Welcome to

The FCAT continues to be a moving target for school administrators trying to adjust to all the changes. FCAT 2.0 isn’t the final change, not even close. In 2015, the state is adopting a national standardized test called PARCC. Capital Correspondent Whitney Ray asks the Florida Department of Education why?

Every spring High School Principal Rocky Hanna’s five computer labs get more crowded. Changes to the FCAT requiring more online testing are causing headaches for Florida schools. Hanna says the FCAT has been changing so much his teachers and students have to spend most of the school year adjusting.

“Since FCAT, the beginning of April, this school has been a train wreck,” said Hanna.

It’s like trying to hit a moving target, at least that’s what school administrators say. They say once their teachers and students have set their sites, the state changes the test and then they have to take aim at a new target.

And the target isn’t stopping any time soon. Florida is beginning its transition into a national standardized test. PARCC, or the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, is still being developed. Principal Hanna is skeptical.

“We can’t get to point were we can analyze data that isn’t apples to oranges. We can’t compare apples to apples because we can’t sit still long enough to do it,” said Hanna.

Florida and 23 other states will begin taking the PARCC test in 2015, until then the FCAT will continue to change.

Reporter: Why have we seen so many changes in FCAT in recent years?

Pam Stewart, Chancellor of the Florida Division of Public Schools: There has been a lot change hasn’t there. I think it’s because Florida leads the nation in reform.”

Outrage, over the FCAT isn’t new, but what has changed is the state’s response. A call center has been set up to explain the changes to upset parents.

The US Department of Education is giving Florida 150 million Race to the Top dollars to make the switch to the PARCC test. The Department says teachers will play a bigger role in the development and scoring.