12 Things Every Florida Kid Remembers From School That Northerners Never Experienced
Florida students once needed a doctor’s note to use sunscreen at school.
Kids up north never had to think about that, and it’s not the only school memory they don’t share.
Here’s what every Florida kid remembers from school that Northerners never experienced.
1. FCAT Season
In 1998, the FCAT, Florida’s statewide test, started showing up on school calendars.
The test reached students in grades 3 through 11 and covered mathematics, reading, science and writing.
That’s nine grades of testing.
Many Florida kids can still say the acronym, and you might too.
2. Third-Grade Cutoff
Third graders at a Florida school need a Level 2 or higher on the statewide reading test to reach grade 4.
If the reading gap isn’t closed by the end of third grade, the student must be held back.
Retention is the default.
Your child’s third-grade reading score decides the next step.
3. Grade 10 Test
Graduating from high school means passing a test.
A student must pass the statewide grade 10 assessment in English language arts, or earn a state-approved alternative score, to earn a standard diploma.
The same rule covers the Algebra I end-of-course exam.
Your diploma depends on it.
A student who has the credits but misses the tests can get special instruction to fix the gaps.
Florida’s current tests, called the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST), run three times per year in reading through grade 10.
4. Summer Reading Camp
A third grader who is held back must take part in the school district’s summer reading camp.
That puts the retention rule into a student’s summer.
Camp is required.
If your child was held back, you planned the break around it.
Who Can Skip Third-Grade Retention
Florida’s third-grade reading rule lets a district exempt some students from being held back.
A student who is learning English and has had less than two years of English-language instruction can qualify.
A student whose individualized education plan says the statewide test isn’t appropriate can qualify too.
So can a student whose portfolio shows work at Level 2 or higher.
5. Portable Classrooms
Stateline reported in 2004 that the class-size amendment, approved by voters in 2002, forced school districts into even greater reliance on portable classrooms.
Stateline described Florida in 2004 as the only state to limit class sizes by constitution.
Voters made that call.
If your class met in a portable, you walked outside to get there.
6. Sunscreen in Your Backpack
A West Palm Beach TV station reported in 2017 that Florida students would no longer need a doctor’s note to use sunscreen at school.
State law now says a student may possess and use it while on school property, as long as the Food and Drug Administration regulates the product for over-the-counter use.
No note needed.
You can pack it in your child’s bag.
Psst! How much do you know about Florida schools? Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
Quiz
Florida School IQ
Answer these questions on Florida schools, tests and storms. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
Florida law limits districts to scheduling no more than what share of a student’s total school hours for testing?
7. Schools as Hurricane Shelters
Eleven of Duval County's 198 schools opened as storm shelters before Hurricane Irma in September 2017.
Duval wasn't alone.
About 11 of Orange County's 188 or so schools were slated to serve as evacuation shelters.
State law also requires shelter design criteria in the building standards for new schools, with exceptions for places such as evacuation zones.
Look up your county's shelter list, and you may find your old school on it.
8. Back to Class After Andrew
Hurricane Andrew kept Dade County students out of school in 1992.
Northern Dade schools opened first, and southern Dade schools joined them on Sept. 14.
Officials ordered 600 portable classrooms for severely damaged schools.
Southern Dade waited longest.
If you grew up in southern Dade County, that was your first day back.
9. Bright Futures Volunteer Hours
Ever chase down a Bright Futures signature at school?
The Florida Academic Scholars award requires 100 hours of volunteer service, paid work or a combination of both.
Paid work counts too.
You document those hours in writing, with signatures from you, a parent or guardian, and a representative of the organization.
10. School Phone Rules
Florida's school phone rule bars elementary and middle school students from using a wireless communications device during the school day.
High school students may not use one during instructional time unless a teacher expressly directs it solely for educational purposes.
High schoolers have more room.
If your child is in high school, a teacher can direct phone use for a lesson.
Individualized education plans, 504 plans and physician's notes allow exceptions, and students can still have a device on school property.
11. Money Class Credit
A high school diploma now includes a money class.
Students entering grade 9 in the 2023-24 school year or later must earn a half credit in personal financial literacy and money management.
That's the class of 2027.
If you graduated before then, your class didn't have that requirement.
12. Sports for Gym Credit
School sports can cover the physical education credit because two full seasons on a junior varsity or varsity team satisfy it.
Sports can count.
Your gym credit can come from the field or the band room.
Two years of marching band count too, as do two years of Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) with a significant drill component.
Florida also requires the physical education credit to include the integration of health.
A district school board can't require students to take that credit in ninth grade.
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