What's Tampa Bay Saying?

FCAT 2.0: Are Your Kids Stressed?

As testing continues in classrooms across the state we’re wondering how your kids are holding up.

Quiet campus signs have gone up at schools across the Tampa Bay area as FCAT testing in Florida continues through April 26. Testing this week focuses on math, reading and science for kids in grades 3 through 10. The FCAT 2.0 writing tests were administered back in February for kids in grades 4, 8 and 10. During the week of April 22, more math and reading exams will continue for kids in grades 5, 6 and 9, according to the Florida Department of Education's website. In some grades, failure of an FCAT might mean a child is barred from progressing to the next grade level – or worse – denied the ability to graduate. While there are workarounds to help kids left behind catch up to their classmates, the fact of the matter is the test is a high-…

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More Than Two Dozen Manatee Schools See Their Grades Drop

The state released elementary and middle schools grades today. Tougher grading on standardized tests led to drops in grades at many schools. Eleven local schools received D grades this year.

More than two dozen Manatee County District Schools saw their State school grades drop this year. Just 74 percent of Manatee District schools received an A, B or C this year. Last year 94 percent of schools received those grades. In total, 53 Manatee District elementary and middle schools received School Grades from the state today, of those 27 schools saw their grades drop. School Grades for high schools will be released later this year. The increased rigor of FCAT 2.0 and tougher scoring impacted School Grades across Florida. Manatee District results reflected the following: Five Manatee District schools did raise their School Grades this year compared to 2011, including Braden River Elementary and Buffalo Creek Middle, which both moved …

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