 Welcome to TOES Third Grade Parent Night Navigating the FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test)

When Does 3 rd Grade Test? Reading: Monday, April 14 & Tuesday, April 15 Math: Wednesday, April 16 & Thursday, April 17 *All 4 tests sessions are 70 minutes long

What Makes Up the Test?  60% fiction, poetry, etc.  40% non-fiction  Comprehension  Vocabulary  Context clues, prefixes/suffixes, base words, etc.

What Does the Test Look Like?

What Are the Levels of Scoring for FCAT?  Level 5Mastery of most challenging content  Level 4Above satisfactory level  Level 3Satisfactory level  Level 2Below satisfactory level  Level 1Inadequate level of success

What Do the Results Look Like?

When & How Do We Get the Results?  Typically at the end of May  A phone call for Reading Level 1 scores  Letter with child’s score comes home the day we get results

Third Grade Promotion  In January of 2003, the Florida Legislature passed a law requiring third graders to meet the State of Florida’s expectations in reading to be promoted to fourth grade.

What is the Criteria for Promotion?  Students must score a Level 2 or higher on the Sunshine State Standards Reading section of the FCAT.

What Happens if My Child Scores a Level 1?  Good Cause Portfolio  Good Cause Exemptions  Extended School Year (ESY) & SAT 10  Retention

What are Good Cause Exemptions?  Student with disabilities (IEP or 504), who received 2 yrs. intensive reading remediation AND 1 grade retention  Student w/ 2yrs. intensive reading remediation AND 2 grade retentions  LEP with less than 2 years in an ESOL program  Students with disabilities, whose IEP indicates participation in FCAT is inappropriate

What is ESY & SAT 10?  SAT 10 at the end of the year  Extended School Year & take SAT 10 at the end

How Can I Help My Child With Reading?  Read every day for stamina and fluency  Ask comprehension questions and have your child ask you questions  Practice reading multisyllabic words (longer words)  Discuss word meanings  FCAT Explorer

* What Do You Mean by Comprehension?  Ask literal questions (the answer can be found on the page)  Ask inferential questions (requires the student to “infer” the answer by thinking about what he/she has read)  Summarize and retell the story as you read

* How Can My Child Practice Comprehension?  In addition to asking…  Who, What, When, Where  Characters, Setting, Problem, Solution  Ask higher level questions…  Inferential questions (Why?)  Compare & contrast  Cause & Effect  Author’s purpose  Text features & structure

* Check out FCAT Explorer!

At home and at school our students need…  Increased time reading text  Access to books including a variety of genres  Time to independently read  Place to independently read  Ability to sustain reading for periods of 30 – 40 minutes  Read an on level chapter book a week

How Can I Prepare My Child For the FCAT?  Relax  Good night’s sleep  Breakfast  Stay Positive  School on time

 We, the family of Trinity Oaks Elementary School, are dedicated to working together to create a safe, and nurturing learning environment. By empowering and celebrating our students, we foster academic, social, and emotional growth. We embrace this responsibility as a community. Questions? Thank you for coming tonight and for all you do to support your child’s education!