This spring, Florida students will take a brand new test tied to the state’s new math, reading and writing standards. This is the test that replaces the FCAT. It’s known as the Florida Standards Assessment, and it’ll be online. What’s on the test won’t be the only thing different about the exam. Students will also […]
Common Core driving school races
It’s a hot topic this political season. The Common Core education standards were discussed in campaign forums and meet-and-greets. Some school board candidates have promised to expel them from Florida if elected. So, too, have some congressional candidates and state House and Senate hopefuls. Whether they will succeed, as voters head to the polls today […]
New survey shows Common Core support declining
Public support for Common Core, the education standards heavily supported by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, has suffered as more people learn about it, according to a new survey. While 80 percent of Americans have heard about Common Core, 60 percent oppose requiring teachers to use the standards to guide instruction, the survey by PDK/Gallup […]
More Schools Earn Failing Grades As Florida Prepares For Common Core Switch
More Florida elementary and middle schools earned an F rating this year, according to preliminary public school grades released Friday. But the number of schools earning the state’s highest rating also increased this year. “The increase in the number of schools earning an ‘A’ this year is great news for students and teachers who have […]
New FSA to replace FCAT
ST. PETERSBURG — Parents, teachers and public school officials are getting their first look at the new Florida Standards Assessment, and some are concerned with what they see. The Florida Department of Education unveiled a new website this week containing practice tests, test summaries, testing policies and administrator information about the FSA, which replaces the […]
Check Out The Practice Questions For The New FCAT Replacement
The Florida Department of Education has released practice questions for the new assessments that will replace the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test next year. The tests, which are aligned to the new Common Core-based Florida Standards, are available at the Florida Standards Assessments website. Some questions are similar to what students might have seen on the […]
Florida unveils new but unfinished test to replace the FCAT
Forget the FCAT. Think FSA instead. Florida’s 15-year-old test officially gave way Monday to the Florida Standards Assessment, with the launch of a new website that gives a first look at the state’s new accountability exams. “We wanted parents and students and teachers to see the different types of questions there might be,” said Vince […]
Tampa Bay Times – Editorial: Listen to Gates on testing timetable
Bill Gates knows a thing or two about product development. So when the Microsoft billionaire’s foundation recommends that states wait at least two years before assigning high-stakes consequences to new Common Core State Standards testing schemes, Tallahassee should listen. Maintaining Florida’s already discredited school grading scheme simply for continuity’s sake makes no sense. A change […]
2014 Florida Statewide Assessment Scores
2014 Florida Statewide Assessment Scores Reading Statewide Comparison of Reading Scores (PDF, 89KB) State and District Scores for All Curriculum Groups Grade 3 (Excel, 52KB) School Scores for All Curriculum Groups Grade 3 (Excel, 512KB) Mathematics Statewide Comparison of Mathematics Scores (PDF, 88KB) State and District Scores for All Curriculum Groups Grade 3 (Excel, 50KB) […]
Test scores show little improvement statewide as FCAT’s final chapter nears
Florida schools received the first scores from the state’s final round of FCAT testing on Friday, showing little overall improvement from 2013. Third-graders, who can be held back a year if they score at the lowest level in reading, had the same 57 percent proficiency rate in reading as a year ago. Nineteen percent, or […]