If you live in Florida and have children that attend public school, the FCAT's (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) is part of public school testing. The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test® (FCAT) is part of Florida's overall plan to increase student achievement by implementing higher standards. The FCAT, administered to students in Grades 3-11, consists of criterion-referenced tests (CRT) in mathematics, reading, science, and writing, which measure student progress toward meeting the Sunshine State Standards (SSS) benchmarks.
The Sun-Sentinel reports Education experts say the drop-off can be attributed to many things - a progressively more difficult test, students' backgrounds and a decreased focus on teaching students to read in upper grades.
Then there are the distractions, such as playing video games or connecting with friends on Facebook.
The numbers tell the story. Only four of Broward's 32 high schools had at least 75 percent of students reading at grade level in the past five years, according to a Sun Sentinel analysis of FCAT reading scores. That's compared with 98 of 140 elementary and 23 of 41 middle schools.
Overall in Broward, 37 percent of 10th-graders and 57 percent of eighth-graders scored a 3 or higher on last year's state reading test. Broward's eighth-graders performed slightly higher than the statewide average of 54 percent, while 10th-graders mirrored the statewide figures.
Parents need to get involved. They need to learn how to set boundaries and simply unplug from the distractions. Struggling students also might have a problem getting motivated to take tests, parents need to encourage their children and help them to understand the importance of education.
Source: Sun-Sentinel
Be an educated parent, you will have successful teens!
Comments
I run a non-profit organization dedicated to filling the gap you mention in this article. The organization is called PS Youth Outreach Center, Inc. While we at PS Youth focus on FCAT and SAT/NNAT preparation, we also focus on homework completion and comprehension. We have seen growth in all our students. PS Youth is also planning a Summer Camp which will also foster educational growth and retention during the summer months as well as incorporate some fun, educational activities. Our one-on-one tutoring rate is very low, in comparison to other tutoring and private educational services. Facebook and gaming are distractions, parents do need to set boundaries, but realistically, sometimes, they cannot do it all... that is where we come in. (We are approved by FDOE and the School Board of Broward County.) To find out more about our services, visit www.psyouth.org or call 954-358-0625. Thank you, fellow Examiner, for this worthwhile article...
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