FCAT
Explorer Information
Click
here to access to FCAT Explorer
Dear Parents:
We are pleased to inform you that the Florida Department of Education
offers students in Florida’s public school system access to an educational
Web site called the FCAT Explorer. This free resource
is designed to help your child practice reading and math skills outlined
in the Sunshine State Standards. Currently, the FCAT Explorer offers reading
programs for 3rd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th grades, and math programs for
5th, 8th, and 10th grades. You can find the FCAT Explorer on the Internet
at www.fcatexplorer.com. Your
child’s classroom teacher will provide your child with a sign-in
name and password.
The FCAT Explorer practice programs
provide your child with practice questions and other educational materials
that strengthen the skills measured by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment
Test (FCAT) for reading and math. The FCAT Explorer provides a creative,
exciting context for your child’s learning experience while reinforcing
subject areas such as science and history.
About FCAT Explorer:
- The FCAT Explorer is available to all Florida public school children, their teachers, and their parents.
- Children can access the FCAT Explorer from computers at school or at home.
- The FCAT Explorer includes a Parent and Family Guide, offering practical advice and focused activities for parents, guardians, and mentors who want to help children succeed.
- The FCAT Explorer is free. There is no cost to students, teachers, schools, or school districts.
We believe you and your child will find the FCAT Explorer practice programs to be a valuable learning resource.
Sign In and Password Information
Sign In: Last Name + first initial (no spaces)
Password: 51 + 1st four letters of last name + birth
month (two digits) + birth day (two digits) (again, no spaces)
EXAMPLE: Sam Smith, born January 1st would log in: SMITHS
password:
51SMIT0101
Problems? Call Ann Bowlin, Literacy Specialist, 794-6139
Helping Students Succeed with FCAT Explorer
- Help build confidence. To build confidence and help
alleviate test anxiety, make sure your students know that time spent
practicing on FCAT Explorer is time well spent, whether at school or
at home. Explain to your students that FCAT Explorer is carefully designed
to give them explicit practice on the skills they'll need to be successful
on the FCAT.
- Encourage productive practice. Remind students that
good study habits are important when they're practicing in FCAT Explorer.
Remind them that randomly clicking answers just to rush through a program
is not going to help them build the skills they need to succeed on the
FCAT. Fifteen to thirty minutes per day will make a significant difference.
- Encourage self-monitoring. Remind students that
they can monitor their own progress by regularly reviewing their Explorer's
Report in each program. (Parents can check this also)
- Establish a reward system. Use your imagination to
develop a creative way to reward students for good progress or superior
performance on FCAT Explorer.
- Use multiple grade level programs. Remember that
a student's login provides access to all FCAT Explorer programs. Encourage
your struggling or accelerated students to work in the program that
best meets their individual skill needs. For example, a tenth grader
who experiences difficulty in the 10th grade reading program may have
greater success in the 8th grade reading program, which provides useful
practice on a substantial subset of skills and benchmarks that will
contribute to success on the 10th grade FCAT.
- Encourage Challenge List completion. Make sure students
understand how the Challenge List works. Consider setting aside part
of each computer session for working on Challenge Lists.
- Use the special features in Math Timeline. If a student
needs focused practice in a particular strand, Math Timeline: 10th Grade
Benchmarks allows students to navigate through the practice items by
strand.
- Encourage good study skills. Encourage students to
exercise all the important study skills they’ve been taught, such
as regularly stopping and making sure they understand what they've read
so far, reading each practice question carefully before choosing an
answer, and re-reading passages to find supporting text before submitting
an answer
Sign In and Password Information
Sign In: Last Name + first initial (no spaces)
Password: 51 + 1st four letters of last name + birth month (two digits) + birth day (two digits) (again, no spaces)
EXAMPLE: Sam Smith, born January 1st would log in: SMITHS
password: 51SMIT0101
Problems? Call Ann Bowlin, Literacy Specialist, 794-6139
