Florida 10 - General Assessments of English Language Proficiency (June 9, 2025) - Letter on ESEA Peer Review Determination

Oct 4, 2026

Letter dated June 9, 2025 from the U.S. Department of Education to the Florida Commissioner of Education following the Title I ESEA peer review of Florida’s academic and English language proficiency (ELP) assessment systems. The Department concludes that Florida’s general reading/language arts, mathematics, and science assessments substantially meet ESEA requirements, including general and alternate ELP assessments (ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS). Additional evidence is required for certain ESEA statutory and regulatory elements, and full peer review notes and critical elements for further submission are enclosed.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages106

Reading Time4 h 27 min

AccessFree to download

Critical Elements Where Additional Evidence is Needed for Florida’s Assessment System to Meet ESEA Requirements

1.2 – Coherent and Rigorous Academic Content Standards/English Language Proficiency Standards

2.1 – Test Design and Development

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OFFICE OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION June 9, 2025 The Honorable Manny Diaz, Jr. Commissioner of Education Florida Department of Education 325 West Gaines Street Tallahassee, FL 32399-0100 Dear Commissioner Diaz: Thank you for your participation in the U.S. Department of Education’s (Department’s) assessment peer review process under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) . I appreciate the efforts of the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) to prepare for the peer reviews which occurred in August 2024, and your patience as we worked to provide you this response. State assessment systems provide essential information that States, districts, schools, educators, and parents can use to identify the academic needs of students; strategically target resources and supports to meet students’ unique needs; evaluate school and program effectiveness; and bolster academic achievement. A high-quality assessment system also provides critical information to parents about their children’s advancement against and achievement of grade-level standards. The Department’s peer review of State assessment systems is designed to provide feedback to States to support the development and administration of high-quality assessments. External peer reviewers and Department staff carefully evaluated FDOE’s submission, and the Department found, based on evidence received, that the components of Florida’s academic and English language proficiency (ELP) assessment systems meet most, but not all, statutory and regulatory requirements of the ESEA. Based on the recommendations from this peer review and our own internal analysis of the State’s submission, I have determined the following: • General assessments for reading/language arts (R/LA) and mathematics in grades 3-8 and high school (Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST-R/LA and mathematics; FAST Algebra and Geometry)): Substantially meets requirements of the ESEA. • General assessment for science in grades 5, 8, and high school (Florida Statewide Science Assessment (FSSA)): Substantially meets requirements of the ESEA. • General ELP assessment (ACCESS): Substantially meets requirements of the ESEA. • Alternate ELP assessment (Alternate ACCESS): Substantially meets requirements of the ESEA. Substantially meets requirements of the ESEA means that the components of the State’s academic and ELP assessment systems meet most of the requirements of the statute and regulations, but some additional information is required. The list of items required for FDOE to meet all statutory and regulatory requirements ofthe ESEA is enclosed with this letter. The Department expects that FDOE will likely be able to provide this additional information within one year. The full peer review notes from the review are enclosed. These recommendations to the Department formed the basis of our determination. Please note that the peers’ recommendations may differ from the Department’s feedback; we encourage you to read the full peer notes for additional suggestions and recommendations for improving your assessment system beyond what is noted in the Department’s feedback. Department staff will reach out to your assessment director in the next few days to discuss the peer notes, the Department’s determination and to answer any questions regarding next steps for the State. I also want to take this opportunity to review the peer review status of the other ESEA-required assessments administered by the State, based upon our current records 1 : • Alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS) for R/LA and mathematics in grades 3-8 and high school (Florida Standards Alternate Assessment (FSAA R/LA and Mathematics)): Substantially meets requirements of the ESEA. • AA-AAAS for R/LA and mathematics in grades 3-8 and high school (FSAA-Datafolio R/LA and Mathematics): Substantially meets requiremen

FAQs

What did the Department determine for Florida’s general reading/language arts and mathematics assessments?

The Department determined that the general assessments in grades 3-8 and high school substantially meet ESEA requirements.

Which English language proficiency assessments did the Department review and how were they rated?

The Department reviewed the general ELP assessment (ACCESS) and the alternate ELP assessment (Alternate ACCESS), and both were determined to substantially meet ESEA requirements.

What does “substantially meets requirements” mean in this letter?

It means the assessment components meet most statutory and regulatory requirements, but additional information is required to meet all requirements, which Florida is expected to provide within one year.

Oct 4, 2026

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