Report Finds Florida Relies Too Heavily on FCAT

Dec 17, 2007

After last year's FCAT showed a drop in third grade reading scores, the Florida State Board of Education hired the Buros Center for Testing to determine whether the test was flawed. The resulting report validated the results of the 2006 test but went beyond its mandate to criticize the state's over-reliance on the FCAT.

CIVIC expert Dr. Sherman Dorn, a professor in the USF Department of Education and an historian of education policy, has previously offered a similar critique of Florida's accountability system. Watch the video below to hear his comments on the Buros report and on the current discussion about changing high school FCATs to an end-of-course exam system, similar to the New York Regents exams.

To Learn More:

Read the full report from the Buros Center.

Miami Herald: Florida Relies Too Heavily On FCAT

Palm Beach Post: Study Gives FCAT Mixed Assessment