Florida provides several legal options for meeting compulsory attendance. Parents may elect a private, parochial, denominational or religious school, home education program or private tutor to meet regular attendance as defined in s. 1003.01(13), Florida Statutes. School choice programs, such as the McKay Scholarship Program, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship and virtual schools provide parents of public school students additional choices for meeting regular attendance. If these students have taken advantage of a scholarship and enrolled in an unaccredited private school that is eligible to participate in the state-funded programs, and choose to return to the public school, they are able to receive credits and grades for their work at the private school in a uniform manner, according to Rules 6A-1.09941 and 6A-1.09942, F.A.C.

Yes, the State Board of Education Rules establish the policy for all public high schools, middle schools, and school districts. The State Board of Education Rules supersede district policy.

According to the State Board of Education Rules, credits and grades shall be granted at face value when submitted on an official transcript, but may be subject to validation if required by the accreditation of the receiving school.

An official transcript is a document that is sent directly from the administrator of the school where the credit is earned to the receiving school administrator. An official transcript shall be sent by mail or electronically signed by a school administrator, and be on school letterhead, and/or be embossed with the school’s seal. An official transcript should clearly identify the school, the student, course number, date the course was taken, and credit and/or grade earned in each course. An unofficial transcript is one that is hand delivered by the student or parent, or is delivered to the designated school administrator in an opened envelope, or is on plain paper.

Yes, but only in situations where validation is required because of the receiving school’s accreditation requirements.

Yes, credits and grades earned from unaccredited schools shall be accepted at face value if submitted on an official transcript. However, the State Board of Education Rules state that validation of the official transcript may be done if required by the receiving school’s accreditation. If required, validation of the official transcript (credits or grades) will be done through performance during the first grading period.

Yes, the Rules state that in this situation, these courses shall be validated through performance during the first grading period. At the middle school level, grades are to be accepted. At the high school level, credits are to be accepted, with grades accepted according to accreditation standards and school policies.

Yes, the State Board of Education Rules were intended to validate the overall integrity of the transcript. The student shall be placed at the appropriate sequential course level, and overall performance in classes at the receiving school validates the credits (or grades, if middle school) from the previous school or home education program in their entirety.

Based on the transcript, the student shall be placed at the appropriate sequential course level.

If the student’s classroom performance during the first grading period reflects that the student has the educational foundation to be successful in that class, then the placement is correct.

Yes, the State Board of Education rules require that the student be placed at the “appropriate” sequential level. If the student’s performance in the classroom during the first grading period does not meet the requirements for credit, the school, parent, and teacher may reconsider whether the student was placed at the “appropriate” sequential level.

At the high school level, Alternative Validation Procedures are to be used when the student does not meet the 2.0 grade point average standard at the end of the first grading period. At the middle school level, Alternative Validation Procedures are used if a passing grade is not attained in the first grading period.

The Alternative Validation Procedures are utilized to validate credits or grades. The Alternative Validation Procedures specified by State Board of Education Rules include:

1. Portfolio evaluation by the superintendent or designee;
2. Written recommendation by a Florida-certified teacher selected by the parent and approved by the principal (not available for middle grades students);
3. Demonstrated performance in courses taken through dual enrollment or at other public or private accredited schools;
4. Demonstrated proficiencies on nationally-normed standardized subject area assessments;
5. Demonstrated proficiencies on the FCAT; or
6. Written review of the criteria utilized for a given subject provided by the former school.

Students must be provided at least 90 calendar days from the date of transfer to prepare for either nationally-normed standardized subject area assessments or the FCAT. Each class or course area may be validated independently. Students would be required to validate only those areas not receiving an adequate grade in the first grading period.

Yes, the State Board of Education Rules state that the validation procedures must be determined by the teacher, principal and parent.

A school has until the end of the first grading period to validate an official transcript, and then all credits and grades are to be accepted at face value. For students who do not have an official transcript or are from a home education program, the credits and/or grades will be validated and granted at the end of the first grading period based on scholastic performance.

No, students must be allowed all options listedunder the Alternative Validation Procedures.

A high school can grant credit based on performance in sequential courses. For example, if a student comes from a private kindergarten – 8th grade school and has completed Algebra 1, then placement of the student in Algebra II and a 2.0 grade point average in Algebra II at the end of the grading period allows the school to grant credit for Algebra I.

If a student transfers into a Florida high school from out of country, out of state, a private school, or a home school, and that student’s transcript shows credit received in Algebra 1, or an equivalent course; Geometry, or an equivalent course; or Biology 1, or an equivalent course, the decision as to whether the student must take Florida’s statewide, standardized end-of-course (EOC) assessment in Algebra 1, Geometry, or Biology 1, respectively, shall be made by the school principal as follows:

• A transfer student will not take Florida’s:
  • Algebra 1 EOC Assessment if the student passed a statewide, standardized EOC assessment in that course, if administered by the transferring school, or achieved a passing score on the high school statewide assessment in mathematics required by the state from which the student transferred for purposes of satisfying the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 20 U.S.C. ss. 6301, et seq., or if the student achieves an equivalent score on another assessment as identified pursuant to Section 1008.22(11), F.S.
  • Geometry EOC Assessment if the student passed a statewide, standardized EOC assessment in that course, if administered by the transferring school, or if the student achieves an equivalent score on another assessment as identified pursuant to Section 1008.22(11), F.S. o Biology 1 EOC Assessment if the student passed a statewide, standardized EOC assessment in that course, if administered by the transferring school, or if the student achieves an equivalent score on another assessment as identified pursuant to Section 1008.22(11), F.S.
• A transfer student will take Florida’s EOC assessments in Algebra 1, Geometry, and Biology 1 under all other circumstances, and must pass the EOC in order to earn credit in the course.