Students may be asked to write an expository passage or a persuasive passage. Combined scores for both types of passages are reported in the table. The students' finished product is graded on a scale of 1 to 6. In order to earn a standard high school diploma, students must pass the HSCT in addition to meeting the required number of credits and grade point average. This untimed multiple-choice test is given to 11 th graders each October.
Students have several chances to pass the test before graduation.
Noted in the tables are the average scores for the Orange County Public School District as well as the state of Florida each year. The FCAT assessed students' achievement of the Sunshine State Standards in reading and mathematics. These standards, adopted by the State Board of Education in May 1996, are a comprehensive listing of what students should know and be able to do at various stages of educational development. In the fall of 1999 the state of Florida set exemption criteria for students taking the HSCT based on the student's spring 1999 FCAT results. Because the FCAT reports a wide range of scores and achievement levels it is difficult to determine how the school compares to others in the district.