FLORIDA COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT TEST (FCAT)

Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT)

Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT)

The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) was a statewide student achievement test that Florida's students in grades 3 through 11 began taking in 1998. The Florida Department of Education used the tests to measure benchmarks in reading, writing, mathematics and science, set out in the state's Sunshine State Standards (SSS). Perhaps due to the many issues surrounding the FCAT, the state of Florida discontinued the test for the 2010 to 2011 school year and replaced it with the FCAT 2.0 (Hanushek, 1986).

The evolution of evaluation of the state of Florida began in 1972 with an assessment program that measures student acquisition of minimum competency skills. In October 1977, the state implemented this achievement test, prior legislative authorization. Test Florida Comprehensive Assessment is designed to assess how well students have met the standards of the Next Generation adopted by the State Board of Education (Hanushek, 1986).

These standards indicate what students are expected to know and be able to do at each grade level. FCAT Reading / Math / Science, from 11 to 21 April 2011, is administered to students in grades 3 er-10mo degree (Reading / Math) and 5 to, 8voand 11mo degree (Science). The Department of Education of Florida aim to introduce evidence End of Course (EOC) in the upper grades beginning with Algebra 1 in 2011.High school students have multiple opportunities and options to meet the FCAT requirement and can continue to take the test in the fall and spring after graduation. Once the requirement FCAT has achieved the Certificate of Completion of the graduates can upgrade to a Standard Diploma (Hanushek, 2006).

In exceptional education students (ESE) that participate in FCAT assessments are provided the accommodations (changes or adjustments to the procedures normal test) listed on the Individualized Education Plan (IEP). These accommodations do not alter what the test is measuring. The following types of accommodations are permitted for the FCAT: presentation, response, path, environment and technological assistance (Hanushek, 2006).

As students have the opportunity throughout their study re-take the exam, she has a positive impact on students' knowledge. Since the results are used in college admission, FCAT has practical implications. There is a positive correlation between student performance on the FCAT and other tests, therefore, student knowledge to make improvements. With the above factors, FCAT is to promote students success, and thus better prepares them for college. As testing programs are complex and vary with time, it is difficult to evaluate a specific program from open sources available. Thus, the real effectiveness of the test can only be evaluated on the basis of empirical research.

But there are issues with respect to The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) that need to be addressed in order to attain efficiency and effectiveness with respect to this system. Further the issues should be addressed for it to have long term sustainability as well as be able to achieve its prime target with which it was initially ...