FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
     
    S
      
    TATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
     
    T. WILLARD FAIR,
    Chairman
    Members
    DONNA G. CALLAWAY
    DR. AKSHAY DESAI
    ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
    PHOEBE RAULERSON
    KATHLEEN SHANAHAN
    LINDA K. TAYLOR
     
    Jeanine Blomberg
    Commissioner of Education
     
     
      
     
      
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    MEMORANDUM
      
     
     
    TO:
    District School Superintendents
     
    FROM:
    Jeanine Blomberg, Commissioner of Education
     
    DATE:
    August 14, 2007
     
    SUBJECT:
    2007-08 and 2008-09 Statewide Assessment Schedules
     
    On behalf of the Florida Department of Education (DOE), I would like to thank you and everyone
    in your district for helping make the 2006-07 assessment administration season successful.
    Each year, we implement changes based on your feedback and will continue to review your
    ideas and suggestions in order to improve future administrations.
     
    The DOE is pleased to announce an update to the 2007-08 assessment schedule that was
    provided originally in a DOE memorandum issued on August 25, 2006. When the schedule was
    originally announced, it was necessary to consider the impact of the date of the 2008
    Presidential Primary on the testing calendar. Recent legislative action has resulted in an earlier
    Florida primary, making it an unnecessary consideration when scheduling the spring
    assessments. Feedback solicited from districts indicated overwhelming support for revising the
    official FCAT Reading, Mathematics, and Science schedule to begin on Tuesday, March 11,
    2008, rather than Wednesday, March 12, 2008. Please share this updated schedule with
    schools and community groups in your district as soon as possible. We know that this
    information is important for future planning; however, please recognize that occasionally factors
    over which the DOE has no control may impact testing schedules.
     
    The dates for the 2007-08 test administrations are shown below, and the dates for 2008-09 are
    shown in parentheses. The following schedule will allow for spring results to be provided in late
    May:
     
    •
     
    Fall FCAT Reading and Mathematics Retake Tests
    – Districts have selected either
    the week of
    September 24 – 28, 2007
    ,
    OR
    the week of
    October 1 – October 5, 2007
     
    for the Fall 2007 FCAT Retake administration.
     
    (2008-09 dates: October 6 – October 10, 2008,
    OR
    October 13 – October 17, 2008)
     
    325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 414 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0513 • www.fldoe.org
    District School Superintendents
    August 14, 2007
    Page 2
     
    •
     
    FCAT Writing+ Test
    – Grades 4, 8, and 10 students will participate in FCAT Writing+ on
    February 12 - 15, 2008
    (includes make-up testing). Grade 4 will respond to a prompt on
    the first day and participate in the two multiple-choice sessions on the second day;
    Grades 8 and 10 will take all sessions on the first day.
    (2008-09 dates: February 10 – 13, 2009)
     
    •
     
    FCAT SSS Reading, Mathematics, and Science Tests
    – All testing for Grades 3 – 11
    will occur during the ten-day testing period of
    March 11 – March 24, 2008
    . Make-up
    testing and Retakes are also administered during this time.
    (2008-09 dates: March 10 – March 23, 2009)
     
    •
     
    FCAT Norm-Referenced Tests (NRT)
    – The NRT is given during the same period,
    March 11 – March 24, 2008
    , as the SSS tests. Districts may choose NRT
    administration day(s) within this period that do not conflict with SSS testing. Although
    DOE approval is not required for scheduling the NRT administration, the DOE must be
    notified of the proposed NRT testing schedule for each district.
    (2008-09 dates: March 10 – March 23, 2009)
     
    •
     
    Summer FCAT Reading and Mathematics Retake Tests
    – Districts will administer the
    Summer 2008 FCAT Retake either the week of
    June 16 – 20, 2008
    ,
    OR
    June 23 – 27, 2008
    .
    (2008-09 dates: June 15 – 19, 2009,
    OR
    June 22 – 26, 2009)
     
     
    The
    NAEP
    assessment will be administered to a sample of students in Grades 4, 8, and 12
    throughout the state. If schools in your district are selected for participation, you will be notified
    of the schedule by the Florida NAEP Coordinator, Michele Sonnenfeld. Although some NAEP
    assessments are scheduled in January and February, they will not conflict with FCAT
    administrations.
     
    Attached to this memorandum, you will find the revised 2007-08 schedule, as well as the
    anticipated calendar for 2008-09.
     
    If you have questions or concerns regarding testing schedules, please contact Victoria Ash,
    Director of K-12 Assessment Administration, at 850.245.0513 (SunCom 205.0513) or at
    Victoria.Ash@fldoe.org. Questions relating to NAEP should be directed to Michele Sonnenfeld
    at 850.245.0787 (SunCom 205.0787) or at Michele.Sonnenfeld@fldoe.org.
     
     
    C: Assistant Superintendents for Instruction
    District Coordinators of Assessment
    District Coordinators of Accountability
     

    Back to top