Florida Uses CLT to Lift Graduation Rates as 25% of Math Questions Stay Below High School Level
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 30
Florida Uses CLT to Lift Graduation Rates as 25% of Math Questions Stay Below High School Level
2 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 30
Summary
At least nine Florida districts credited the Classic Learning Test with higher graduation rates after the state began allowing it in 2023 as an alternative for students who failed reading, Algebra, SAT or ACT requirements.
USA TODAY found the exam is functioning mainly as a remedial graduation pathway, with experts saying about a quarter of its math questions cover middle-school topics such as ratios, fractions and patterns.
Duval County said the CLT helped raise its graduation rate by 7 percentage points, while Hillsborough records show about 2,500 students in the class of 2025—roughly one in six—met their math requirement through the test.
Florida is raising the passing score to 14 from 11 next year, and state officials say that will make the CLT as rigorous as ACT or SAT benchmarks, though local administrators already report students are finding the new standard harder.
The exam has still spread into college admissions and military programs, yet fewer than 1% of applicants to Florida and Florida State used CLT scores and universities have not produced evidence that it predicts college success.