Book Description

Florida law requires that students achieve a passing score on the Grade 10 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) to qualify for a standard high school diploma (Section 1008.22(3)(c)5, Florida Statutes). Students who were administered the Grade 10 FCAT for the first time during the 2002 administrations or later must earn a developmental score of 1926 (SSS passing score of 300) or higher in reading and 1889 (300) or higher for mathematics. Among students taking the 10th Grade FCAT for the first time in 2004, 53% did not achieve passing scores in reading, and 29% did not achieve passing scores in mathematics. Although students are granted many opportunities to retake the tests, any early identification of students in jeopardy of not passing the 10th Grade tests would be a welcome contribution to providing targeted academic remediation to the students most in need. This study addresses an approach to the early identification of students who may be at risk of scoring below the passing score of 300 on their 10th grade FCAT Reading and Mathematics Tests. The two prediction equations in this study each utilize a single predictor: the student's score on the 9th grade FCAT Reading and Mathematics Tests, respectively.