According to Florida Law, students must pass the Grade 10 FCAT, among other academic requirements, in order to receive a standard high school diploma. Specifically, students must achieve a "passing" score of 300 or above on both the FCAT SSS Reading and the FCAT SSS Mathematics tests. Technically, students can retake the FCAT as many times as they…

The 2010-11 projected enrollment offered by Research Services represents a small increase in student enrollment. The District's student enrollment is projected to be 341,324 in 2010-11, an increase of 0.3 percent (1,077 students) from 2009-10. A slight increase in the District's 2009-10 student enrollment reversed a seven year decline. (Contains 3…

References to FCAT results dominate the appraisal of students, schools, and districts. Yet, with all these reports of scores and grades it is not easy to spot extraordinary performance. It is the purpose of this paper to introduce Performance Flags--a new look to FCAT statistics that can help Miami-Dade district in the simple and speedy detection…

Since the inception of the FCAT, the scaled scores students receive have been summarized by categorizing them into levels of performance. For every single test (in one subject area, at one grade level, for one year) the State of Florida has carefully determined cutoff scores that classify performance into 5 different levels of proficiency. It…

Each school year, the School Climate Survey is administered to gather information on the perceptions that students, their parents, and school staffs hold concerning their schools and their performance. In 2008-2009, the survey was distributed to approximately 90,200 parents, 54,200 elementary, secondary, and adult students, and 25,000 staff. In…

Each school year, the School Climate Survey is administered to gather information on the perceptions that students, their parents, and school staffs hold concerning their schools and their performance. In 2008-2009, the survey was distributed to approximately 90,200 parents, 54,200 elementary, secondary, and adult students, and 25,000 staff. This…

Although homework is assigned for a variety of academic and non-academic purposes, there is disagreement within the educational community about the value of homework and the amount of homework students should be assigned. This Literature Review summarizes the benefits and drawbacks of homework and examines how much time students should and…

The "High School Feedback Report" prepared by the State of Florida's Department of Education provides pre-and-post-graduation data for public high school graduates throughout Florida. These data were used for the present report which contains individual data reports for all M-DCPS regular high schools and charter high schools graduating students…

The majority of school districts in the U.S. are providing some form of online learning for their students. In the past, virtual schools primarily targeted advanced students who didn't have access to certain courses in their regular schools. Recently, however, many virtual schools have shifted their focus to credit recovery as a way to provide…

Section 1008.30 (formerly 240.117), Florida Statutes, requires the State Board of Education to develop and implement a common placement testing program to assess the basic computation and communication skills of students who intend to enter a degree program at any public community college or state university. Every year the State provides reports…

Pay-for-performance plans have become popular as school districts search for ways to improve teacher quality and student academic achievement. There is a need to develop systems that are sensitive to the market and are performance based whereby higher performing teachers receive greater financial compensation and recognition. The sense of…

This Research Note is in response to a request from the Office of Alternative Education to review and report on "model disciplinary policies" as used in school districts around the nation. The primary source of information used to prepare this Research Note came from a professional group identified by Alternative Education. The Advancement…

There is a growing consensus among educators and the general public that technology should play a more integral role in students' education. However, the question of whether the introduction of technology into the classroom has a positive impact on teaching and learning is still under intense debate within the educational community. This…

Researchers and policymakers have pointed to the lagging scores of eighth graders on international, national, and state assessments as evidence that students are not prepared to meet high academic standards and that middle grades reform is needed. In response to these concerns, educators have introduced reforms designed to provide middle-level…

The "High School Feedback Report" prepared by the State of Florida's Department of Education provides pre-and-post-graduation data for public high school graduates throughout Florida. These data were used for this present report which contains individual data reports for all M-DCPS regular high schools and charter high schools graduating students…