THE RESULTS TOGETHER WITH ERIK VON ANCKEN. THIS IS NEWS 6 AT 5 GETTING RESULTS.
>> MATT: HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
PREPARING FOR COLLEGE CAN HAVE
STRESSFUL AND COMPETITIVE
TIME. ABSOLUTELY. SOME FLORIDA
SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE PUTTING
INFORMATION ON TRANSCRIPTS
THAT PUTS STUDENTS AT A
DISADVANTAGE WHEN APPLYING TO
COLLEGE. THAT’S ACCORDING TO
PEOPLE. NEWS 6 SPOKE WITH
INVESTIGATOR. LOUIS BOLDEN HAS
THE STORY.
>> 3 ACTS.
>> SQUARED 17 YEAR-OLD
CAROLINE ELDRIDGE HAS ALWAYS
BEEN A WELL-ROUNDED STUDENT.
THAT’S LIKE A BUT WHEN
APPLYING TO COLLEGE PROBABLY
UP THE LAKE. MARY HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENT SAYS EVEN SHE HAD
CONCERNS. I KNEW GOING INTO
SENIOR YEAR THAT IT WAS GOING
TO BE TIME CONSUMING, READING
A LOT OF ESSAYS AND YOU KNOW,
BUT I DIDN’T.
>> EXPECT MY TRANSCRIPTS TO
BE.
>> THE THE ISSUE IS FLORIDA
HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPTS LIST
MORE INFORMATION, THEN SOME
THINK THEY SHOULD NOT STUDENTS
CLASSES IN GPA, BUT ALSO THE
SCORES FOR EVERY STANDARDIZED
TESTS THEY’VE TAKEN NO MATTER
HOW MANY TIMES THEY’VE TAKEN
IT. I FELT THAT THIS WAS KIND
OF TAKING AWAY.
>> MY OPPORTUNITY, A LOT OF
OPPORTUNITIES TO BE SELECTIVE
WITH THEIR SCORES ACROSS THE
COUNTRY. MANY COLLEGES AND
UNIVERSITIES HAVE GONE TEST
OPTIONAL. TEST BLIND AND SCORE
CHOICE.
>> TEST OPTIONAL MEANS YOU CAN
APPLY WITH OR WITHOUT TEST
SCORES AND STUDENTS DECIDE
WHETHER THEY WANT SCORES
CONSIDERED FOR ADMISSION. TEST
BLIND MEANS THE SCHOOLS DON’T
LOOK AT TEST SCORES AT ALL AND
SCORE CHOICE ALLOWS THE
STUDENT TO DECIDE WHICH TEST
AND TEST DATA SENT TO THE
SCHOOL. SO ELDRIDGE AND HER
MOM QUESTION WHY TEST SCORES
ON TRANSCRIPTS ARE THE DEFAULT
IN FLORIDA. SOME MAY ARGUE
THAT IT’S A PRIVACY ISSUE.
>> YOU KNOW, A STUDENT COULD
SAY I DON’T WANT MY. SPECIFIC
TEST SCORES FROM BACK WHEN I
WAS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OR
MIDDLE SCHOOL.
>> RELEASED LIKE THAT. I FEEL
LIKE THERE’S NO GOOD REASON TO
HAVE SCORES ON A TRANSCRIPT.
THERE’S LITERALLY.
>> NO REASON. ALLISON SLATER
TATE IS THE DIRECTOR OF
COLLEGE COUNSELING AT LAKE
MARY PREP AND PREVIOUSLY HELD
THE SAME POSITION AT LAKE MARY
HIGH SCHOOL. ARE FLORIDA
STUDENTS AT A DISADVANTAGE
BECAUSE OF THIS? YES.
>> AT FLORIDA PUBLIC SCHOOL
STUDENTS ARE AT A
DISADVANTAGE. HIS SCHOOL
STUDENTS DON’T HAVE THEM ON
THEIR TRANCE THIS AND THAT
MADE IT SO UPSET BECAUSE I
WORKED IN BOTH.
>> I CARE ABOUT ALL THE KIDS.
SLATER TATE HAS BEEN PUSHING
TO GET THE PRACTICE CHANGED.
SHE SENT THIS E-MAIL TO THE
ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF
SEMINOLE COUNTY SCHOOLS
WRITING FLORIDA IS ONE OF THE
ONLY STATES THAT STILL PUTS
TEST SCORES ON PUBLIC SCHOOL
TRANSCRIPTS. AND IN FACT, IN
THE ADMISSIONS WORLD, WE ARE
NOTORIOUS FOR IT NOT TO STAY
POSITIVE. WE FOUND COUNTIES IN
THE STATE BUT DON’T DO IT. NEW
6 REACHED OUT TO SEMINOLE
COUNTY SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT
ACKNOWLEDGE THEY ARE
RECONSIDERING THE PRACTICE AND
THAT STUDENTS HAVE OPTIONS
WRITING CURRENTLY WHEN
REQUESTING A TRANSCRIPT,
STUDENTS IN SEMINOLE COUNTY
PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE THE OPTION
TO REMOVE THE S A T A C T
SCORE FROM THE ACADEMIC
TRANSCRIPT THAT IS THEN SENT
TO COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
FOR ADMISSION PURPOSES. WE ARE
PRESENTLY REVIEWING THIS
PROCESS.
>> AGAIN, STUDENTS HAVE THE
ABILITY TO OPT OUT AND
ELDRIDGE UP TO. NOW. ONCE YOU
REALIZE WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
BUT PARENTS LISTEN UP. THE
ONUS IS ON THE STUDENT. THE
STUDENT HAS TO GO TO A
COUNSELOR AND TELL THEM THEY
WANT TO OPT OUT OF HAVING ALL
SCORES ON THEIR TRANSCRIPT
BEFORE THEY UPLOAD ANY
TRANSCRIPTS TO ANY COLLEGE IS
SO.
>> AGAIN, THE STUDENT HAS TO
TAKE THE INITIATIVE TO GET
THAT DONE. GOOD INFORMATION
FOR FAMILIES IN LEWIS THAT
COLLEGE COUNSELOR MENTIONED
THIS IS NOT A STATE POLICY. IT
IS NOT. AND SEMINOLE COUNTY
SCHOOL DISTRICT CONFIRMED DID
WHICH IS WHY THEY CAN
RECONSIDER IT. WE CONTACTED
ALL OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN
CENTRAL FLORIDA TO SEE WHAT
THEIR PRACTICES. AS SOON AS WE
HEAR BACK, WE’LL INCLUDE THEIR
RESPONSES WITH THIS STORY ON
CLICKORLANDO DOT COM EYE
OPENING STORY FOR ME OR MY
KIDS KNOW THE SITUATION AND
YOU ALWAYS HEAR SUPER THEY
JUST TAKE THE BEST EVERYTHING.
BUT APPARENTLY THEY CAN SEE
ALL YOUR IF YOU’RE IN FLORIDA.
SO IT KIND OF DOES AWAY WITH
THE POINT OF THE SLIGHT RISK