The initial FCAT began in 1998 as part of Florida's effort to raise state standards in student achievement. Testing using the FCAT 2.0 begins during the 2010-11 school year for reading and math. FCAT 2.0 science assessment begins in 2012; the writing assessment has been dropped in FCAT 2.0. What effect did the FCAT have on raising Florida's academic standards? How can the FCAT 2.0 expect to compare against the old exam, and why was the writing assessment dropped from version 2.0? The Florida Department of Education provides researchers informational studies and reports regarding FCAT data on the department's website. This information would greatly aid any researcher looking to answer these questions in a comparative study of these two exams.
The Next Generation Sunshine State Standards -- NGSSS -- was created through a collaborative effort from teachers across Florida's school districts. Implemented in 2007, the NGSSS has been the standard teachers have been using in their classrooms since then. The switch to the FCAT 2.0 is designed to measure how the new standards are working in educating Florida's youth. The "Success Measures" website was created by the Florida Department of Education as a means to educate parents and students on what differentiates the old SSS with the new NGSSS. Using this tool, a researcher could determine how the new standards could influence education in Florida, and what areas of study the new standards seeks to strengthen in students.
The FCAT Explorer website is an interactive learning tool for parents and students looking to improve test scores in reading, math and science. Students must achieve a minimum score on the FCAT to meet Sunshine State Standards and graduate from their current grade. Students who need to strengthen their knowledge of core subjects can use the Explorer's practice tests and interactive games to gain a better understanding of the material. Researchers who compared how students who used the Explorer fared on the FCAT, versus students who only used knowledge learned in the classroom, could determine the value of the website and determine areas in need of improvement.
Budget cuts forced the elimination of the FCAT Parent Network, that had previously allowed parents to immediately view their child's test results as soon as they were available online. Exam results will now be mailed to the school districts, but parents will have to request to see their child's scores. How will this lack of transparency effect parents understanding of their child's performance on the FCAT? Do the number of parents who check their child's score decrease under the new system, versus the old? Does parental involvement suffer because of this new policy? These are just some of the questions a researcher could examine regarding the FCAT.