- April 19, 2024
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This week, students in grades 3-11 have been taking the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.
The test began in 1998 as part of Florida’s overall plan to increase student achievement by implementing higher standards, according to fldoe.org.
The test is created to measure Sunshine State Standards benchmarks in mathematics, reading, science and writing.
Starting this school year, the state is beginning a transition from the FCAT to the FCAT 2.0 and Florida End-of-Course Assessments.
Schoolwide FCAT performance and learning-gain scores are used to calculate school grades at the end of the year.
In 2010, elementary- and middle-school grades were based 100% on FCAT.
High school grades were based 50% on FCAT scores, with the other half measuring graduation rate and accelerated coursework participation and performance.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
The following are samples of math and science questions from previous FCAT tests.
MATH
Fourth grade
1. The average temperature during January in Pensacola is 61° Fahrenheit. The average temperature during January in Miami is 76° Fahrenheit. Let d represent the difference between the average temperatures in Pensacola and Miami during January.
Which of the following expresses the difference between the average temperatures in Pensacola and Miami during January?
F. d = 76 + 61
G. d = 76 - 61
H. d = 76 x 61
I. d = 76 ÷ 61
Eighth grade
2. What is the value of the expression below?
4 + 8 ÷ 2 x 3
3. In a group of 30 people, 27 are right-handed and the others are left-handed. If one person is selected at random from this group, what is the probability that person will be left-handed? Write your answer as a decimal number or a fraction.
10th grade
4. A sphere has a surface area of 1,256 square meters. What is the radius of the sphere?
F. 10 meters
G. 20 meters
H. 100 meters
I. 200 meters
5. An ice chest contains four varieties of soda. There are five diet colas, 12 regular colas, nine ginger ales, and six root beers. If the diet colas and the regular colas are the only types of soda with caffeine, what is the probability that a soda selected randomly from the ice chest contains caffeine?
6. Kelly is training to run a marathon, which is a distance of approximately 26 miles. To prepare for the race, she runs 5 miles each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On each Thursday and Saturday, she runs 10 miles. She does not train on Sunday or Tuesday. At the end of four weeks of training, Kelly will have run the equivalent of how many marathons?
SCIENCE
10th grade
7. Earthquakes occur in many regions of the world. Why are there no major earthquakes in Florida?
A. Earthquakes cannot occur on a peninsula.
B. Florida is over a hot spot where no earthquakes occur.
C. Earthquakes cannot occur in limestone sedimentary rock.
D. There are no tectonic plate boundaries located near Florida.
8. When brown tree snakes were first introduced to the island of Guam, they had no natural predators. These snakes sought out and ate many of the eggs of insect-eating birds. What probably occurred after the introduction of the brown tree snakes?
F. The bird population increased.
G. The insect population increased.
H. The bird population began to seek a new food source.
I. The insect population began to seek a new food source.
9. Bats use high frequency sound waves to locate their prey and to navigate in the dark. As sound waves reflect off an object and back to the bat’s ears, the bat is able to determine the precise location of the prey.
Which technological advance was aided by studying how bats locate objects using sound waves?
F. 3-D computer modeling
G. Sonar navigation for submarines
H. X-rays for analyzing body structures
I. Night-vision goggles for military operations
Answer Key: 1. G; 2. 2/16 or equivalent; 3. 3/30 or equivalent; 4. F; 5. 17/32 or equivalent; 6. 5.38 marathons or equivalent; 7. D; 8. G; 9. G
