Sunshine State Standards

The Sunshine State Standards have been created through a school improvement and accountability initiative to reform education in Florida's public schools. The goal of this initiative is to raise student achievement to world class levels. FCAT is designed specifically for Florida. It is based on the Sunshine State Standards, and measures how well students are progressing toward those academic standards at varying developmental levels.

Purpose of Standards

The Sunshine State Standards do not tell teachers how to teach. They are simply guidelines to assist teachers in designing instruction to meet student needs, and more importantly, to identify the essential knowledge and skills that students should learn and for which the state will hold schools accountable.

The FCAT reading test for grade ten is based on the language arts standards and benchmarks.

Structure of Standards

Strand

A. Reading

Standard

2. The student constructs meaning from a wide range of texts.

Benchmark

LA.A.2.3.1 The Student determines the main idea or essential message in a text and identifies relevant details, facts and patterns of organization.

The Sunshine State Standards are made-up of strands, standards and benchmarks, and follow a hierarchic structure.

A strand is the most general type of information. It is a label for a category of knowledge.

A standard is a description of general expectations in regards to the knowledge and skill development within a strand.

A benchmark is the most specific level of information. It is a statement of expectation about student knowledge and skill by the end of each developmental level.

Summary of Strands and Standards for Language Arts

Reading
1. The student uses the reading process effectively.
2. The student constructs meaning from a wide range of texts.
Writing
1. The student uses writing processes effectively.
2. The student writes to communicate ideas and information effectively.
Listening, Viewing and Speaking
1. The student uses listening strategies effectively.
2. The student uses viewing strategies effectively.
3. The student uses speaking strategies effectively.
Language
1. The student understands the nature of language.
2. The student understands the power of language.
Literature
1. The student understands the common features of a variety of literary forms.
2. The student responds critically to fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama.

MC = Multiple Choice SR = Short Response ER = Extended Response
Benchmarks	Grade 10
LA.A.1.4.2 Selects and uses a variety of strategies to understand words and text, and to make and confirm inferences from what is read, including interpreting diagrams, graphs, and statistical illustrations.	MC, SR
LA.A.2.2.7 Recognizes the use of comparison and contrast in a text.	MC, SR
LA.A.2.4.1 Determines the main idea and identifies relevant details, methods of development, and their effectiveness in a variety of types of written material.	MC, SR, ER
LA.A.2.4.2 Determines the author's purpose and point of view and their effects on the text. (Includes LA.A.2.4.5 Identifies devices of persuasion and methods of appeal and their effectiveness.)	MC, SR, ER
LA.A.2.4.4 Locates, gathers, analyzes, and evaluates written information for a variety of purposes, including research, projects, real-world tasks, and self-improvement. (Includes LA.A.2.4.6 Selects and uses appropriate study and research skills and tools according to the type of information being gathered or organized, including almanacs, government publications, microfiche, news sources, and information services.)	MC, SR, ER
LA.A.2.4.7 Analyzes the validity and reliability of primary source information and uses the information appropriately.	MC, SR, ER
LA.E.2.4.8 Synthesizes information from multiple sources to draw conclusions.	MC, SR, ER
LA.E.2.2.1 Recognizes cause-and-effect relationships in literary text. (Applies to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.)	MC, SR
LA.E.2.4.1 Analyzes the effectiveness of complex elements of plot, such as setting, major events, problems, conflicts, and resolutions.	MC, SR, ER

FCAT Express

10th Grade Reading