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NEW FCAT 2.0 EXPECTED TO IMPACT SCHOOL PERFORMANCE GRADES MIAMI – The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) is expected to release the school performance grades for the 2012 administration of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) as early as this week. In recent years, Miami-Dade’s public schools and students have made remarkable gains on the FCAT. However, last year the FLDOE transitioned from FCAT to FCAT 2.0 using a newly-adapted assessment. The FCAT 2.0 measures new standards that have been used for the past two years. In addition, the State has developed a new formula for grading schools. Based on all these changes, school performance grades are expected to drop this year. Although school grades are expected to decline, FCAT results for this year demonstrate that Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ (M-DCPS) students are making progress on the new standards and teachers are doing an exceptional job as student performance has improved markedly. This fact is also supported by student performance on national assessments such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress – Trial Urban District Assessment (NAEP-TUDA). Also M-DCPS has been recognized for the fifth time as a Broad Prize finalist for progress in closing the achievement gap among students. A comparison of M-DCPS’s 2011 FCAT and 2012 FCAT 2.0 scores shows that mathematics scores improved at all grade levels tested. In reading there were substantial increases in the percent of higher scoring students at five of the eight grade levels tested. Since these scores showed improvement, the natural expectation would be a corresponding increase in school performance grades. However, with the new FCAT 2.0 standards, some schools may see a decline. The FCAT changes come at a pivotal time as FCAT results for the past four years demonstrate a trend of significant student academic achievement and improvement in Miami-Dade. School district officials liken the move to the new FCAT 2.0 to training for and running a marathon then switching courses midway in the race. # # # 012-JJS/419/TR |
