The portion of Florida third graders who could be held back jumped to 18 percent this year as a result of low scores on the state’s rigorous new standardized reading exam, the Huffington Post reports. That figure represents 36,577 students who face possible retention — up from 32,429 last year, according to the Associated Press. Students must score a 2 or better on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which is graded on a 1 to 5 scale, to be promoted to the fourth grade. Students who fail have an opportunity for redemption on an alternative skills assessment, which could include a student work portfolio or summer courses. Across the state, 56 percent of third-graders passed the reading exam with a score of 3 or higher — officials were expecting students to score lower on the exams this year after the state raised the passing standard in December…
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Finally–schools to get long-delayed FCAT scores
According to South Florida News, South Florida school districts which have been waiting for results from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) will receive them late Monday or Tuesday, says the Florida Department of Education. However, parents and students will have to wait as much as a week longer before they get to see the long-delayed results. NCS Pearson, which administered the tests, told the Florida Board of Education in June that it had computer problems which delayed getting the results out on time. Under the contract, Pearson was supposed to release the first batch of results in April. The State Board of Education has also announced it is seeking $3 million from the company for not complying with their contract terms. According to the contract, the company could be fined up to $250,000 a day for each day the results are late. The total penalty cannot exceed $25.4 million…
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