The Sunshine State Standards are broad statements that describe what a child should know and be able to do at every grade level.[1] These standards cover seven content areas: social studies, science, language arts, health/physical education, the arts, foreign language, and mathematics. The standards are divided into smaller units called “benchmarks,” which outline the specific content, knowledge, and skills that students are expected to learn in school. Each student’s performance on Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and Science tests indicates his or her progress in reaching these benchmarks. The curriculum of most public schools in the State of Florida and the FCAT are based upon this state system.[2]
Development of the Sunshine State Standards began in 1993, and the standards were adopted by the Florida Board of Education in May 1996. The Sunshine State Standards contain more challenging material than previous state standards, which focused on minimum competencies.