Just when it seemed that Florida was starting to kick its FCAT dependency, the state Department of Education falls off the wagon.
On Monday, the department released a list of school districts ranked solely according to their FCAT scores. Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson said it was meant to provide "one user-friendly document" to help the public judge schools, and that Gov. Scott approved of the rankings. But the list can't be "user-friendly," because it's useless.
Kindergartners don't take the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Neither do first- or second-graders. Neither do high school juniors, except in science. Neither do seniors. There is no U.S. history FCAT. There is no world history FCAT. There is no French or Spanish FCAT. There are no art, theater or choral FCATs. The FCAT doesn't measure success in multiple career academies.
So FCAT results don't come close to giving a comprehensive look at how schools are doing. That's why the state is moving away from the FCAT. Grades assigned to high schools, for example, now include graduation rates and measures of student success in Advanced Placement courses.
The FCAT itself is being replaced by end-of-course tests in algebra, geometry and eventually all other subjects. And even though experts aren't yet sure how to do it, upcoming teacher evaluations are supposed to take into account variables beyond a teacher's control, such as parental involvement and learning readiness.
The state's list, which ranked Palm Beach County 16th, Martin County eighth and St. Lucie 42nd, didn't take into account diversity and demographics such as wealth and poverty. With this list, Gov. Scott and Commissioner Robinson haven't advanced education accountability. They have suffered an FCAT relapse.
- Jac Wilder VerSteeg,
for The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/editorials/fcat-dependency-is-back-2123101.html?cxtype=rss_editorials
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