Listen carefully and you're likely to hear a giant sigh of relief as thousands of local students complete their FCAT tests for this school year. What's impossible to hear, though, is the stress that teachers and administers likely feel this time of year, too, knowing that the results of these tests could affect them and their schools. ...more

March 12, 2010

It's test time this week for the 7,543 Highlands County students in grades three through 11 who are facing one or more tested subjects of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. ...more

March 11, 2010

Not every Hillsborough County student has FCATs today. Plant City schools get a one-day reprieve from the reading, math and science portions of the annual Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test because of the Strawberry Festival. ...more

March 9, 2010

The life of an eighth-grader sounds pretty stress-free. No bills to pay. Ample days off for spring break, summer and Christmas. But could you handle it if you went back to middle school? This is the time of year when pressures are high for students to perform. Public schools start administering the reading, math and science portions of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test today. Test your knowledge. (The questions have been edited slightly from their original format for brevity). ...more

March 9, 2010

The Strawberry Festival will give Plant City schools a one-day reprieve from the reading, math and science portions of the annual Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. ...more

March 8, 2010

The Hillsborough County school district has received more than 600 applications for teacher mentor and peer positions, key pieces in launching reforms funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. ...more

March 6, 2010

Before the FCAT writing test, teacher Steve Francis sent a note home with his fourth-graders, reminding them to arrive on time and well-rested on test day. ...more

March 6, 2010

After most students go home at the end of the school day, some elementary students head to small-group tutoring sessions a couple of days a week to improve their math, reading and writing skills. ...more

March 2, 2010

The Hillsborough school district took over the Metropolitan Ministries school last year, after years of bad test scores and setbacks. The school district has made major changes, and everyone is hoping the school improves as the FCAT approaches. ...more

February 25, 2010

Now is the time, says John Legg, and his urgency is driven more than by a sense of ripening opportunity. Six years into his mini-career as a member of the state House of Representatives, Legg is acutely aware that his influence is waxing toward its crescendo even as he feels the squeeze of term limits. ...more

February 24, 2010