Published: May 08, 2008 05:39 pm            

FCAT TO COUNT LESS

Under new plan, schools will find it easier to make the grade

Teachers and local school officials generally reacted positively to news that the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test has been devalued by Florida lawmakers. Under legislation passed last week, FCAT will no longer be the sole factor in determining school grades in Florida's A-Plus accountability system. Instead, graduation rates and student participation in advanced courses will be taken into account.

School board chairperson Julie Ulmer said that a single test should not be used to determine a student's chances of success. "This standardized test is not used properly (now)," she said. "You cannot tell what you need to know about a student with just one test."

Assistant superintendent Mel McMullen said the expansion of the criteria by which school grades are determined was a good idea. He called it "a positive move."

"I am excited to see that some of the stresses will be removed from the FCAT," Suwannee High School English teacher Amy Hendry said Wednesday.

Under the measure, FCAT will count for only 50 percent of a school's grade, not 100 percent as it has since FCAT's inception in 1998.

Hendry, who teaches 9th and 10th grades, thinks it is a relief that teachers will not be expected to prepare so thoroughly just for the FCAT.

"It is my belief that if students take and participate fully in rigorous academic courses, most will do fine on any standardized test," she said. "I do not think it benefits society when hard working students who earn good grades, but who are poor test-takers, are prevented from receiving a diploma because they cannot pass the FCAT."

High school English teacher Kimberly Tuvell believes the new system will be good for schools.

"The school grade should not be just about a test," she said. "There are more issues going on."

Tuvell thinks taking into account other factors will "give a more rounded picture of what is happening in the schools today."

This is the first major change to the FCAT since 1998. The new measure would ban FCAT rallies and motivational speakers during class time.

SHS principal Dawn Lamb noted that FCAT will still be a graduation requirement, however. "The new measure is taking writing away as part of the graduation requirement but the rest is still required," she said.

Sophomores in high school will have three chances to pass the FCAT before graduation. If they fail they will not receive a diploma. "This is a fair measure for high schools as far as success," Lamb said. "I believe this is a positive thing for our school." Lamb said the measure will only change the way school grades are calculated, so students should not be affected. However, others note that decreased emphasis on FCAT may reduce levels of stress in the classroom.

Dr. Linda Simpson, a seventh grade language arts teacher at Branford High School, disagrees with the new standard. "It would place small schools at a disadvantage, thus placing more stress than relieving it," she said.

The measure would also require the state to be more specific about what children are expected to learn at each grade level.

Once the new legislation is signed into law by Gov. Charlie Crist, as expected, schools may begin administering FCAT later in the year than under current rules. As of now the test is administered in February and March.

The FCAT was created in 1992 as a writing test administered to fourth grade students. In 1998 testing in reading and math began. Science followed five years later in 2003.

        

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