FCAT Explorer

FCAT Explorer

Reading Factory: 6th Grade BenchmarksProgram Overview

From the Florida Department of Education www.fcatexplorer.com

FCAT Explorer

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

Interactive program offers practice on the FCAT-tested benchmarks

Reinforces reading comprehension skills

Available at no cost to all Florida public schools

Accessible from any computer connected to the Internet

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Fidelity with the Official FCAT

Strict adherence to the Sunshine State Standards and the DOE’s Test Item and Performance Task Specifications

Items drafted by reading teachers and professional item writers

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

Items reviewed by instructional designers, testing specialists, bias reviewers, and professional editors

Rigorous item development process

FCAT Explorer

Input from Exemplary Education Professionals

Highly qualified classroom teachers

Recommended for expertise in subject area and grade level

National Board Certified Recipients of Teacher of the

Year awards Experienced as FCAT Coach

and/or Reading CoachMasters Degrees

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Reading Factory’s

Adaptive Support Model

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Automatically adjusts

instructional support

level based on

student’s success with

practice questions

Adaptive Support Model

INDIVIDUALIZED ADAPTIVE SUPPORT

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Word Click: Click to hear any word

Embedded questions: Interim comprehension checks

Three levels for both sets of materials

Full Support:

Moderate Support: Embedded questions only

No Support: Neither

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

Adaptive Support Model

ADAPTIVE SUPPORT LEVEL

FCAT Explorer

Passages

and

Practice Items

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

FCAT-like Practice

Same average length

and reading level

as the FCAT

Same genres: poems,

plays, articles and

stories

Engaging illustrations

reinforce important ideas

PASSAGES

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Same average number of items per passage as on the FCAT

FCAT-like Practice

Rigorous item development processWritten by professional item writers

Reviewed, edited, and approved by teachers

Revised as needed based on statistical item analysis

PRACTICE ITEMS

No fewer than 5 items per skill

From 5 to 50 items per Benchmark

Same types of items as on the FCAT

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

FCAT-like Practice

MULTIPLE CHOICE (MC)

Careful review of every item for psychometric criteria

Item clearly supports the skill

All answer choices are parallel (e.g., in grammatical form)

Only plausible choices

One “clearly best” answer

Correct answer supported in the text

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Instructional Support

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

1ST ATTEMPT CORRECT

Instructional Support

Correct Answer

Explanation (CAE)

Confirms the

attributes that make

an answer correct

Reinforces effective

skill application

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Hint (for vocabulary

questions)

See clues (for

comprehension

questions)

1ST ATTEMPT

INCORRECT

Takes student back to passage

Student reviews highlighted clues

Instructional Support

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

2nd ATTEMPT

For CORRECT answer, CAE confirms and reinforces effective skill application

For INCORRECT answer, CAE helps student understand why the correct answer is correct

Instructional Support

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Special Features

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

FLUENCY LIST

Glossary & Vocabulary

Exercise words

Easy-to-use chart for

recording progress

Effective pre-reading

activity

Available from School

Administrator’s Desk

and Classroom

Teacher’s Desk

Special Features

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Precede each passage

Teach five potentially

challenging wordsWord recognitionPhonicsDefinition Meaning in context

VOCABULARY EXERCISES

Engage students and

increase confidence &

success

Special Features

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Purpose for Reading

statements precede

each passage to help

establish good

comprehension habits

“PURPOSE FOR READING”

STRATEGIES

“See Questions”

feature allows students

to preview item stems

(not answer choices)

Special Features

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Click linked (blue)

words in passage

Click “speaker icon” to

hear word pronounced

Definition & sample

sentence

Spanish and Haitian

Creole translations

GLOSSARY

Special Features

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Reinforces re-reading

the passage to find

correct answer

Student must go to

every page containing

clues related to that

question

After going to every

page with relevant

clues, student gets

second attempt

“Look for the yellow

highlighted clues.”

Special Features

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Links directly to items answered incorrectly

Helps students focus

on skill improvement

Accessible from the

Main Menu—just click

the red circles to try a

question again!

MY CHALLENGE LIST

Special Features

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Three different game-like activities

Each activity reviews words from three Vocabulary Exercises

VOCABULARY ACTIVITIES

Special Features

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Educators’ Tools

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Educators’ Tools Classroom Teacher’s Desk

District Administrator’s Desk

School Administrator’s Desk

Curriculum resources

Skills Location Map

Table of Benchmarks and Skills

Item Review

Letter to Parents

Information

management tools

Sign-in names and passwords

Progress Reports

Messages to students

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Check progress on individuals or classes

View reading data by Benchmark, Skill, or Passage

View math data by Benchmark, Strand, or Theme

View Science data by Benchmark or Strand

Compare percentage correct before and after instructional support

Student Performance Reports

At the Classroom Teacher’s Desk

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

The Parent & Family Guide

Accessible from the home

page without a password

Available in English, Spanish,

and Haitian Creole

Helps parents, guardians,

and mentors understand the

Sunshine State Standards

and the FCAT

Provides Everyday Activities

to reinforce Benchmarks

and Skills

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Linked from the home page

Download this PowerPoint presentation

Download the School Administrator’s Desk Manual

Download the Teacher’s Desk Manual

Reading Focus Overview Math Focus Overview Program-specific

presentations

Download other presentations

Visit the Educator Resources Page

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

School Principals:

Contact your District

Office and speak to the

“District Administrator”

for the FCAT Explorer

Teachers:

Contact your “School

Administrator” for the

FCAT Explorer

FCAT Explorer Home Page (www.fcatexplorer.com)

To get sign-in names & passwords

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Toll-Free Help Desk

Accessible from the

home page without

a password

1-888-750-FCAT

1-888-750-3228

Weekdays

8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks

FCAT Explorer

Log on to the FCAT Explorer!

www.fcatexplorer.com

Reading Factory: 6th Grade Benchmarks