April 13, 2007

Dear Parents:

The Florida Department of Education (DOE) was recently informed of a
website that is taking advantage of parents possibly misspelling the
Internet address for the FCAT Parent Network.  Parents should note that the
correct address for the FCAT Parent Network is: www.fcatparentnetwork.com.
Parents should also note that they will be routed to the wrong website if
they accidentally type “www.fcatparentsnetwork.com”.

This type of false website is called an imposter domain, which is also
known as a “typosquatter.” The website has links that appear to link to
official FCAT information, but all links on this website are false.  The
creators of typosquatters take advantage of someone misspelling an Internet
address, so they can post ads and paid links to which they hope to direct
unsuspecting users.  The DOE is concerned that some parents may have
difficulty finding the real FCAT Parent Network to access their child’s
FCAT results due to the existence of this imposter domain.

The DOE is pleased to provide the FCAT Parent Network as a resource for
parents.  It is unfortunate, however, that a website is taking advantage of
our wonderful new resource.

Sincerely,



Cornelia S. Orr, Ph.D.
Assistant Deputy Commissioner
Office of Assessment