Last night the 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade teachers met with a small group of parents to talk about the challenges coming up this year with FCAT. As you know, the State of Florida uses the results of the state -wide FCAT test to measure student success and to grade schools.
This year the FCAT will be changing again, creating new challenges for our students. Of particular note, the Florida Writes - 4th Grade writing test and 5ht Grade Math. The scoring of the writing test changed last year leading to a revision of the passing score. This year we anticipate that the passing score will go back up to 4 on the 6 Point Rubric. This year the 5th Grade Math test will be taken on computer for the first time. Our 5th graders will need a lot of practice using computers so that they are comfortable with them before the test. We want to make sure that their FCAT measures what they know and can do in Math, not their computer skills.
For all of our students, we want to focus on reading every day, reading challenging books and developing the stamina to read long passages without getting tired. One challenge we have found at all grade levels is that students get weary before they finish the test. Just like any other task, when you are tired, you do not perform well. Our challenge in math is to develop fluency with their math facts and processes. We find that students who have to count on their fingers or count marks on a paper do not have the time to finish the test.
The teachers provided information about how the students are doing based on the benchmark tests we have taken and also provided parents with information about programs to help the students develop the skills they need. If you were not able to attend last night, please contact your child's teacher for the information. We want all of our Dolphins to be successful this year.
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