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You'll also find answers to our most frequently asked questions.
For clear explanations on some of the technical terms and
abbreviations, check out the glossary.
Glossary of Terms
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- Charter School
(from Florida Dept. of Education)
Charter schools are public schools that operate under a
performance contract, or a "charter" which frees them from many
regulations created for traditional public schools while holding
them accountable for academic and financial results.
Charter schools are created when an individual or group submits
an application to the school district; the school district approves
the application; the applicants form a governing board that
negotiates a contract with the district school board; and the
applicants and district school board agree upon a charter or
contract. The district school board then becomes the sponsor of the
charter school. The negotiated contract outlines expectations of
both parties regarding the school's academic and financial
Charter schools are open to all students residing within the
district; however, charter schools are allowed to target students
within specific age groups or grade levels, students considered
at-risk of dropping out or failing, or students who meet reasonable
academic, artistic or other eligibility standards established by
the charter school.
For more information, see
FL DOE Office of Independent Education & Parental
- Differentiated Accountability
Differentiated Accountability (DA) refers to the system used in
Florida for classifying and evaluating the progress of school
improvement based on School Grades performance (see "School Grades"
definition for more information).
Beginning in 2012, Florida's Differentiated Accountability
assignment categories include:
Schools that have increased by at least one letter grade over the
previous year or have maintained a school grade of "A".
Reward schools are eligible for school recognition funds as an
incentive for their performance.
Schools receiving a school grade of "C" or "D". Focus schools
are subject to some increased state oversight and monitoring than
Reward or non-DA schools.
Schools receiving a school grade of "F". Priority
schools are subject to more intensive intervention efforts required
by the Florida Department of Education. These schools must
conduct a comprehensive needs assessment and submit a plan to
demonstrate significant, immediate academic and systematic
improvement in areas including: school improvement planning,
leadership quality, educator quality, professional development,
curriculum alignment and pacing, and monitoring plans and
For more information, visit FL
DOE Bureau of School Improvement.
- End-of-Course Exams
End-of-Course exams (EOCs) are standardized tests aligned with
Florida's Next Generation Sunshine State Standards, designed to
measure content mastery in key courses that are not specifically
measured by the FCAT 2.0 or any other test - such as Algebra 1,
Biology 1, Geometry, U.S. History and Civics.
For more information on EOCs, visit the Florida
Department of Education's End-of-Course Assessments page.
- Graduation Rate
Graduation rates report the percentage of students who graduate
from high school within four years of their initial enrollment in
ninth grade, not including students who transferred out of the
district. Graduation rates for the same cohort of students
may appear differently depending on the formula used to calculate
The current standard calculation formula for the state of
Florida is known as the "Federal" rate. Prior to 2011,
graduation rates were primarily calculated and reported using the
"NGA" rate. The major differences between these two formulas
formula: includes only standard diplomas as graduates,
excludes GEDs and all special diplomas from counting towards
- NGA formula:
includes both standard and special diplomas as graduates, but
excludes GEDs from counting towards graduation rates.
For more information on how graduation rates are calculated, see
reports available at FL DOE Education Information and Accountability
- Kindergarten Readiness
Student academic and developmental readiness levels when
entering kindergarten for the first time can vary widely and
significantly impact educational achievement over the first few
years of school. A number of factors, including early
environment and experiences, quality of pre-K education experience,
and individual physical and emotional development can all effect
how ready a student is to begin learning immediately when they
In Florida, an assessment known as the Florida Kindergarten
Readiness Screener (FLKRS) is used to assess information
about a student's overall readiness for kindergarten using
components from two different types of readiness assessments, the
Early Childhood Observation System (ECHOS) and the Florida
Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR-K).
- ECHOS: The
ECHOS assessment is a brief observational screening instrument
designed to measure a child's performance across seven
developmental areas: Language and Literacy, Mathematics, Social and
Personal Skills, Science, Social studies, Physical Development and
Fitness, and Creative Arts.
- FAIR-K: The
FAIR-K test is used to measure reading readiness skills, including
a students' understanding of letter names and letter-sounds
(phonemic awareness). Results from these two sections are used to
calculate a student's Probability of Success in Reading
score. Additional sections of the FAIR also administered
to all public school kindergarten students include listening
comprehension and vocabulary assessments.
For more information about kindergarten readiness assessments,
DOE Office of Early Learning.
- Magnet Programs
Magnet programs offer a concentrated curriculum in designated
areas of study, such as mathematics, science, technology, business,
or performing arts. Magnet programs may be offered schoolwide at
dedicated magnet schools, or as special programs for magnet cohorts
within traditional schools. Magnet programs or schools are
part of Florida's School Choice enrollment options and typically
draw students from a wider geographic area than locally zoned
For more information, visit
FL DOE Magnet Schools Information.
- Postsecondary Readiness
Postsecondary readiness rates indicate the percentage of a
school's most recent graduating class who were qualified to enroll
in college-level courses without the need for remediation in either
reading or mathematics. Readiness is determined by a
student's highest scores on any of a number of recognized college
placement tests, including the ACT, SAT, CPT, or P.E.R.T. In
order for a student to be considered postsecondary ready, he or she
would need to meet the following minimum scores on any of these
- ACT (potential score range: 1 - 36):
- Reading: 18
- English: 17
- Mathematics: 19
- CPT (potential score range: 1 - 120):
- Writing Skills:
- Elementary Algebra:
- P.E.R.T. (potential score range: 50 - 150):
- Reading: 104
- Writing: 99
- Mathematics: 113
- SAT (potential score range: 200 - 800):
- Verbal: 440
- Mathematics: 440
For more information about these tests or how postsecondary
readiness is calculated, visit FL DOE College and Career Readiness.
- School Grades
School Grades are the commonly used term to refer to a school's
state accountability rating. All eligible public schools in Florida
are evaluated each year on student performance in the following
- Reading performance (All students)
- Reading performance gains (All students)
- Reading performance gains (Lowest 25% students)
- Math performance (All students)
- Math performance gains (All students)
- Math performance gains (Lowest 25% students)
- Writing performance
- Science performance
Additional performance measures for high schools
- Participation in accelerated coursework
- Performance in accelerated coursework
- Overall graduation rate
- At-risk graduation rate
- College readiness (Reading)
- College readiness (Math)
A school's total performance in all appropriate areas are then
combined (using a weighted calculation based on a specific criteria
established by the state) to determine the school's overall
achievement on an A - F scale. For more information on how school
grades are calculated see
FLDOE School Grades Guide Sheet
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