Apr 25, 2007 2:16 pm US/Eastern
Most FCAT Writing Scores Are Up Over Last Years
Nearly 2 Million Students Take The Test
Reading, Math, & Science Results To Be Released In Mid-May
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MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Congratulations to all 4th, 8th, and 10th graders across the state who took the 2007 FCAT writing tests. The results are in, and most grades showed an improvement, especially in South Florida where Broward 4th, 8th, 10th graders, and 4th graders in Miami Dade outperformed the rest of the state.
The FCAT Writing tests included the traditional essay scores and the newer Writing+ scale scores. An essay score of 3.5 is the standard used in the grading of schools.
For Florida 4th graders, 78 percent of students scored 3.5 and above, an increase from 76 percent last. The average essay score remained the same as last year's at 3.9.
About 86 percent of Broward fourth-graders and 82 percent of Miami-Dade fourth-graders scored at least a 3.5 out of 6 on the essay portion of the writing test.
For the state's 8th graders, 86 percent of students scored 3.5 and above, an increase from 83 percent last year. Broward students at this grade scored a 90 percent, while students in Miami Dade were slight below the state average with 84 percent.
As for the state's 10th grade, 79 percent of students scored 3.5 and above, a slight increase from 78 percent last. Broward 10th graders matched the state average, but Miami Dade was off by 2 points at 77 percent.
Nearly two million Florida students in the third through eleventh grades took the test.
In the 4th Grade, 60 percent of students scored at or above grade level on writing skills. Only 45 percent of 8th graders scored at or above grade level on writing skills, and just about half - 49 percent - of 10th graders scored at or above grade level on writing skills.
When it came to the combined score of essay and multiple choice questions, which can range from 100 to 500, the state's 4th and 10th graders showed an improvement.
For 4th graders, the average scale score was 302, which is up six score points from 296 last year. 8th graders scored on average 291, down 4 points from the 295 scored last year, and 10th graders came in with an average scale score is 296, up one score point from 295 last year.
The class of 2010, or students who are in ninth grade this school year will be required to earn a passing score of 300 or higher on the FCAT Writing+ in order to graduate from high school. Although this requirement does not affect this year's tenth graders, 49 percent of them met this passing standard.
The FCAT scores for reading, math and science will be made available in mid May. The reading and math tests are given to students in 3rd through 10th grades.
The test decides whether a student can move to the next grade or graduate. It gauges students' understanding of Sunshine State Standards, which are the benchmarks of what students should know at each grade level.
For third-graders who don't score high enough on the reading exam, it can mean repeating the grade if their class work is also below grade level. They have an opportunity to go on to fourth grade if they pass a summer reading class and score high enough on a national reading exam.
For high school students who don't pass, it means not graduating with a regular diploma. They have six opportunities to pass the exam while they're in school and unlimited opportunities after they have finished high school.
This year marks the first time that teachers' bonuses will be tied to their students' individual learning gains.
In addition, schools receive letter grades based on the students' test scores.
The release of the writing results comes just one day after the Florida Department of Education issued a warning to parents about an imposter FCAT parent network Web site. The site looks like the department's official network, which allows parents to view their student's FCAT scores.
The mock site is known as an imposter domain, which redirects visitors to site with advertisements and paid links.
The department has sent out a letter to schools, warning parents of the threat.
When accessing your child's results, parents are advised to check the spelling of the Web address and make sure it's spelled correctly.
To access FCAT results, parents should log on to
www.fcatparentnetwork.com, and use the login and password provided by your child's school.
You can also get more information on the official FCAT website at
www.fcat.fldoe.org.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
