10 Responses to “Ernest Ward To Hold FCAT Chats With Parents”

1. art on March 19th, 2011 6:49 am

   have a contest for the teachers in your school to see who can partner up with the most local businesses in town to provide some supplies to their class rooms. look into the possibility of businesses mentoring some of the kids that really have a need. individual teachers know who they are. we need to start thinking out side the box people for our kiddos sake! looks like the legislators and politicians are determined to run what is left of public education right down into dust.

2. art on March 19th, 2011 6:35 am

   clyde, i offered a better solution…nothing irritates me more than prople that get on a soapbox but dont have any suggestions on how to make things better. so i hear you! now hear this! get rid of FCAT get rid of NCLB. give teachers freedom to teach. give teachers autonomy with respect to their lesson plans, classroom management, etc etc..with all the money left over from not having to fund all the standardized testing, get the kids out on field trips, buy supplies for the chemistry and biology and music students…you see where i am coming from? do away with the standardized testing that has the federal money tied to it….

3. Clyde on March 18th, 2011 8:36 am

   You know it’s disappointing to hear Parents attack the FCAT, yet offer no better solutions.
   It’s amazing how children can have a 3.0 GPA and can’t pass the reading test. The fact is we are not preparing the children to be successful in life and there are several reasons I have observed.

   One very important failure is a lot of parents are not preparing their children before the child reaches school age. A lot of the kids do not behave, nor respect their teachers. Matter of fact they don’t respect their own parents. We are never going to fix the problems at the back end. We fix the problem at the front end and that’s before they reach school age. There are poor performing teachers in our schools and they need to be handled. The vast majority of our teachers are good people and excellent teachers if we let them teach instead of baby sitting unruly children. You will not find a politician willing to tell you this because they realize you will vote them out. Just as some of you want to end FCAT instead of facing up to the problems. Some of you don’t realize that a GPA of 3.0 is equivalence to a 2.0 in some school districts. Let’s not teach smarter or better or do our part at home, let’s just dumb them down and call it progress.

   You know the teacher may have been able to help poor performing readers if she or he had more time to teach. I am certainly not a staunch FCAT supporter, but till someone comes up with a better solution I’m for keeping it.

   Come on parents, be a parent instead of a friend to your child

4. Daniel on March 17th, 2011 11:37 pm

   i personally can not stand the FCAT…the only state that uses anything like this mess…all others go by SAT OR ACT…passing the FACT means nothing outside of this state…so why do we need it if it does nothing…ya it gets the schools funding…so what…im sure if they got rid of this tupid thing…and would teach real world stuff to the students ud see a great improvement in participation/grades/and morale of the school…teachers dont even like it cuz not only do they have to prepare normal lesson plans.but they also have to fit in time to teach and prepare for the FCAT which usually has VERY VERY little to do with the real world or teaching the students things they will actually use everyday…FCAT IS POINTLESS…

5. art on March 17th, 2011 12:25 pm

   Bill:
   how our children do on the FCAT determines if their school gets federal funding and determines how well their teacher is performing. none of that other stuff matters. that other stuff doesnt determine whether or not a teacher has merit. teachers only have merit depending on how well they prepare little johnny and susie for the FCAT. thank you legislators for making everything wonderful. what would we do without these geniuses?

6. Teresa on March 16th, 2011 5:59 pm

   SPAY/ NETUR the F CAT…It’s the responsible thing to do! LOL

7. Bill on March 16th, 2011 12:44 pm

   When will they hold a how to help your child with homework event, how to ensure proper behaviour and respect towards others from your child event, how to better prepare your child from unforseen social events that conflict with thier good upbringing event, or any help your child event other than this “dang” FCAT stuff?
   I am so sick of Escambia County’s increasing focus annually on this one test, vice the so many other life skills that could be shared and opportunities the school district has daily to make each child better thru daily instruction, guidance and interaction so sick of this FCAT stuff

8. Jay Parent on March 16th, 2011 8:43 am

   ‘Tis a shame that we still have this test. My daughter will graduate this year with a “Certificate of Attendance”. She has a 3.0 GPA and cannot pass the Reading portion of the FCAT because of some reading issues. Sad!

9. t t t on March 16th, 2011 8:43 am

   i agree with you reanna !!! i think we all need to go to end the fcat!!! if parents want it gone and teachers want it gone then why are we not doing something about it we vote these people in we can vote them out !!!! we all have to stand to gether people.

10. reanna on March 16th, 2011 7:43 am

    I think the discussion should include how parents can work to end the FCAT. It is kind of sad that the parents have to be bribed with food to come, but whatever works.