needs improvement
kate***Cross-posted at Out in Left Field***
FCAT time is here, folks, so stock up on the antacids. Make sure you have plenty – because your third-grader is going to need something when those tummy aches kick in.
If you live in the Sunshine State, you’ve probably heard of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, but what do you really know about it? Parents worry over the stress it induces in children. Teachers have had enough of overanxious administrators. Administrators complain the scores don’t accurately reflect learning. Kids loathe tests in general. However, can anyone recall the real reasons this standardized test is hated and feared throughout the state?
First of all, the FCAT isn’t all bad. And yes, you read that correctly.
This test with the awful name is a valuable tool to measure a student’s knowledge and ability. As one educator put it, “If we are going to have standards, then we should have some measure of whether or not our students are meeting the standards.” Makes sense, right? Another told me that FCAT is a way to evaluate a student’s skills at the time of the test.
Florida’s standardized test is also a way to ensure certain subjects are taught and learned. Several teachers mentioned that without checks and balances, some teachers wouldn’t keep to the curriculum. Others would buckle under pressure from parents to pass students who have not yet mastered such benchmarks.
However, certain improvements would create a more productive process. Here’s how:
Just about every educator can talk about biases in standardized tests. Therefore, such a test should not be the only method used for high-stakes assessment. FCAT should be a tool, not the tool. If we combined FCAT with other forms of measurement - one teacher suggested portfolios like those used in higher education - we’d finally have a true understanding of our students and what they are learning.
Another error is using this test to grade schools and determine funding. Higher FCAT scores result in higher grades and more money for our schools. With so much at stake, how can we fault administrators for putting pressure on teachers and students? How can we blame teachers for wrapping curriculum around this one event? The system is set and everyone plays along because few people want to attend or teach in a D or F school. If we used many different measurements and applied the data differently, we’d truly know successful from struggling schools.
Another educator brought up this excellent point: “With so much emphasis placed upon the scores that students achieve on the FCAT, why are we holding students accountable for everything they need to know by the end of the year in February?” In other words, move the test back a few months for more instruction time. An April or May test would more accurately reflect the year of learning that has or has not taken place.
Also, FCAT does not even come close to addressing special needs students. These kids have average to above-average intelligence and do quite well in school. However, they do not test well and stand the chance of being held back. Their grades prove they have learned and yet they are failing at the same time. FCAT does not address individual learning styles. Rarely does one size fit all – why then force our kids to live by this ridiculous rule?
Teachers teach to the test. Period. This is the most common complaint and there is no way around it unless we use other measures when grading schools and determining where extra funds will go. Even textbooks refer to FCAT and test-taking strategies while true learning is abandoned because too much is at stake.
Do not misunderstand me – we should not cancel yearly FCAT exams or standardized tests in general. These tests should simply be combined with other assessments that prove quite valuable. To hold entire schools accountable for one test, taken in a few stress-filled days, with so many flaws attached, defies all reason and logic.
Our kids deserve better.
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February 8th, 2006 at 7:11 pm
The FCAT has vexed me since its invocation (I was in like a test class for it or something). My sister got A’s in high school math class but failed the FCAT math section, twice. I got D’s in high school math and passed the FCAT. One tests well, one does not. It sounds stupid, but shouldn’t children’s grades in their classes determine whether they graduate from high school or not?
P.S. We both rose to great heights and now attend “U Stay Forever”.
February 8th, 2006 at 9:08 pm
Educational researchers figure schools account for about 15% of student achievement, the rest can be predicted by socio-economic status and parental educational attainment. So, wouldn’t it make more sense to grade schools on student improvement, not flat attainment? Some C schools are actually doing more than you’d reasonably expect given the population they serve, while some A schools aren’t adding much value at all. Virginia saw an overall increase in scores on its test, the SOL (Standards of Learning), when administration was moved from March to May/June.
February 9th, 2006 at 11:11 am
You left out possibly the most absurd part of the FCAT system. The schools who do the best, we reward with MORE money. The schools who do the worst, we don’t give any extra money, then tell them they have to improve or else.
WTF? Shouldn’t the schools that do the worst get an extra boost to help them improve? Do schools that are already getting A’s need more funding? This system just increases the gap between over- and underperforming schools.
Of course, giving more money to schools that do bad would seemingly give rise to the perverse situation of teachers and administrators pressuring kids to do poorly on the exam. I don’t know how much I buy into this, really, but I guess it could be a valid concern. That’s why kate’s ideas about expanding the criteria for grading schools would make sense.
February 9th, 2006 at 11:54 am
I talked to another teacher today who mentioned that, while she was thrilled to get a bonus this year, there is something slightly unfair about rewarding teachers who teach at upper middle class white schools while punishing those who work at underprivleged facilities. Like me.
February 9th, 2006 at 2:29 pm
Although it’s unfair to the low scoring schools, but you need to reward the best one so they can keep trying harder.
February 9th, 2006 at 4:07 pm
There is no true measure of a students progress with the FCAT. They test every third grader then compare scores of the previous third graders. For a true measure of progress they would test the same kids a year later (fourth grade) not the same grade a year later. Third grade classes from year to year can differ widely. For instance next years a particular third grade class could have a dozen immigrant kids more than the previous years as well as various other special needs kids. Next years class would be severely handicapped to the current class, thus highly skewing any results. This “measure” also doesn’t take into account racial or economic factors which further points to an overly simplistic view on how to measure progress. What’s really being tested is the school, not the kid.
As far as the money reward system, it all falls in to the Norquist/Neocon plan to eliminate the public school system and funnel more money towards private (code for christian) schools. Note that the voucher system gave just enough money to cover the cost of most religious schools and was far from enough to pay for any non-religious private school.
February 26th, 2006 at 5:15 pm
[...] The Tampa Tribune published my op-ed piece about FCAT issues. Is anyone listening? [...]
April 6th, 2006 at 2:05 pm
The Florida Department has no research to back its use of the FCAT. Read the exchanges between myself and the FLDOE here:
http://www.fcatresearch.proboards101.com