FCAT Gets Feisty

Tensions rose last night at the District School Advisory Council meeting. It’s no surprise that the topic was FCAT.

While students and teachers struggle through the spring to not only to get through FCAT preparation and testing, but passing, they were thrown a curve-ball. The Florida legislature has decided to raise the standards of the test (now named FCAT 2.0). The state board looked at the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) when they set the standards and adopted these new achievement levels December 19.

Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said high school students will likely benefit from the shift in achievement levels and grades three to six will have their work cut out for them.

“Most schools will probably lose 10 to 20 points of efficiency,” he said. “There’s going to be a little sticker shock.”

FCAT will also include students with disabilities (SWD) and English language learners (ELL) in their second year. Before, SWD and ELL were included in Reading and Mathematics learning gains, but now they are included in all components – Reading , Mathematics, Writing and Science, like all other students. Meaning, they have the same expectations as “normal” students. And their grade is included in the school’s overall grade.

“Statewide, only 55 percent of students are going to pass that test,” Thomas said. “The bar is higher.”

The State Board of Education made these changes on Feb. 28, leaving little time for schools to adjust to the changes. And these modifications will affect the 2011-2012 school grades.

“We’re in the middle of the game, but we’re not sure what the rules are,” said Sandy Edwards, director of comprehensive planning, school improvement and grants management. “We don’t even know what the scoring is going to be like.”

Graduation rates are at risk as part of HB 7053, which will require students to take an end of course (EOC) exam to receive credit for the class. Carolyn Spooner, director of high schools had hand-outs ready to illustrate the confusing seven-year timeline of the bill, which began with 2010-2011 and go until the 2016-2017 school year. For children who entered the ninth grade this year, in order to graduate they must pass the Algebra I EOC for credit, a Geometry EOC will count as 30 percent of their grade and a Biology EOC will count as 30 percent of their grade. No two school years are the same.

“It used to be that the credit and grade was married,” Spooner said. “Credit and grade have divorced.”

For students entering ninth grade in the 2015-2016 school year, they will have to have an Algebra II credit in order to graduate.

“That is upper level math,” Spooner said. “Many of our students don’t take Algebra II. We’re really going to have to increase the rigor.”

This house bill will allow for good students who may not be test proficient to sweat graduation.

Lori Goto, mother of a fourth grader, first grader and kindergarten student – not to mention a three- year-old, had concerns.

“What about the lazy smart kid?” she asked. “Can they fail the class but pass the EOC and get credit?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Spooner answered. “The ‘F’ will factor into their GPA, but they will get the credit. The same goes for the good student who does everything he or she is supposed to, but cannot take a test.”

“Which sucks,” Goto said.

“You are preaching to the choir,” Spooner said.

School Board Member and Vice President of the Florida Schools Boards Association (FSBA), Patty Hightower stood up.

“The way to change this is in the voting booth,” she said. “Get people out to vote.”

For parents needing more information on FCAT and graduation changes call your child’s school principal.

For more information and contact info, go to: http://www.escambia.k12.fl.us/Master/index.asp