Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test

The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) is part of Florida's overall plan to increase student achievement by implementing higher standards.  The FCAT, administered to students in Grades 3-11, contains two basic components:  criterion-references tests (CRT), measuring selected benchmarks in Mathematics, Reading, Science, and Writing from the Sunshine State Standards (SSS); and norm-referenced tests (NRT), in Reading and Mathematics, measuring individual student performance against national norms.

Students take the FCAT to meet the complex challenges of today's workplace.  Students must be skilled in Mathematics and Science, be able to read and understand difficult texts, and be able to write well.  FCAT test questions are designed to measure the Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and Science skills that students should acquire.  The test helps the teachers, principals, and superintendents determine the level of success students have with the Sunshine State Standards.

The Sunshine State Standards are broad statements that describe what a child should know and be able to do at every grade level.  These standards cover seven content areas:  social studies, science, language arts, health/physical education, the arts, foreign language, and mathematics.  The standards are divided into smaller units called "benchmarks," which outline the specific content, knowledge, and skills that students are expected to learn in school.  Each student's performance on FCAT Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and Science tests indicates his or her progress in reaching these benchmarks.

3rd grade Reading and Math scores will be available in late May, 2009.

4th grade Writing scores will be available in late May, 2009.

4th and 5th grade Reading and Math scores will be available in late June, 2009.

www.flstandards.org

fcat.fldoe.org/fcatitem.asp

fcat.fldoe.org/fcatrelease.asp

www.paec.org/your_child_your_public_schools/fcat_essentials.html

fcat.fldoe.org/pdf/fcss08o1.pdf

fcat.fldoe.org/pdf/fcss08l1.pdf

Family Network on Disabilities of Florida is hosting a Parent FCAT online training. Tuesday, April 7, 2009, 1:00-3:00pm.  Pre-registration is required.  The training will be conducted at GoToMeeting.com.  For more information or to register for this training please contact:

Christine Stolz or Maribel Aviles

(727) 523-1130     (800) 825-5736

email: Christine@fndfl.org