The New FCAT 2.0 Season Begins Monday

April 10, 2011

Students in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties will get their first look at  FCAT 2.0 on Monday.

The Florida Department of Education is transitioning from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) to the FCAT 2.0, to align with new student academic content standards.

The FCAT 2.0 will measure student achievement of the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS) in reading, mathematics, and science, in place of the Sunshine State Standards.

As FCAT 2.0 assessments are phased in, they will replace existing FCAT assessments. The transition to FCAT 2.0 begins this year with the reading and mathematics assessments and will be complete when the FCAT 2.0 science assessments are administered in 2012 (grades 5 and 8).

This year, students enrolled in grades 3-10 will participate in FCAT 2.0 Reading, and students enrolled in grades 3-8 will participate in FCAT 2.0 Mathematics.

  • All FCAT 2.0 Reading and Mathematics assessments will be administered in two 70-minute sessions, with a break in the middle of each session.
  • FCAT 2.0 Reading assessments consist of multiple-choice items only.
  • FCAT 2.0 Mathematics assessments consist of multiple-choice items and gridded-response items in grades 4-8, and multiple-choice items only in grade 3.
  • Students in grades 3 and 4 will receive a ruler to use during Session 2 of FCAT 2.0 Mathematics, students in grades 7 and 8 will receive a hand-held FCAT four-function calculator to use during the Mathematics sessions, and students in grades 5-8 will receive FCAT 2.0 reference sheets to use during the Mathematics sessions.

FCAT 2.0 testing will be conducted April 11-22 according to the following schedule:

  • Monday, April 11
    • Grades 3-4 and 6-10 Reading (Session 1)
    • Grade 5 Mathematics (Session 1)
  • Tuesday, April 12
    • Grades 3-4 and 6-10 Reading (Session 2)
    • Grade 5 Mathematics (Session 2)
  • Wednesday, April 13
    • Grades 3 and 4 Mathematics (Session 1)
    • Grade 5 Reading (Session 1)
    • Grades 6-8 Mathematics (Sessions 1 and 2)
  • Thursday, April 14
    • Grades 3 and 4 Mathematics (Session 2)
    • Grade 5 Reading (Session 2)

For a more detailed Escambia County FCAT 2.0 schedule, click here.

Comments

6 Responses to “The New FCAT 2.0 Season Begins Monday”

  1. donna strand on April 12th, 2011 5:14 pm

    FCAT has brought a MUCH needed accountability for teachers and students!!! The teaching occuring in classrooms now, compared to 10 years ago, is MUCH MORE effective and engaging…with every year getting better!! (and I SEE it first hand as a resource teacher for many years) Teachers, that are effective, do NOT teach the test. NO! What the FCAT has promoted and is accomplishing is actual learning and higher order thinking – and teachers that have effectively changed and/or honed their teaching style to insure this. Children – ALL children- are learning because the teacher is now accountable for ALL of his/her students to make gains. Are there better ways? Maybe…but what are they? To make a teacher strive for EVERY student to aquire the objectives being taught is a MUST! Prior to the FCAT, many classrooms were filled with “fluff” (fun stuff with no plan or learning purpose) and “say and spray” (information stated “say”…and only some students acquiring it “spray” – the rest of the students missed it! Oh well! No accountability…who cares if they “got it”!).
    No, FCAT may not be perfect, but as any EFFECTIVE teacher will confidently state “Bring it on, I work effectively every day and MY students can prove it!”
    Good luck to all students and hard working teachers on the FCAT 2.0!!

  2. hannah nesenson on April 11th, 2011 6:54 pm

    yup the math session 1 is very easy to me

  3. whitepunknotondope on April 11th, 2011 11:44 am

    Well said Julie. If more kids rode their bikes all over creation, played in the dirt and took fewer tests, the world would be a better place.

    But we can’t let them do that, because the evil children of Korea, China and India might GET THE GOOD JOBS one day! Then our little Johnnys and Julies (or Dakotas and Kaitlyns) will be flipping burgers for foreign born customers! The horror!

  4. Julie Booth-Moran on April 10th, 2011 10:39 pm

    Good luck to all students! Don’t sweat it! Just do ur best!
    Pulling for you all.

  5. Charles Crumpton on April 10th, 2011 4:40 pm

    It is time to say no to FCAT. Testing is not educating. We are using much need funds to make the test companies rich.

  6. Sarah Jane on April 10th, 2011 8:48 am

    Good Luck to everyone at Molino Park …… We are proud of each of you shoot for the stars …..

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News