Florida’s public school students begin taking new state tests in March that will include a little extra intrigue for grades 4 through 11 — essay writing under deadline. Students will be given two to four informational articles or fiction passages to read and they’ll answer a question in essay form referring to those texts to back up their answers. Fourth-graders will be allowed to use pen and paper, but fifth- through 11th-graders must compose their essays on computers. read more