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FCAT Gets Tougher
December 20, 2011
Higher scores will now be required to pass the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT).
The Florida Board of Education approved the tougher standards for reading and math in grade levels 3 through 10. State education officials say the higher score requirements will serve to better prepare students for college, while opponents say the higher standards will simply lead to more failures.
Monday’s vote by the state BOE was the first time scoring requirements had been raised in 10 years.
Comments
21 Responses to “FCAT Gets Tougher”
Regarding the child who had to get a GED, versus a standard highschool diploma: The GED is actually based upon Florida’s FCAT test – I was told this at a training for GED teachers that I attended when I worked with adults in literacy and prison settings.
The GED is a difficult test to pass, and frankly, many of the seniors walking with diplomas today would have a difficult time passing it without some study. A GED is just as good as a standard high school diploma. You can join the military and enroll in college with a GED.
The student who could not pass the FCAT but could pass the GED doesn’t make sense to me – if they can pass the GED, they should be able to pass the FCAT. ????
REGARDING:
“they already changed the way children with learning dis. are treated they now learn in class with other children now they will be tested and failed if they do not pass”
From:
http://fcat.fldoe.org/pdf/fcatfaq1.pdf
“25. Do students with disabilities receive accommodations on the FCAT?
Yes, every effort is made to provide a level playing field for students with disabilities taking the FCAT and seeking a standard high school diploma. Section 1007.02 (2), F.S., permits testing accommodations for a student who:
• has been assigned to a special program, according to State Board Rule 6A-6.0331, FAC, and
• has a current Individual Educational Plan (IEP).
Federal law (the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1997) requires the inclusion of ESE students in regular assessment programs. The school, district, and state FCAT score averages represent all students taking the test, including students with disabilities. Exemption from the graduation test requirement for students with disabilities seeking a high school diploma is described in Section 1003.43 (11) (b), F.S.”
Which says:
“(11) (b) A student with a disability, as defined in s. 1007.02(2), for whom the individual educational plan (IEP) committee determines that the FCAT cannot accurately measure the student’s abilities taking into consideration all allowable accommodations, shall have the FCAT requirement of paragraph (5)(a) waived for the purpose of receiving a standard high school diploma, if the student:
1. Completes the minimum number of credits and other requirements prescribed by subsections (1) and (4).
2. Does not meet the requirements of paragraph (5)(a) after one opportunity in 10th grade and one opportunity in 11th grade.”
i.e. It don’t affect them if they can otherwise pass or aren’t seeking regular diplomas
David ever helpful
This is awful they already changed the way children with learning dis. are treated they now learn in class with other children now they will be tested and failed if they do not pass this is not right for a child to try so hard but fail. I dont understand this I do not blame the teachers they work so hard. I guess this is all legal if not I wish someone would look into it I know alot of parents with children with disabilities who are so upset that these children are left behind because of funding.
I took the math quiz questions it showed, got all right, wonder at the fellow who had not a clue. But then I went to Byrneville, Century High and a couple of other places.
David for elementary teachers
Nope, Orange County, Florida and he took a version of the FCAT, (somehow seeing it was in the Washington Post messed up my reading comprehension.)
“he has a bachelor of science degree in education and two masters degrees: in education and educational psychology. He has trained over 18,000 educators in classroom management and course delivery skills in six eastern states over the last 25 years.”
Interesting that he didn’t know how to do a single math question on the FCAT. I”ve seen FCAT questions before and some special ed students can handle some of them (not all, but some).
So we’re back to the question: is the FCAT that flawed or is there something wrong with this person not being able to understand and answer even a single question by any process other than guessing?
David for having all prospective legislators
and governors take the test and publish the results
prior to next election
From a school board member in New York who took the New York standardized test:
“It makes no sense to me that a test with the potential for shaping a student’s entire future has so little apparent relevance to adult, real-world functioning. Who decided the kind of questions and their level of difficulty? Using what criteria? To whom did they have to defend their decisions? As subject-matter specialists, how qualified were they to make general judgments about the needs of this state’s children in a future they can’t possibly predict? Who set the pass-fail “cut score”? How?”
So a person part of those involved in making certain reasonable tests were used was uncertain who actually set the criteria.
Quite possibly New York has bad tests. Florida may or may not have bad tests; you can’t tell just based on how they do things in New York unless they’re the same tests.
It is possible the person with his PhD shouldn’t have had one — not likely, but possible. That’s part of the reason for the push for standardized tests: to avoid just becoming diploma mills, handing out degrees whether or not the students learned anything.
His point is certainly correct, though. The test should reflect what we actually want out of every graduate. That needs to be decided and clearly laid out.
David for good decisions
Please read the following article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/when-an-adult-took-standardized-tests-forced-on-kids/2011/12/05/gIQApTDuUO_blog.html?tid=sm_twitter_washingtonpost
REGARDING:
“why did i make her go to school for 13 years ”
In a perfect world parents send their children to school so they can learn and thrive in their lives afterward, their lives enriched by all the experiences they enjoyed.
In this world people have a number of other reasons, often more important to them than the primary reasons.
