematics items,
all writing prompts, all science items, and all
directions. The reading items shall be read by the student using visual
or tactile means.
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Students may use means to maintain or enhance visual attention
to items, such as a pointer, colored overlay, or mask.
The test instruments and procedures may be adapted in the following ways:
- Flexible scheduling– The test may be administered in several brief
sessions. Additional time may be provided.
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Flexible setting– The test may be administered individually or
in a small group setting by a proctor. Students may use adaptive furniture
and special lighting or acoustics.
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Responding– Students may mark answers in a test booklet, type
answers on a typewriter or word processor, or indicate answers to a proctor.
Assistive devices may be used:
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Calculators may be used only as authorized in the test administrator's
manual for grades 7-10.
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Visual magnification and auditory amplification devices may be
used. An abacus may be used by students with visual impairments.
- Technology such as word processors may be used without accessing
spelling and grammar checking applications for writing assessments and
without using speech output programs for reading items assessed.
- Other assistive technology typically used by a student in classroom
instruction may be used provided the purpose of the testing is not violated.
Unique accommodations may be used if approved in advance by the Commissioner
of Education. Examples of unique accommodations that may be approved include
the following:
- increased space between test items
- fewer items on a page
- tabbed or modified pages for easy turning
List of Statutes and Rules
Procedures for Special Exemption from Graduation
Test Requirements for Students with Disabilities Seeking a Standard High
School Diploma Rule 6A-1.09431, FAC
In special cases, a student who is eligible under the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) may ask the district superintendent
to request a special exemption from the FCAT requirement. This request
may be approved if the student’s FCAT scores reflect the student’s
disability in sensory, manual, or speaking skills rather than the student’s
academic achievement. The decision about the special exemption is made
by the Commissioner of Education after reviewing documentation sent by
the student’s school district superintendent showing that the student
has mastered the Sunshine State Standards tested on the FCAT. The student
must meet all other criteria for graduation with a standard diploma as
outlined in Section 1003.43, Florida Statutes.
List of Statutes and Rules
Legal Basis | NCLB
| IDEA | ADA | Section 504
| Florida Statutes | Eligibility
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