Delay in release of FCAT scores may affect district plans for 2010-2011
A recent announcement that statewide FCAT scores are delayed may affect how the Lee County School District plans for the 2010-2011 academic year.
The Florida Department of Education confirmed Monday that scores wouldn’t be released until the end of June. The delay resulted from an internal system at Pearson — the educational company contracted for FCAT scoring by the FLDOE — which matched student information with score sheets.
According to Joe Donzelli, spokesperson for the school district, a number of functions have the potential to be affected by the delay including the generation of class schedules, teacher assignments, student promotions, early admission decisions to school programs like International Baccalaureate, and the updating of student records.
Passing the FCAT reading and mathematics tests in 10th grade is a requirement to graduate high school. Students who don’t pass can retake the exams until their senior year.
Donzelli said the graduation status of students retaking the FCAT wasn’t impacted because scores were released before the delay was announced. He also said that other requirements, such as grade point average and credits, aren’t dependent on FCAT scores.
One concern for the Lee County School District is having to pay staff to work through the summer updating student information. This would only happen if the delay lasts long enough to force staff to work over the summer.
In a memorandum to district superintendents, Education Chancellor Frances Haithcock assured that all scores already released are accurate.
Individual FCAT student reports won’t be available until this summer and Haithcock said Pearson will “reimburse school districts for any expenses incurred related to the mailing of these individual student reports to each student’s parent or guardian.”