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 3-10, contains two basic components: criterion-referenced 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.

The FCAT has two parts, the FCAT SSS and the FCAT NRT. The FCAT SSS is designed to measure students' knowledge of reading, writing, mathematics, and science benchmarks from the Sunshine State Standards (SSS). The FCAT NRT is a norm-referenced test (NRT) used to compare Florida student performance in reading and mathematics with the performance of students nationwide.

The FCAT is a test given to Florida students to measure what they know and are able to accomplish in reading, writing, mathematics, and science. The test is part of Florida’s plan to improve student achievement. It measures challenging content standards, called the Sunshine State Standards.

The best preparation for the FCAT is mastery of the knowledge and skills in the Sunshine State Standards.

Helpful publications, including the Sample Test Materials provided to students each year, are available through Florida public schools to provide more detailed FCAT information.

The Internet also provides valuable information about the FCAT, including online versions of FCAT publications and test results for all Florida public schools and districts. To locate this information, visit the Florida Department of Education's web site at www.fldoe.org and select one of the links about the FCAT.

With few exceptions, all Florida public school students in the tested grades are required to take the applicable FCAT tests.

All public school students in Grades 3 through 11 are required to take the FCAT. The tests are given only in public schools, though private school students who receive opportunity scholarships must also take the FCAT. Home education students are tested only if their parents or guardians select the FCAT as an evaluation option.

These students, including limited English proficiency students (LEP) and exceptional education students (ESE) with disabilities, are all working toward a regular high school diploma. Opportunity and McKay Scholarship students also take the FCAT and, at the request of their parents, home-schooled students may take the FCAT. Beginning in 2004, Florida Virtual School students also take the FCAT.

LEP students are expected to take the FCAT. State Board Rule 6A-6.09091, FAC, exempts some LEP students from participating in the statewide assessment program:

• if the student has been receiving services in an approved district LEP plan for one year of less, and
• if the student's LEP committee determines that the FCAT is not appropriate.

LEP students may take the FCAT using accommodations appropriate for the particular need of the student. It is the responsibility of the local school educators to work with students and parents to identify the allowable testing accommodations.

Yes, every effort is made to provide a level playing field for students with disabilities taking the FCAT and seeking a standard high school diploma. Section 1007.02 (2). F.S., permits testing accommodations for a student who:

• has been assigned to a special program, according to State Board Rule 6A-6.0331, FAC, and
• has a current Individual Educational Plan (IEP)

Federal law (the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1997) requires the inclusion of ESE students in regular assessment programs. The school, district, and the state FCAT score averages represent all students taking the test, including students with disabilities. Exemption from the graduation test requirement for students with disabilities seeking a high school diploma is described in Section 1003.42 (11) (b), F.S.

Local school boards establish their own rules for promotion or retention of public school students. Florida statutes specifically mention retention for students who do not read will at the end of Grade 3. Each school board has certain latitude in how it implements this requirement; however, school personnel must change the educational plans of all students who score in level 1. The district Pupil Progression Plan (available at local schools and school board offices) specifically outlines the grade-level requirements.

Yes, but students need to retake only the section they did not pass. Students will have multiple opportunities to retake the FCAT until they earn passing scores. Students may retake the FCAT in June, October, and March during their eleventh- and twelfth-grade years.

Students who expect to graduate from high school in 2004-2005 school year and beyond must earn passing scores on the Grade 10 FCAT Reading (SSS) and FCAT Mathematics (SSS) tests. If students so not pass on the first attempt, after Grade 10, there will be additional opportunities to retake the test and earn a passing score.

Passing scores for the Grade 10 FCAT SSS are determined by the State Board of Education. The current Grade 10 passing scores are:

FCAT SSS Reading Test..............................................1926 (Scale Score of 300) or above
FCAT SSS Mathematics Test.......................................1889 (Scale Score of 300) or above

At the present time, FCAT Writing is not being used to determine eligibility for a high school diploma.

This year, the FCAT writing assessment at Grades 4, 8, and 10 has been expanded to include multiple choice questions. To reflect this addition, the new writing assessment is called FCAT Writing⁺. The essay component, which requires students to write a response to an assigned topic, is unchanged. In 2005, in addition to the essay, students in Grade 10 will participate in a field test which is comprised of multiple-choice questions. While students will not receive scores for the field test portion of FCAT Writing⁺, they will receive a score for the essay portion.

