Understanding a Scholarship Hold: The Public School Crosscheck
What is the FTE Crosscheck?
To prevent duplicate state funding, Florida law requires the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) to confirm scholarship students are not also enrolled in public school before payments are sent. This is done through the full-time equivalent (FTE) crosscheck.
What is FTE? FTE stands for "full-time equivalent" and is used by public schools to measure student attendance for funding.
What's the Goal? The crosscheck simply verifies that your scholarship student is not also being counted for funding in a public school. This includes Florida public schools, charter schools, and Florida Virtual School (unless privately paid).
The Crosscheck Process Step-by-Step
The State Performs the Crosscheck
A check was performed for the week of Oct. 7-11, 2024.
A second check was performed for the week of Feb. 3-7, 2025.
Step Up Receives the Results
The FLDOE sends Step Up a list of any scholarship students identified as public school students.
For the October check, this list typically arrives in February.
For the February check, this list typically arrives in May.
Account Holds & Family Notification
Step Up is required to temporarily suspend access to any remaining funds for that school year.
We immediately email affected families to explain the next steps.
What to Do If You Received a Notification
The steps your family needed to take depended on which crosscheck period your student was identified in. Please select the situation that applies to you.
If your student was identified in the October crosscheck, you would have received an email from us starting in mid-February 2025.
What you were asked to do:
If your student WAS in a public school during the Oct. 7-11, 2024, period, no action was needed. The student would be withdrawn from the scholarship program, and remaining funds returned.
If your student was NOT in a public school (or had withdrawn since that week), you were asked to submit documentation to Step Up by a specific deadline.
LATEST UPDATE as of June 2025
Step Up For Students has not received any new information from the FLDOE. The reasons a student was reported can differ, so the resolution will vary. For now, access to remaining 2024-25 funds remains suspended, and we will not receive Quarter 4 funding for these students until the state's review is complete. We will continue to provide updates to families as we receive them.
If your student was identified in the February crosscheck, you would have received an email from us starting in mid-May 2025.
What you were asked to do:
If your student was listed as "enrolled" at a private school in the EMA portal: Your student's private school was asked to submit an attestation form by a deadline, confirming your student was attending their school.
If your student was NOT listed as "enrolled" at a private school in the EMA portal: You were asked to submit documentation by a deadline if your student was not in a public school (or had since withdrawn)
If your student WAS in a public school during the Feb. 3-7, 2025, period, no action was needed. The student would be withdrawn from the scholarship program, and remaining funds returned.
Questions?
If you have any questions, our team is here to help. We encourage impacted families to continue to monitor their email for further details or reach out to us for assistance.