FCAT Practice

Parents,

As you know, FCAT time is inching closer and closer for our third graders. We have been working diligently in our reading class to make sure we are preparing for our big "Show What You Know" test. You have probably noticed more FCAT Practice papers coming home with your children over the past few weeks. Please be sure you are going over these with your children as much as you can.

FCAT Practice, before the winter holiday, was being taken as a classwork grade. We were doing these together in class, or together in centers. Beginning this nine weeks, that is no longer the case. We are now treating these as tests. This will allow us to get a clear picture of what skills the students need to work on before the big test gets here. We want all of our students to be ready to "Rock the FCAT!"

Here are some things you can expect to look for on your child's FCAT Practice:

• Underlining/highlighting in the story: Right now I am allowing the students to highlight where they find their answers. As time progresses, we will be moving to strictly underlining where answers are found, as students are not allowed to use highlighters on the actual FCAT. If your child is not underlining or highlighting, please make sure you talk with them about this. It is so important for them to get in this habit, as it is proven to improve test scores!
• Circling key words in the questions: Please be sure you are talking with your children about the differences between who, what, when, where, why, and how questions.
• Crossing out answers that are not possible: We have been talking a lot about using the process of elimination to help us determine which answer could be the best choice.
• Making sure all questions are answered: If you see your child has skipped questions, please be sure to remind them to check over their work before submitting it to the teacher. Remind them the FCAT graders from the State of Florida, are not going to come hunt them down so they can complete their tests! :)

Thanks for your help! Be sure to check out the FCAT Tab on the blog, as well. Having your child get on FCAT Explorer is a great (and fun) way to help them prepare as well.