• FCAT Writing⁺ prompt performance tasks require students to apply their writing skills by writing a draft essay on one of two randomly assigned topics. Each FCAT Writing⁺ prompt has two parts: the writing situation and the directions for writing. The writing situation orients the students to the topic, and the directions for writing guide the students to think about the topic before they begin to write.

  Grade 10 students respond to a prompt that asks them either to explain (expository writing) or to persuade (persuasive writing). The scoring rubric establishes the criteria for each possible score point from 1 to 6, a 6 being the highest score. Student responses that are unscorable are assigned a score of 0. Some types of unscorable responses include the refusal to write. illegibility, and writing that is off-topic or in a foreign language.

• For FCAT Writing⁺ multiple-choice (MC) questions, students choose the best answer and mark the answer by filling in the appropriate "bubble" on the answer sheet. FCAT Writing⁺ has several different types of multiple-choice questions. Some questions are based on short written work or prewriting plans. Other questions contain all the information needed to answer that question. Information about each type of question is provided below.
  • Stimulus-based questions: A stimulus provides the student with a prewriting plan such as a web. Each stimulus is followed by three to four questions, with four answer choices.
  • Sample-based questions: Writing samples are written expressly for the FCAT and are representative of student draft writing at that grade level. Each writing sample is followed by six to eight test questions, with four answer choices.
  • Cloze-based questions: Close passages are written expressly for the FCAT and are representative of the type of writing that students may encounter in a classroom setting. Each cloze passage includes numbered blanks in place of omitted words, and students are asked to select the best answer for the omitted word(s). Each cloze passage is followed by six to eight test questions, with three answer choices.
  • Stand-alone questions: Each stand-alone or sentence-based test question has three answer choices and provides the stimulus necessary to answer the question.

There are several question formats on the FCAT, depending on the grade level and the subject (content area) being tested. The types of questions on each test are explained below. The graphic icons are used in student test documents to identify the different types of FCAT test questions.

• Multiple-choice (MC) questions require students to choose the best answer from four possible choices and to mark their answers by filling in the appropriate "bubble" in their test books or answer documents.
• Gridded-response (GR) questions require students to solve problems and mark their numerical answers in answer grids. Answers may be gridded using several correct formats. Students MUST accurately fill in the bubbles below the grids to receive credit for their answers.
• Performance tasks require students to respond to test questions in their own words to show their own solutions. For FCAT Reading, Mathematics, and Science, there are two types of performance tasks: short-response (SR) tasks and extended-response (ER) tasks. Performance tasks are scored using rubrics (criteria). The raw score for an SR complete and correct answer is 2 raw score points, and a partially correct answer is 1 raw score point. For an ER, a complete and correct answer is 4 raw score points and a partially correct answer is 1, 2, or 3 raw score points.
  • FCAT Reading "Read, Think, Explain" performance tasks require students to read all parts of the question carefully, to plan how to answer the question, and to write the answer in their own words, supporting the answer with information from the reading passage(s). An SR task may ask the student to describe how a character in a story changes or shows growth. An ER task requires a longer, more detailed response, such as comparing traits or actions of two different characters. Students are provided with 8 lines (SR) or 14 lines (ER) on which to write their answers.
  • FCAT Mathematics "Think, Solve, Explain" performance tasks require students to read all parts of the question carefully, to think about and to analyze a problem, to determine a way to solve the problem, and to write a method of solution or an answer to the problem in their own words. An SR tasks may ask for an equation that represents a problem situation. An ER task requires a longer, more detailed response, such as constructing a graph. Performance task answer spaces include blank work space, charts, graphs, or lined answer space, based on what is required to answer the SR or ER.
  • FCAT Science "Read, Inquire, Explain" performance tasks require students to read al parts of the question carefully, to plan how to answer the question, to explain the scientific process used to determine the answer, and to provide the answer to the question in their own words. An SR task may ask the student to explain a scientific concept. An ER task requires a longer, more detailed response, such as describing the steps to use in an experiment. Performance task answer spaces include the blank work space, charts, drawings, or lined answer space, based on what is required to answer the SR or ER.

Professional item writers employed by the DOE's test-development contractors prepare the first draft of all test questions. Committees of Florida classroom teachers and curriculum supervisors, working with DOE staff, review and revise each test item. Before a test question appears on the FCAT, it is reviewed for community sensitivity and possible bias. From 300 to 400 Florida teachers, administrators and citizens participate in the FCAT development process annually.

