1. September 23, 2004
        1. MEMORANDUM

 
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
 
S
  
TATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
 
F. PHILIP HANDY,
Chairman
 
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Vice Chairman
 
 
Members
 
LINDA J. EADS, ED.D.
 
CHARLES PATRICK GARCÍA
 
JULIA L. JOHNSON
 
WILLIAM L. PROCTOR, PH.D.
  
 
LINDA K. TAYLOR
 
 
John L. Winn
Commissioner of Education
 
  
 
 
 
October 13, 2004
 
 
MEMORANDUM
 
TO:
 
  
District School Superintendents
 
FROM:
Jeanine Blomberg, Deputy Chief of Staff
  
  
Jim Warford, Chancellor, K-12 Public Schools
 
SUBJECT:
Change in the Administration of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
(FCAT) in Science from Grade 10 to Grade 11
 
This memorandum is to announce that the Science FCAT previously given to Grade 10 students
will now be administered to Grade 11 students effective this school year.
 
As you are aware, in 1999, the Florida Legislature added science as a content area to be assessed
on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) (1008.22(3)(c) F.S.). Since that time,
the Department of Education has worked to develop an appropriate assessment of the science
content specified in the Sunshine State Standards (SSS). You may recall that the original 1999
legislation specified that the assessment be given at grades 4, 8, and 10, but as the program was
being developed, the Department recommended and the Legislature agreed that the assessment
should be given in grades 5, 8, and 10. The rationale for this decision was to permit a full
assessment of all science content at the end of the elementary grades (grade 5).
 
The Department is in the process of implementing the full science assessment and accountability
program, and this year will identify five levels of achievement expectations (achievement levels)
for FCAT Science. As part of this process, we met with teams of science teachers and
administrators in January 2004 to review the content being assessed and draft descriptions of on-
grade level achievement. As soon as hurricane-scheduling adjustments permit, we will again
JEANINE BLOMBERG
Deputy Chief of Staff
 
325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 1502 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0437 • www.fldoe.org
 

 
 
  
District School Superintendents
October 13, 2004
Page 2
 
meet with teams of teachers and administrators to recommend the achievement levels for
science in grades 5 and 8. Then, beginning in June 2006, the Department will report FCAT
Science scores by achievement levels and will add science to the school grading system in
June 2007. This schedule will also ensure our compliance with the No Child Left Behind
legislative requirement for a science assessment at elementary, middle, and high school by
2007-08.
 
At the meeting in January, the high school educators struggled to describe “on-grade level”
science achievement for tenth graders. Their major concern was that the content that could
be described as “on-grade level” for all students in grade 10 was too limited. Science
educators in Florida believe that students need to learn more high school science content than
can be expected by grade 10. Students have not completed a full series of science courses by
the tenth grade and many have not even taken high school biology. Because FCAT was
designed to assess the full range of content in Florida’s science standards, the test includes
content from the full range of science courses including biological, chemical, physical, and
earth/space sciences, and the scientific process. After much discussion and lengthy
deliberations, the high school educators recommended that the Department move the high
school assessment from grade 10 to grade 11.
 
In order to implement this recommendation without delaying the timelines the Legislature
has planned for school accountability in science, the Department has taken the following
intermediate steps. Last April we conducted a study to determine if the FCAT test items
developed for grade 10 could be used at grade 11. We gave FCAT Science to a sample of
students in grade 11 and compared the subsequent grade 11 item statistics to the grade 10
item statistics. The results of this study indicate that an acceptable grade 11 test could be
built using existing data from the items developed and field tested for grade 10. This is good
news because it means the test can be given at grade 11 without additional field testing. It
also means that in 2004-05 we could collect the baseline data we need to establish “on-grade
level” science expectations for high school students.
 
In addition, we are planning to administer the high school portion of FCAT Science to grade
11 students in the spring of 2005 in order to collect baseline data that can be utilized in the
near future for accountability decisions. The Department is convinced that this is the best
instructional decision that can be made to improve the teaching and learning of rigorous
science content in Florida. While we could assess students at both grades 10 and 11 this year,
this decision would involve both unnecessary testing and expense. In fact, it would cost
approximately 1.2 million more dollars to test both grade levels; however, we can switch the
tested grade to 11 without any additional expense.
 
The FCAT Science assessment at grade 10 is not one of the requirements for high school
graduation, but it is included in the A+ school grading system. In making this decision now,
we will be able to incorporate high school science into the A+ school accountability system
on the same schedule as planned for grades 5 and 8. In addition, we can expect more
rigorous course preparation prior to taking the high school FCAT Science. Conversely, a

 
 
  
District School Superintendents
October 13, 2004
Page 3
 
decision to continue testing at grade 10 could result in lower expectations for student
achievement in science.
 
  
If you have questions concerning this decisi
on, please contact Dr. Laura Melvin at 850/245-
0513 or laura.melvin@fldoe.org. More specific information concerning the administration of
the Grade 11 Science FCAT will be sent to your district coordinator of assessment.
 
We appreciate your cooperation in implementing this change and your support in making this
transition a smooth one.
 
JB/JW/co:kj

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