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

3. 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)

4. 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?

5. 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

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

7. 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.)

8. Suggested Websites & Tools n FCAT Explorer/Focus www.fcatexplorer.com www.fcatexplorer.com n Ticket to Read www.tickettoread.com (Must be purchased) www.tickettoread.com n Florida Achieves is a link on www.fcatexplorer.com www.fcatexplorer.com n Florida Department of Education http://fcat.fldoe.org/fcat/ has retired FCAT passages http://fcat.fldoe.org/fcat/ n A direct link to FCAT questions is http://fcat.flodoe.org/fcatsmpl.asp http://fcat.flodoe.org/fcatsmpl.asp 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

9. 3 rd Grade Mathematics

10. 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 50-55 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.

11. How can you help your child n n Go to http://fcat.fldoe.org/fcatsmpl.asp for 3 rd grade sample problems.http://fcat.fldoe.org/fcatsmpl.asp 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.

12. Thank you for coming!!