FCAT Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test What is it????

General Information n Dates: April 22-26, 2014 n Reading: 2 days of passages of up to 700 words from various genres (fiction, non- fiction, informational, instructional, poetry, reference and research, etc.) n A third grade student MUST obtain a Level 2 or higher to be promoted to fourth grade. This is based on law (No Child Left Behind)

What Will be Tested? n There are reading standards that are determined by the Florida Department of Education to be included in the FCAT. They are called the Reading Benchmarks. n What are the Reading Benchmarks?

The Reading Benchmarks n Vocabulary n Authors Purpose and Perspective n Main Idea n Chronological Order n Cause and Effect n Relevant Supporting Details n Text Structures/ Organizational Patterns n Theme/ Topic

The Reading Benchmarks ( continued ) n Compare and Contrast n Elements of Story Structure n Figurative Language n Text Features n Informational Text

How Can You Help Your Child? n Consistent attendance and arriving on time to school is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!!! n Supervise home learning. n Teach your child best practice test taking strategies. *(underlining, etc) n Be involved in your childs reading habits. (This includes library visits, guided reading, visiting suggested reading websites.)

Suggested Websites & Tools n FCAT Explorer/Focus n Ticket to Read (Must be purchased) n Florida Achieves is a link on n Florida Department of Education has retired FCAT passages n A direct link to FCAT questions is n Successmaker is an in-school reading computer program n Google "reading comprehension + third grade reading passages n Purchase reading comprehension practice materials at Teacher Tools, Ace Educational and on the Internet

3 rd Grade Mathematics

n Measures- Assess students performance of grade- level benchmarks in form of multiple choice questions ranging from low, moderate, and high complexity. n Duration of test -Administered on two days for a total of 140 minutes. n Length of test- Ranges between items. n Items needed- School will provide each student with a ruler and pencil(s). n Number: Operations, Problems and Statistics are 50 %; Geometry and Measurements, 30%; and fractions, 20% of the total FCAT Math Test.

How can you help your child n n Go to for 3 rd grade sample problems. n n Provide your child with a quiet working area and supplies to complete home learning assignments. n n Allow your child to use the computer to complete RiverDeep, TenMarks, Reflex Math (for multiplication) and other fun math websites. n n Monitor and allow your child to sign on to their student portal to access Mega Math from their online math textbook.

Thank you for coming!!