Some scores are up and others down, but Florida students again are above average in all grades on reading and math tests used in national comparisons, according to results released Tuesday. ...more

May 28, 2008

SEBRING (AP) — Highlands County ranked above national averages but trailed statewide on reading and math tests used in national comparisons, according to results released Tuesday. The norm-referenced tests are given along with the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. But only the FCAT is used to grade schools and as a requirement for high school graduation and promotion from the third to fourth grades. State education officials last week released results from both tests for third-grade students. The remaining FCAT scores will not be released until at least next week. ...more

May 27, 2008

TEMPLE TERRACE - Greco Middle School seventh-grader Jeremy Montez was known for finding trouble. The 14-year-old said he often blew off schoolwork and got into fights. That was until he became a man of vision. Greco started the Men of Vision and Promise group this year. It targets male students who have had discipline problems and struggled with their classwork. ...more

May 27, 2008

TEMPLE TERRACE - Some Witter Elementary students rode to lunch in style last week in celebration of their FCAT scores. Sixty-five students were treated to a limousine ride and lunch at the Golden Corral as part of the school's Four or More Club. Students who scored a 4 or 5, the highest scores possible, on the writing portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test are part of the club. ...more

May 27, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - Pasco County third-graders showed improvement in FCAT scores for reading and math, but their math scores still lag behind the state average. ...more

May 22, 2008

Helping make Florida affordable again and restoring the state's economy were the top priorities this year for the House of Representatives. The budget problems we're experiencing in Tallahassee are a symptom of a slowing economy nationwide, not just in Florida. ...more

May 19, 2008

TAMPA PALMS - Most area schools had a majority of their students pass this year's FCAT writing test, with eighth-graders bringing in some of the highest scores. The state Department of Education recently released 2008 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test writing scores. Hillsborough County eighth-graders averaged the highest score in the state. The district earned a 4.6 combined score out of a possible 6. The state average was 4.2. In the Northeast area, the USF Charter School was the only school at which more than half of its students didn't earn a passing score on the test. But the school did see improvement this year, going from 41 percent of students passing in 2007 to 45 percent of students passing in 2008. ...more

May 8, 2008

The Miami Herald's analysis probably said it best: The big winners in the new state budget are prison builders; the big losers are public schools. ...more

May 6, 2008

Don't Kill The Messenger Regarding "Frustrating Challenge Agonizes Teachers" (Commentary, Feb. 3): ...more

February 10, 2008

Welcome to FCAT-land. Across the district, Hernando County public school officials are pumping students up with motivational cheers, reminding children of test-taking rules and gearing up for the most important, high-stakes test of the season: the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, set to begin Tuesday. ...more

February 8, 2008