Multiple choice and gridded-response questions are machine scored. Students responses to each writing prompt and each answer to a performance task are scored separately by a minimum of two professional evaluators. The final score is the result of these multiple evaluations.

The FCAT results provide data for each student, school. and district, and for the State. At the school, district, and state levels, the program produces average scores and reports showing the percentage of students performing at the five achievement levels. For each student, achievement levels, scale scores, and developmental scale scores are reported, as well as performance on specific content strands; each student's norm-referenced scores indicate the student's ranking against national norms.

The results of Writing, administered in February, and Reading, Mathematics, and Science, administered in March, are usually sent to the districts by early May. Results for students in Grades 3 and 12 and prioritized and returned first.

Reading and Mathematics FCAT student scores are reported in three ways, that is, by achievement level, by scale score, and by developmental scale score. The scale scores, which range from 100 to 500 for each subject area and grade level, are divided into five categories, from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), called achievement levels.
The developmental scale score was introduced to track student progress over time and across grade levels. New student "growth" reports (started in 2002) include student scores reported as an achievement level, a scale score of 100 to 500, and as developmental scale scores. The FCAT developmental scores range from 0 to 3000 across Grades 3-10. By using FCAT developmental scores, parents con monitor their student's academic progress from one grade to the next.

The A+ school accountability program is designed to offer financial incentives to all Florida schools and to encourage students and teachers to attain higher standards. Providing financial resources is part of the task, of course, but sometimes student learning does not improve even though more money has been spent on education. This is why Florida has the A+ Plan and why the federal government has enacted the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Students, teachers, and school administrators can improve their performance if they have a clear understanding that their first obligation is academic achievement.

When using developmental scale scores to determine and interpret student "learning gains" across grade levels, subject areas, and school years, it is important to be aware of the following:

• Developmental scores are available only for FCAT Reading and Mathematics.
• Learning gains can be determined only for students in Grades 4-10 who have two years of FCAT data.
• Developmental score scales typically show large increases (more student growth) at lower grade levels and less (student growth) at the higher levels.
• Annual "growth" information should be considered within the total context of the student's annual academic record of achievement.
• Some students may show no "learning gains" based on two years of FCAT scores.
• Learning gains and achievement level scores across two years are not always concordant because of the different scaling methodologies from which they are derived.

Schools are responsible for teaching all students, regardless of their socioeconomic status. All student are capable of making adequate learning progress, and all schools are held to equally challenging performance standards.

26. What are the legal issues surrounding the FCAT? There are at least three clear issues regarding high-stakes tests like the FCAT:
(1) Students must have advance notification of the testing requirement.
(2) Students must have opportunities to retake the test if they initially earn a failing score.
(3) Students must be provided the opportunities to learn the skills being tested; therefore, schools must be able to demonstrate that the skills being tested are being taught, using evidence such as lesson plans, texts, and curricular offerings.

In the early 1970's, the statewide assessment of students in selected grades was authorized. In 1976, the Florida Legislature approved assessments in Grades 3, 5, 8, and 11, including the nation's first high school graduation test. Since then, the Legislature has continuously supported assessment and evaluation activities in the state's public school system. The purpose and design of the statewide assessment program is articulated in Section 1008.22, F.S., and the pupil progression plan is in Section 1008.25, F.S.

Accountability for student learning is the key focus of Florida's system of school improvement. Results from the statewide assessment program and the basis of Florida's system of school improvement and accountability. Student achievement data from the FCAT are used to report educational status and annual progress for individual students, schools, districts, and the State. The A+ school grades are based on the percent of students meeting high standards and the percent of students who make learning gains.

The No Child Left Behind legislation requires all states to report student achievement based on results of reading, mathematics, and writing statewide assessments and, also, high school graduation rates for all schools, districts, and the State. The AYP Report provides a breakdown of achievement test results for major racial groups, economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, and students with limited English proficiency. All groups must reach the annual proficiency target for their schools to make Adequate Yearly Progress.

The current cost of FCAT is $16.57 per student. This includes the cost for developing test questions, holding review meetings with Florida educators, field testing, production and printing tests, shipping and return of test materials, scoring, and reporting scores to parents, schools, districts, and the State. The cost of testing at all grades is less that one-third of one percent of the state's K-12 educational budget.