Florida Step Up Scholarship Cheat Sheet
It's your first year with the PEP scholarship and not sure how end-of-year testing works? We got you, friend 👇
📘 What Is the Step Up PEP Scholarship?
The Personalized Education Program (PEP) is a Florida education savings account (ESA) option under the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program. It provides families with funds they can use to support a customized education—whether that's homeschool curriculum, tutors, online courses, educational materials, or other approved services—while satisfying Florida's compulsory attendance requirements.
Unlike traditional public or private schooling, PEP allows parents to direct the education of their child, but there are accountability requirements tied to the scholarship. One of the biggest is the annual assessment requirement.
🧠 Annual Assessment Requirement Explained
If your student is using the Step Up PEP Scholarship in grades K–12, they are required each year to:
Take a state-approved norm-referenced standardized test
Participate in Florida's statewide standardized assessment (for grades where available)
- •Arranged through the local school district and administered at a school site
- •Only available in grades where Florida offers assessments (typically grades 3–10 and any end-of-course assessments)
Test results must be submitted to your Scholarship Funding Organization (SFO)—such as Step Up For Students—before funding for the next school year is approved.
📊 Why Testing Is Required
This testing requirement is in place to demonstrate academic accountability for students participating in scholarship programs like PEP. The assessment shows whether students are achieving academic growth based on nationally-normed benchmarks.
Students with documented disabilities for whom standardized testing is not appropriate may be exempt from the requirement.
📋 Approved Tests for PEP End-of-Year Assessment
Below is the official list of Florida Department of Education approved assessments that satisfy the Step Up PEP annual testing requirement. These are nationally norm-referenced standardized tests parents can choose from, typically taken in the spring of the academic year.
📌 Norm-Referenced Assessments (FLDOE Approved)
- 1.ACT
- 2.Adaptive Diagnostic Assessment of Mathematics (ADAM)
- 3.AimswebPlus
- 4.Classic Learning Test (CLT3-8, CLT10, CLT)
- 5.Comprehensive Testing Program (CTP) – school-based only
- 6.Curriculum Associates – i-Ready
- 7.Diagnostic Online Reading Assessment (DORA)
- 8.Educational Development Series (EDSERIES) Forms J & K
- 9.Edmentum Exact Path
- 10.Iowa Assessments – Core Battery (Forms E, F, G)
- 11.Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED) Form C
- 12.IXL Flex Diagnostic or IXL Real-Time Diagnostic
- 13.Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement – KTEA-3 Brief & Comprehensive Forms
- 14.NWEA MAP (Measures of Academic Progress)
- 15.Pivot INSPECT Summative
- 16.PreACT Secure
- 17.PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10, PSAT/NMSQT
- 18.SAT
- 19.Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT)
- 20.Stanford Achievement Test, Tenth Edition (SAT10)
- 21.Renaissance Star Assessments (Early Literacy, Reading, Math)
- 22.TerraNova 3 / TerraNova NEXT
- 23.Thrive Academics Performance Series (Scantron)
⚠️ Other tests like WRAT-5 are offered by some providers and can be used if they are on the official FLDOE approved list for your testing year. Always verify with your SFO before scheduling.
🧾 How to Administer and Submit Testing
🧪 Norm-Referenced Tests
Tests like NWEA MAP, Stanford 10, ACT, PSAT/SAT can usually be taken:
- •At a testing center
- •Through approved online programs
- •Through vendor-supported remote proctoring (varies by test)
📍 State Standardized Test Option
- •Students may take statewide testing at a district-designated test site on scheduled test dates.
- •This can fulfill the PEP assessment requirement even if the student isn’t enrolled in public school.
- •You must coordinate with your district’s assessment office ahead of time to register.
📅 Deadline
- •All test results must be submitted to the SFO before the end of the school year, usually by late June or July depending on publishing deadlines.
- •Check your PEP Family Handbook and EMA account for current cut-off dates.
📝 Student Learning Plan (SLP)
In addition to the testing requirement, parents must create a Student Learning Plan (SLP) each year to outline instructional goals and strategies. This plan is submitted in the EMA portal and is separate from the testing requirement.
🏁 Final Thoughts
The Step Up PEP Scholarship provides significant flexibility in how families educate their children, while still ensuring measurable academic accountability through annual testing. By understanding and completing your assessment requirement with an approved test, you keep your scholarship in good standing and ensure uninterrupted funding for the following year.
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