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Standardized tests have become commonly used tools for accountability in public education in the United States. In Florida, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) is used to measure student achievement on grade-specific standards and benchmarks. Various agencies have developed computer-based and web-based software applications to improve student performance on these tests. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of one such application, FCAT Explorer, on student FCAT scores. We used hierarchical analysis of variance and analysis of covariance to compare scores for schools that used FCAT Explorer, and schools that did not. We examined fourth, fifth, eighth, and tenth grade FCAT reading and mathematics scores for selected elementary schools and high schools. Student scores from elementary schools using FCAT Explorer were significantly higher than scores from elementary schools that did not use FCAT Explorer. At the high school level, we found no significant differences in scores between schools that used FCAT Explorer and schools that did not use the application.
Martindale et al. (Wed,) studied this question.