The state of Florida, through Florida statutes and rules of the State Board of Education, requires all students in Florida public community/junior colleges and universities to pass the College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) to be awarded the Associate in Arts or to be admitted to upper division status, unless exempted (see below).

The CLAST, an achievement test developed by the Department pursuant to Section 229.551(3)(i), Florida Statutes to measure the level of attainment of college-level communication and computation skills listed in Rule 6A-10.0316, F.A.C. Students must pass all four (4) subtests to be awarded an Associate in Arts degree. The CLAST requirements also apply to students transferring to state universities in Florida from private Florida colleges as well as from out-of-state colleges.

Students who are otherwise qualified for admission to upper division status at a state university and who have satisfied the minimum standards of the State Board on only three (3) of the four (4) subtests of the CLAST may enroll for up to an additional thirty-six (36) semester credits in upper division courses in a state university before they are required to satisfy the minimum standards of the State Board on all four (4) subtests.

Eligibility for Taking the CLAST
To be eligible to take the CLAST students must successfully have completed at least 18 credit hours of college-level courses. College preparatory credits do not count toward the 18 hours. Students register to take the test during the regular course schedule registration of the session in which the CLAST will be taken.

CLAST Exemption
There are alternative ways to meet the CLAST exit requirements for the Associate in Arts degree.

1. Students who complete appropriate coursework with a 2.5 GPA in each individual area where CLAST skills are taught (Reading, Writing, Computation, and Essay skills) shall be qualified for a CLAST exemption.





2. Students who achieve a score of 500 on the Verbal and/or Math portions of the SAT I, or a 21 score on the Enhanced ACT in Mathematics, 21 on the English and/or 22 on the Reading may be exempt from all or a portion of the CLAST. To determine if you qualify for an exemption from CLAST, please contact the counseling/advising department.

Special Testing Conditions for Students with Disabilities
There are provisions for adaptations of test materials and conditions so a student with a record of a physiological disorder that substantially impairs visual, auditory, manual, or speaking abilities or with a record of a learning disability can demonstrate achievement of CLAST skills. Such students must notify the Campus Learning Specialist prior to the CLAST registration deadline.

CLAST Appeals
Students with specific learning disabilities or physiological disorders may appeal for special consideration. In addition, students who have met all requirements for graduation with the exception of CLAST and who have failed any subtest 4 times and who believe they have demonstrated appropriate proficiency through coursework may appeal for a waiver. All appeals go to the CLAST Appeals Committee.

Minimum CLAST Score Standards for Each Subtest Effective October 1992
	Reading	295
	English Language Skills	295
	Math	295
	Essay	6

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Skills Tested by the CLAST (with major SPC courses that contain the skills)

ESSAY SKILLS (ENC 1101, ENC 1102, ENC 1121H, ENC 1122H, ENC 2210)

• Select a subject which lends itself to development
• Determine the purpose and audience for writing
• Limit a subject to requirements of time, purpose, and audience
• Formulate a thesis or main idea statement
• Provide adequate supporting details
• Arrange ideas and details in an organizational pattern appropriate to the purpose and focus
• Provide relevant supporting material
• Write coherent prose with effective transition between parts
• Avoid slang, jargon, clichés, and pretentious expressions
• Use a variety of sentence patterns
• Avoid unnecessary use of passive construction
• Maintain consistent point of view
• Revise, edit, and proofread for clarity, consistency, and conformity

All of the skills tested on the English language skills subtest are also evaluated on the essay subtest.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS (same courses as for essay skills, as well as all college preparatory English courses)

Word Choice Skills:

• Use words which convey the meaning required by context
• Avoid wordiness

Sentence Structure Skills:

• Place modifiers correctly
• Coordinate and subordinate sentence elements effectively
• Use parallel expressions for parallel ideas
• Avoid fragments, comma splices, and fused sentences

Grammar, Spelling, Capitalization, and Punctuation Skills:

• Use standard verb forms
• Maintain agreement between subject and verb
• Maintain agreement between pronoun and antecedent
• Use proper case forms
• Use adjectives and adverbs correctly
• Avoid inappropriate shifts in verb tense
• Make logical comparisons
• Use standard spelling, punctuation, and capitalization

READING SKILLS (REA 1105, REA 1205, REA 0001, REA 0002, REA 0012)

Literal Comprehension:

• Recognize main ideas
• Identify supporting details
• Determine meaning of words in context

Critical Comprehension:

• Recognize author's purpose
• Identify organizational pattern
• Distinguish between fact and opinion
• Detect bias
• Recognize author's tone
• Recognize relationships within sentences
• Recognize relationships between sentences
• Recognize valid arguments
• Draw inferences and conclusions

MATHEMATICS SKILLS (MAT 1033, MGF 1106, MGF 1107, MAC 1105, MAT 0012, MAT 0024)

Arithmetic Skills:

• Add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers in fractional form
• Add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers in decimal form
• Solve the sentence 'a% of b is c,' where values for two of the variables are given
• Calculate percent increase and percent decrease
• Recognize the meaning of exponents
• Recognize the role of the base number in determining place value in the base ten numeration system
• Identify equivalent forms of decimals, percents, and fractions
• Determine the order relation between real numbers
• Identify a reasonable estimate of a sum, average, or product of numbers
• Infer relations between numbers in general by examining particular number pairs
• Solve real-world problems which do not involve the use of percent
• Solve real-world problems which involve the use of percent
• Solve problems that involve the structure and logic of arithmetic

Geometry and Measurement Skills:

• Round measurements
• Calculate distance, areas, and volumes
• Identify relationships between angle measures
• Classify simple plane figures by recognizing their properties
• Recognize similar triangles and their properties
• Identify appropriate units of measurement (linear, square, cubic) for geometric objects
• Infer formulas for measuring geometric figures
• Select applicable formulas for computing measures of geometric figures
• Solve real-world problems involving perimeters, areas, and volumes of geometric figures
• Solve real-world problems involving the Pythagorean property

Algebra Skills:

• Add, subtract, multiply, and divide real numbers
• Apply the order-of-operations agreement to numerical and algebraic expressions
• Use scientific notation
• Solve linear equations and inequalities
• Use formulas to compute results
• Find particular values of a function
• Factor a quadratic expression
• Find the roots of a quadratic equation
• Solve a system of two linear equations in two unknowns
• Use properties of operations correctly
• Determine whether a particular number is among the solutions of a given equation or inequality
• Recognize statements and conditions of proportionality and variation
• Identify regions of the coordinate plane which correspond to specific conditions and vice versa
• Use applicable properties to select equivalent equations and inequalities
• Solve real-world problems involving the use of variables
• Solve problems that involve the structure and logic of algebra

Statistics Skills, Including Probability:

• Identify information contained in bar, line, and circle graphs
• Determine the mean, median, and mode of a set of numbers
• Use the fundamental counting principle
• Recognize properties and interrelationships among the mean, median, and mode
• Choose the most appropriate procedures for selecting an unbiased sample
• Identify the probability of a specified outcome
• Infer relations and make accurate predictions from studying statistical data
• Interpret real-world data involving frequency and cumulative frequency tables
• Solve real-world problems involving probabilities

Logical Reasoning Skills:

• Deduce facts of set inclusion or set non-inclusion from a diagram
• Identify statements equivalent to the negations of simple and compound statements
• Determine equivalence or nonequivalence of statements
• Draw logical conclusions from data
• Recognize invalid arguments with true conclusions
• Recognize valid reasoning patterns of valid arguments in everyday language
• Select applicable rules for transforming statements without affecting their meaning
• Draw logical conclusions when facts warrant them

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Last revised May 29, 2008
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