Navigating the New Worlds Scholarship: A Comprehensive Guide

The New Worlds Scholarship Accounts program is designed to provide educational options for eligible students in Florida, particularly those who may be struggling with reading and/or math. Administered by the UF Lastinger Center for Learning, the program aims to foster a lifelong love of reading by providing access to books and literacy resources. This guide offers a detailed overview of the New Worlds Scholarship, including eligibility requirements, how to use scholarship funds, and important updates.

Eligibility for the New Worlds Scholarship

To be eligible for the New Worlds Scholarship, students must meet specific criteria. Generally, the scholarship targets students who are either in a VPK (Voluntary Prekindergarten) program and not making age-appropriate progress according to state assessments, or in kindergarten through fifth grade in a public or charter school and not yet reading on grade level.

Eligibility for the program is based on numerous factors and scores related to reading. For example, for certain students to qualify, their ELA scores from the previous year’s statewide standardized assessment must be below Level 3. According to the Florida Department of Education, Level 3 correlates to a “satisfactory” reading level. Proficiency is denoted by a Level 4, and Level 5 is “advanced.” In addition, eligibility also may be determined by scores from FAST ELA Reading for Progress Monitoring 1 (PM1), PM2 or PM3 from 2022-2023.

Understanding the Scholarship Amount and Usage

The scholarship is worth $1,200 and can be used for various educational expenses. The scholarship funds can be used for:

Tuition and fees for part-time tutoring by qualified individuals. This includes individuals who hold a valid Florida educator’s certificate, a baccalaureate or graduate degree in Reading, Math, Elementary Education, English Education, or Math Education, an adjunct teaching certificate, or have demonstrated mastery of the subject area knowledge.
Fees for summer education programs designed to improve reading or math skills.
Fees for after-school education programs designed to improve reading or math skills.
Instructional materials, including desktop and laptop computers, tablets and curriculum related to reading or math.

Pre-approved services and products are available through Step Up For Students’ Education Market Assistant (EMA) marketplace. Families can use their scholarship dollars directly without having to pay out of pocket.

Step Up For Students: A Key Partner

Step Up For Students is a state-approved, nonprofit Scholarship Funding Organization (SFO) that empowers families to pursue and engage in the most appropriate learning options for their children. Step Up For Students administers Florida’s school choice programs. These programs include the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Opportunities (FES-EO), the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA), the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program (FTC), the Hope Scholarship for students who are bullied or are victims of violence in a public school, and the New Worlds Scholarship Accounts Program for public school students in kindergarten through fifth grades who struggle with math and/or reading.

On July 1, 2023, the state of Florida expanded educational choice programs to all K-12 Florida students with the conversion of the FES-EO and the FTC Scholarship Program into educational savings accounts (ESAs). With this expansion also came the Personalized Education Program (PEP). Beginning with the 2023-24 school year, every Florida resident student eligible to enroll in a public K-12 school may receive a school choice scholarship to utilize in one of the following ways:

Private School Option (with ESA): Enrollment in an eligible participating private school s. 1002 395
Transportation Option: Transportation to a public school, including magnet or charter school, other than the school that the student is assigned to s. 1002.394 (4)
Personalized Education Program (PEP) Option ESA: A “Personalized Education Program” means the sequentially progressive instruction of a student directed by his or her parent/guardian in order to satisfy the attendance requirements of ss. 1003.01 (13), and 1003.21 (1) while registered with an eligible nonprofit scholarship funding organization pursuant to s. 1002.395.

Using the Education Market Assistant (EMA)

Pre-approved services and products are available through Step Up For Students’ Education Market Assistant (EMA) marketplace where families can use their scholarship dollars directly without having to pay out of pocket. It is essential to understand how to invoice in EMA for your services.

Here’s what each status in EMA means for your student’s application:

Draft - Not yet submitted. Complete all sections, upload documents, and submit.
Submitted - Received but not yet reviewed. Check back soon.
Pending - Under review.

Important Updates and Changes

Starting in the '24-25 school year, families will no longer have to submit a reimbursement claim for educational expenses in compliance with Florida Statute.

Starting July 1, 2025, all New Worlds Scholarship Accounts will begin a one-year period to track activity. It is essential to have spending activity on your account between July 1, 2025, and July 1, 2026. Accounts with no spending activity during this time will be closed, and any remaining funds will be returned to the state.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of new funding for the 2025-26 school year, new applications for the New Worlds Scholarship Accounts are not currently being accepted.

Special Circumstances and Eligibility Considerations

There are specific eligibility considerations for families with unique circumstances:

A parent or guardian with a legal domicile in Florida but who are currently on orders to another state is not eligible to apply for the scholarship for the first time. Previous ties to Florida, such as having lived in the state or holding a past Florida identification card, are not sufficient for eligibility.
However, if you are an active-duty member of the United States Armed Forces and have been given permanent change of station orders to move to Florida, you will be eligible for the Private School Scholarship (FTC/FES-EO), Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA) and the PEP Scholarship before you make your move.

Key Provisions of Florida Statute 1002.411

F.S. 1002.411 outlines the legal framework for New Worlds Scholarship Accounts. Key provisions include:

Parent and Student Responsibilities: Parents must utilize the administrator’s system to make direct purchases of qualifying expenditures. They are also responsible for the payment of all eligible expenses in excess of the amount in the account.
Administrator Role: An eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization, as defined in s. 1002.395(2), serves as the administrator and establishes scholarship accounts for eligible students.
Department Obligations: The Department of Education has the same duties regarding oversight of scholarship programs administered by an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization.
Account Funding and Payment: The amount of the scholarship for an eligible student is as provided in the General Appropriations Act.
Account Closure: A student’s scholarship account must be closed and any remaining funds shall revert to the state after denial or revocation of scholarship eligibility for fraud or abuse, or one consecutive fiscal year in which an account has been inactive.

Readability and the New Worlds Reading Scholarship

Readability has partnered with Step Up for Students as a participant in the New Worlds Reading Scholarship Program. For students who qualify for the New Worlds Reading Scholarship, Readability makes it easy to log in to the program and allocate the funds to pay for the Readability program.

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Readability is an award-winning reading program that is proven to boost a child’s reading ability. Children start at a slightly lower level to help them get acclimated to the program and feel confident when they begin. They will quickly move up to the next reading level. To advance through the next reading level, children need to demonstrate mastery in both fluency and comprehension.

Parents can follow their child’s progress at any time. Parents have access to private portal in the program called the Parent Dashboard. The Parent Dashboard displays the child’s reading data from the program. Parents can view their child’s reading level, their comprehension, and reading fluency (measured in words read per minute).

Since Readability is designed for children in kindergarten through sixth grade, parents can use the program for several children while paying for only one subscription. In addition, parents also can use Readability’s free reading level assessment to understand their child’s reading proficiency and find out their child’s current reading level. The assessment also will help parents learn how to help their child with reading at home.

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

We encourage you to reach out to the Department of Education or your local school district for other opportunities for your students. Step Up for Students does provide other scholarship options.

Paying Out of Pocket

Yes - you can pay the difference out of pocket if the scholarship amount does not cover the full cost of a service or product.

Information for Previous Scholarship Recipients

If your child previously benefitted from a New Worlds Scholarship Account, you can continue to use their remaining scholarship funds.

Book Selection and Literacy Resources

Families can choose what books they will receive when they apply, growing their home library based on their child’s interests to encourage a lifelong love of reading. The accompanying literacy resources and activities help children strengthen their skills and build reading confidence.

Book titles are selected in partnership with Scholastic and approved by the Florida Department of Education. Books and materials are available in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and braille.

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