Florida high school graduates have a second chance to boost their standardized test scores to earn the Bright Futures scholarship.
On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order to extend the deadline to qualify for the Bright Futures scholarship to Dec. 1, 2020. The order will allow the class of 2020 seniors three months to take the SAT or ACT.
In the spring the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools and led to statewide testing cancellations at locations.
Jake Kimpton said the extension is welcome news. He said he didn’t have another opportunity to take the test after he was turned away despite registering in advance.
“It relieved a lot of pressure knowing that I won’t have as much debt when I graduate college,” Kimpton said.
The West Orange graduate said the opportunity to test again is a financial game changer.
“College has started I have already been doing some classes, I started losing hope,” Kimpton said.
In a statement to News 6 on July, 27 the Florida Department of Education said:
We were hopeful that Emergency Order 2020-05 would give the College Board the incentive to change that decision and support our seniors who were still looking for one more opportunity to sit for the test.
Unfortunately, the College Board did not prioritize our seniors and schedule the SAT before the July 31 deadline.
The executive order signed by Gov. DeSantis impacting an estimated 32,000 seniors according to the Florida Department of Education goes into effect immediately. The College Board released this statement to News 6 when asked how an influx of scheduling arises as a result of these extensions
Our top priorities are the health and safety of students and educators. There are SAT administrations scheduled for every month through the end of the calendar year, including on Sept. 26, Oct. 3, Nov. 7 and Dec. 5.
The order will also allow students who qualify for the Bright Futures scholarship to apply fees for distance learning toward the scholarship. But only the class of 2020 graduates enrolled in summer courses qualify.