According to the Florida Department of Education, "the primary purpose of the FCAT, a criterion-referenced test, is to assess student achievement of the high-order thinking skills." The FCAT tests students' skills in a number of areas, depending on their grade levels, to assess students' knowledge in these areas.
The FCAT website reports that students need to have strong math and science skills to succeed in the workplace. In addition, they must have strong reading comprehension skills and writing abilities. The FCAT tests these skills and gives teachers, principals and administrators insight into how well students' skills are developing. Schools can use FCAT scores to learn what areas to focus on and what skills to develop in each classroom.
In the mid-1990s, a group of Florida teachers developed the Sunshine State Standards, which identify the math, science, reading and writing skills that students need to succeed. The FCAT determines whether students are properly learning these skills in the classroom. It tests whether students understand these basic Sunshine State Standards.
The FCAT also improves teaching in Florida classrooms. FCAT scores reveal what concepts students understand---and what concepts they struggle with. Teachers can focus their instruction on those areas that confuse students. In addition, they can work one-on-one with students who earned low FCAT scores.
The state of Florida uses FCAT scores to grade schools. According to the Florida Department of Education, school grades are a point system through which the school earns a point for each student who earns a high score on the FCAT. A high score means the student earned a 3, 4 or 5 in the reading, math and science sections of the FCAT. A high-scoring student also needs to earn at least a 3.5 on the writing section, which is on a 6-point scale. Based on this point value, Florida schools earn "A" through "F" ratings.