The Florida Department of Education has announced the state's math end-of-course exams will not be required to count for 30 percent of a student's grade.

That's because scores won't be validated until at least September.

The decision affects around 45,000 middle and high school students in Hillsborough County. The affected courses are Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry.

District leaders say they've come up with alternative ways to calculate students' final grades.

"Our strategy is to provide options," said acting superintendent Jeff Eakins. "We know they've worked hard."

There are several options. A student can use the classroom grade averaged from the two nine-week periods.

A student can also take a district final exam, and combine it with the classroom grade, if that gives them a higher grade. The student also has the option to use an already existing EOC score for that same class from previous testing.

District officials also said depending on the results from the EOC review, a student might still be able to apply their test results to their grade later on, if it helps get them a better grade.

One eighth-grade student from Channelside Math & Science Academy spoke at the school board meeting, saying she was actually relieved.

"I want to tell you the EOC was really hard," student Chloe Murphy told the board. "I am an 'A' student, I've kept an 'A' in Algebra all 4 quarters. I love algebra. But, when I sat down two Mondays ago and sat down and saw the test, I freaked out. It was nothing my teacher had taught me."

Murphy said she likes the options the district has come up with.

"The work in our class is hard, but we've been taught how to do it, and we know how to do it, and I like the first option," said Murphy.

Murphy also told the board she wishes students didn’t have to take EOC tests at all.

District leaders said they thought this delay in results might happen, so they have already given seniors the option to take district finals instead.

Eakins said they'll be communicating with students and parents to figure out their best option.