About Us

Families: Top 5 Questions

The Florida PIRC at USF staff has heard from many of you as we visit schools around the state. Here are some of the common questions we hear.

1. What is No Child Left Behind?

   • No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is a federal education law that was passed in 2001.  NCLB seeks to guarantee a high quality education for ALL students, and parents play a major role in this effort.  NCLB works toward four main goals:
     • ALL children will receive a high quality education.
     • ALL students will perform on grade level in reading and math by the year 2014.
     • The achievement gap between disadvantaged and advantaged students will close.
     • Parents will have more choices regarding their child’s education.

2. What are Title I Schools?

   • Title I schools are schools that receive federal funds based on a high percentage of students that qualify for free or reduced price lunch.

3. What is Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)?

   • AYP is the government’s measurement of a school’s overall success.  Progress is measured by how well individual students and student subgroups perform on state tests.  In Florida, students take the FCAT.

4. What is the FCAT?

   • FCAT stands for Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.  Students take the test in grades 3 through 11.  Students’ scores are used to determine individual academic progress and overall school achievement.

5. In what grades do students take the FCAT?

   • Students take the Reading and Math portions of the FCAT every year in grades 3 through 10.  Students in grades 4, 8, and 10 take the Writing FCAT.  Students take the Science FCAT in grades 5, 8, and 11.

As parents, you know the importance of your involvement in your children’s education. One of our partners is the Florida Parent Teacher Association (PTA) which is part of the National Parent Teacher Association. Both the Florida PTA (www.floridapta.org) and the National PTA (www.pta.org) websites are excellent resources for more answers to your questions about the school-home connection.

• Links on this site are listed as a public service and are only examples of websites that may be of interest to families and educators. The listing is not necessarily inclusive of all possible links of interest. Listing of a link does not mean that the corresponding website reflects the views or is endorsed by the Florida PIRC at USF or the University of South Florida. Individuals who choose to use the links should understand that they are offered only as a convenience, and USF and the Florida PIRC at USF take no responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided at these sites.