About two-thirds of Florida students failed the writing portion of the state's Comprehensive Assessment Test after changes were made this year to the way it's scored, according to the newspaper.
The percentage of fourth-graders, eight-graders, and 10th-graders who passed the test each declined by more than 40 percentage points following the change.
It's unclear why, exactly, the decline was so dramatic. Some local school district leaders say the state's efforts to make the test more difficult can't alone explain the decrease in scores. They're calling for an audit of the test.
For teachers, the scores have big implications. Their evaluations are now linked to students' test scores, and starting in 2014, their pay will be linked to the scores as well, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