David for a better world
really the fcat has held my child back because she cant even go to psc she wants to continue her education but in order to do that she will have to get her Ged so i say why did i make her go to school for 13 years if all she needed to do was get her stupid ged!!!! i am so fighting mad at this fcat its not helping our kids its only hurting them please get rid of it !! Rick Scott, members of the Cabinet, all members of the legislature you have got to get rid of this test !!
To improve it, you must measure it. The measure it, you must test it.
Life is not easy and school shouldn’t be either.
The American workforce already has enough underachievers. We don’t need to raise anymore.
The math and reading part of the FCAT I never had a problem with. But when I had to take the science FCAT in 11th grade, I had alot of trouble. I took Physics (Honors) that year and almost all of the questions on the test were related to environmental science and other subject matter that we did not cover. So I know from experience that we don’t learn what we need to to pass the test. I graduated with highest honors and only passed the science FCAT by a few points. The other portions of the FCAT are pretty easy in my opinion.
REGARDING:
“teachers will have to skip over a lot of other information so they can teach more of the test ”
A good test will test what the children should have learned and if they did. If it doesn’t, it’s a bad test.
If it does and they don’t pass it, they haven’t learned what they should’ve so they need more time in school to master it. Don’t cheat the children by passing them before they’re ready.
Anyhoo, if it’s a proper test, it isn’t possible to skip teaching some of what they should learn because it’ll all be on the test.
Going to school and paying attention will probably help the students. Knowing they can’t pressure the teachers into passing them whether or not they learned should even be good for the students.
(I don’t think a good test would only yield a passing grade if the student were ready to enter college, because not all graduates will go to college, nor should they be failed if they learned what they should have learned. High school isn’t college prep for all. Others disagree. We just need to decide what we think they SHOULD learn.)
David for perfect testing
and clear goals for success
NCLB is a federal act. The FCAT is Florida’s high stakes assessment. They aren’t making the test harder, they are raising the numbers needed to pass the test. Students will need to study more in order to master the concepts on which they will be tested. The STUDENTS need to take more personal responsibility, along with the parents. I am a teacher and I LOVE my students. I want them to pass and I work very hard to ensure that they do. But, I can only do so much. I can pass the FCAT, by the way – suggesting that students aren’t doing better because of their teachers is just a copout! Get busy people!
All states have their own form of the FCAT (Texas has the TEKS). The test in and of itself isn’t bad, but using one set of scores to promote or hold a student back is bad. I think each student should also be allowed a portfolio to show what they know and can do. Competencies and skills can also be assessed in this way, not just with a set of FCAT scores. It makes a more comprehensive picture.
NCLB and the FCAT aren;t bad – but they do need some work. Stop complaining and become a part of the solution, rather than just griping about it.
Most children are under a lot of pressure to start with, let alone put more on top of what they our already dealing with. Kindergarten and Elementary children have to get up so early to get their buses. Have a full day at school. Then a couple of HOURS with homework (it’s not easy for the older ones either) . None of the children our getting enough rest, they our to tired the next day to be at their best.
When my son was going through school, he learned nothing all year except the same. triangles and volcanoes. Then when FCAT’s came around the class had to cramb a year of lessons into 2 weeks.
When the exams came, they were asked questions about gene’s and other things they never heard of. And of course a huge amount of them faIled. Feeling like they were stupid. teachers only said ” you should have studied more”
But schools will never admit or apologies for failing THEIR students.
Really. Now how stupid is that when the majority of those kids couldn’t pass it in the previous years. Make it harder and then say “no child left behind” is dependent on the child wanting to do well. The months surrounding the FCAT the teachers teach what they think the children need only so the school system will get grants and funding for A/B schools. in the meantime they neglect to teach the basic stuff that the students actually need to pass the test in the first place. just one more thing to prove that Florida is the most backward state on the map.
Teachers have never taken the FCAT, so how does anyone know if they can pass it or not. Teachers do take and must passthe Teacher certification Exam which covers math, English, and Reading, just as FCAT. The TCE is an extremely hard exam. I think I could pass the FCAT as the majority of the students can.
Its ashame how our state doesnt value our children. This will only discourage those who cant pass it. We have teachers in the state who cant pass the FCAT. Now u want to make it tougher. These kids have it hard enough in our area with a lack of extra cirricular activity, computer/learning labs. Some parents dont have the knowledge to help their childred with the homewoik now. I jus think whoever the ppl who voted to raise the requirement show have to take the test and post their scores. Lets see how they do!
#1. This is a way to destroy public schools and let the private school lobby take over education.
#2. All students are not going to college and DON’T need to go to college.
#3. FCAT is a big financial boost to private companies to sell tests and scoring to public school. It is a multi-billion dollar business that is going into the pockets of a few.
#4. FCAT testing does not make for a better educated population.
#5. Rick Scott, members of the Cabinet, all members of the legislature and all top aides should be required to pass the top FCAT test each year, on one try, to receive their salaries and any benefits from the state.
It just means that teachers will have to skip over a lot of other information so they can teach more of the test – kids might pass the test but they still won’t know anything…..
FCAT and the teachers union both need to go. To many tax payer funded programs that mean nothing. Schools should be user funded and not tacked onto your home. So much waste!!!
The State of Florida went from somewhere around 12th to 46th in the US
after the FCAT was started. Its time to get rid of it not make it harder.
Mississippi is last, are we trying to beat them for last place…….;.
What A Crockkkkk