The
Florida
Standards
Assessents:
What Every
Parent Should
Know
Beauclerc Elementary
Literacy Night
February 5, 2015
Questions Answered:
• How does the new FSA (Florida Standards Assessment) differ
from the FCAT?
• When will students in Florida take the FSA?
• Where can you find additional information?
• What resources are available for you to help prepare your
child?
New Tests for New Standards
• The Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) will measure
student mastery of the newly adopted Florida
Standards through a variety of item types.
• The Florida Standards are more closely aligned with the
educational standards used throughout the country,
more commonly known as ‘Common Core’.
What is Different about
the Florida Standards Assessments?
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Higher expectations
Able to compare FL students to others nationwide
Emphasizes analytical thinking
Variety of item question formats
• Increased complexity of texts
• Increased focus on providing evidence of their thinking
Implications for Our Students
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3rd Grade Promotional Requirements
Middle School Elective Course Scheduling
School Grade & Funding
Preparing students for higher paying jobs (College
and Career Ready)
• Student, Parent & Teacher Pride
Florida Standards Assessment Test Design
English Language Arts/Literacy
Text-based Writing
Writing Assessment CHANGES
OLD: Writing FCAT
• Scored as a separate test
• 4th Grade Students Only
• Given a Topic (Prompt Writing)
• 45 minutes to write a narrative
(story) or expository essay
NEW: FSA Writing
• Scored as part of the Reading
Assessment
• 4th and 5th Grade Students
• Given 2 – 4 Articles (Text Sets) to
Read & Respond to a Related Prompt
• 120 minutes to read, annotate, and
write an informative or opinion
based essay
• Must include references from the
text & cite evidence to support
their ideas
Reading Assessment CHANGES
OLD: Reading FCAT
NEW: FSA Reading
• Multiple Choice
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Editing Task Items
Multiple Choice Items
Multi-select Items
Two-part Items
Hot Text Items
Open Response Items
Graphic Response Items (GRID)
Listening Items (Grade 5 only)
Text-based Writing Sample Prompt
Write an essay in which you give your opinion about whether technology
should be used all the time. Use information from the passages in your essay.
Manage your time carefully so that you can
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read the passages;
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plan your essay;
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write your essay; and
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revise and edit your essay.
Be sure to include
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an introduction;
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support for your opinion using information from the passages; and
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a conclusion that is related to your opinion.
Your writing should be in the form of a well-organized multi-paragraph essay.
Editing Task Item
Text with a Series of Questions
Text with a Series of Questions
Audio Multiple-Choice Item
Multi-Select Items
Two-Part Items
Hot Text Items
Graphic Response Item (GRID)
Open Response Item
Florida Standards
Assessment
Timeline
&
Dates
General FSA Timeline
General Testing Timeline
Where can students go for reading
practice and reinforcement at home?
Computer Based Resources:
• Achieve 3000
• iReady
Informational Resources
Florida Department of Education
www.fldoe.org
CPALMS
http://www.cpalms.org/Public/
FLDOE Assessment Website
http://www.fldoe.org/asp/
FSA Portal
http://www.fassessments.org/
Parent Guides to Student Success
www.pta.org/common_core_standards.asp
Improving Instruction Today;
Preparing for Tomorrow