The FCAT was created to measure a student's educational growth from grade to grade. It started in 1971, and grew with the national movement of No Child Left Behind to hold schools accountable for what is taught in class.
The FCAT is usually administered in February and March, however some schools in Florida will take it in April of this year, as well. Those results are released during the last week in May and over the summer months.
The writing portion of the FCAT consists of either a persuasive or expository essay. The reading, mathematics and science portion consists of a multiple choice portion. Some grades have short and extended paragraph responses. However, starting in 2010, they will be phasing that part out of some of the exams.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, the 2010 scores have shown gains from the past year. The increased learning scores made by students have been consistent with gains made since the inception of the exam.
With No Child Left Behind, schools are accountable to federal and state governments for the material that they teach. Schools use students' educational growth to measure how well students are learning the Sunshine State Standards.