FCAT pressure at its highest

Source: Sun Sentinel

Tests are tougher; teachers' merit raises tied to scores

This year's FCAT may be the most stressful yet. The state's most talked-about measure of how much children are learning in public schools begins today in grades 3 through 11.
And while the bar is higher, so are the stakes: The price of failure comes with a poor school grade from state officials, less funding and greater scrutiny. But the costs and rewards may be the highest for students -- fail and face retention; pass and move on to the next grade. Still, more than just graduation rides on students' success

The Florida Department of Education this year is requiring all school districts to devise a payment plan that ties bonuses to, among other things, how teachers' students perform on the FCAT. Educators will be ranked according to test scores and evaluations, and in the current proposal, the top 25 percent in each district will receive a 5-percent bonus.