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Florida Bright Futures Test Deadline Extended

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) -- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has extended the deadline for recent high-school graduates to meet SAT or ACT test-score requirements to qualify for Bright Futures scholarships until December 1, 2020.

The extension, announced late Tuesday, applies to students who graduated during the 2019-2020 academic year, which was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

After school campuses closed, the Florida Department of Education said that an estimated 32,000 students had met all Bright Futures requirements except minimum SAT or ACT scores.

Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran in June extended a deadline to earn qualifying scores until July 31. But the Department of Education said not all ACT test sites could remain open, and the College Board, which administers the SAT, did not offer testing opportunities.

Since then, the department said, test-site closures have continued intermittently.

"Collectively, this created the need to extend the deadline to give more Spring 2020 graduates one last opportunity to earn a Bright Futures Scholarship," the Department of Education said in a news release Tuesday night that announced the extension until Dec. 1.

(©2020 CBS Local Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.)

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