Many of the teachers are bringing up the “F” word … FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test)! The FCAT is given to test your knowledge and to see if you’re smart enough to move on to the next grade level. Eighth graders at Pines Middle School are taking math, reading, science, and the FCAT Writes. Seventh graders are taking math and reading, and sixth graders are taking math, reading, and science. The FCAT Writes will be on February 12th through the 15th and math, reading, and science are on March 11th through the 20th. Even though the FCAT is for the students’ benefit, this assessment can put a lot of pressure and nervousness on students.

So before the FCAT, we advise our students to have a good night’s sleep and eat a good nutritious breakfast. Students at Pines are working very hard to be well-prepared for the FCAT. Preparations for the FCAT involve tutoring classes by teachers in the mornings, FCAT camps on Thursday afternoon and Saturday mornings, FCAT skill workbooks, and more. Here are some FCAT tips from our Pines teachers:

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Study hard

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Use FCAT Explorer and skillstutor.com for practice

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Eat a good dinner the night before and a good breakfast the morning of the test.

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Be present on test day.

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Get to school on time and talk to friends to break the tension.

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Listen carefully to all instructions given by the teacher and ask questions if not sure on something.

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Concentrate.

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Don’t leave blanks.

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Avoid being lazy.

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Last but not least, relax and don’t panic.

For more help or tips, be sure to ask your teachers. Also, make sure you follow all these tips and do your very best on the FCAT test! Good luck!