According to section 1008.25(5) of the Florida Statutes, a third-grade student must score a Level 2 or above on the statewide, standardized English Language Arts assessment  (FAST ELA Reading PM3) to be promoted to fourth grade.  The statute also prohibits FAST ELA Reading from being the only score-determining promotion and indicating that additional options are available.  Some third-graders who score Level 1 on the FAST ELA Reading PM3 can be exempted from the retention requirement and can be promoted to fourth grade.  This is called promotion for good cause.  Good cause promotions are given to the following students:

• Students who demonstrate an acceptable level of performance on a state-approved alternative standardized reading or English Language Arts assessment.  In our district, we offer the Stanford 10, Istation Indicators of Progress (ISIP), and the AMIRA ARM.  The state-approved performance on Stanford 10 is in the 45th percentile, and on ISIP and ARM, it is in the 50th percentile in overall reading.

• Students who demonstrate, through a student portfolio, that he or she is performing at least at Level 2 on the statewide standardized assessment.  The Florida Department of Education has established specific rules for this portfolio.  They are available at:  http://www.fldoe.org/academics/standards/just-read-fl/third-grade-guidance.stml

• Students who demonstrate Limited English Proficiency (LEP), who have had less than two years of instruction in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs based on their initial entry into a US school.

• Students with disabilities whose Individualized Education Plans (IEP) indicate that participation in the statewide assessment program is not appropriate, consistent with the requirements of the State Board of Education rule.

• Students with disabilities who participate in the statewide assessment program and whose IEP or 504 plan indicates that the student has received two or more years of intensive remediation in reading and ELA and was previously retained in Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, or Grade 3.

• Students who have received intensive reading remediation for two or more years were previously retained in Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, or Grade 3 for two years. 

• Students who were previously retained in Grade 3.