Florida Superintendent calls for end to FCAT, don't you wish Duval had a super like that?

From Tallahassee.com by Jackie Pons

I appreciate the predicament that state Board of Education members found themselves in Tuesday. Their emergency meeting addressed the precipitous drop in one year's FCAT writing scores, which put the credibility of Florida's entire testing regimen on the line.

Before Tuesday's unanimous vote to lower the acceptable score, the percentage of fourth-graders statewide who passed this year's test was only 27; last year it was 81. The Department of Education, which seems to have been caught off-guard, says that this was largely due to more rigorous grading standards.

My first concern was how students would take such news, after working so hard. What about teachers, who have worked tirelessly to teach students to meet these new requirements? These are not changes that parents can easily understand, either.

If a teacher gave a test and the normal passing rate was 81 percent, then dropped to 27, good educators would realize the instrument was not reliable and throw it out.

In the past few years, there have been too many people involved in trying to change and reset testing criteria and proficiency levels without taking the time to analyze the data. We've even reached the point where standards would be raised if there were too many "A" schools.

These moving targets illustrate a broader truth: The policymakers have failed our students, parents and teachers because of inadequate assessment and preparation. In addition, it is time to finally acknowledge that the FCAT has outlived its usefulness.

It was best said by Robert Schaeffer, of the National Center for Fair & Open Testing: By continuing to change proficiency levels, Florida is losing its credibility and legitimacy, and that challenges the validity of Florida's accountability system.

We should be proud that Florida has led the nation with regard to accountability and higher standards. When I was a principal, proficiency standards were almost like a holy grail. They were changed only after thoughtful deliberation. The consequences are significant and therefore should not be taken lightly.

The State Assessment and Accountability Advisory Committee, which included testing and assessment experts, recommended more data and time before making any changes to proficiency levels. Because the careful analysis was not done, the state Board of Education ended up in an emergency meeting, forced to make a quick decision.

This isn't the only example of a ready-fire-aim approach. The state-required end-of-course exams in select subject areas that are tied to graduation requirements have not been adequately vetted, either.

The state needs to begin preparing for the new common core standards that are part of the federal Race to the Top program.

We have been working hard to get the wrong model right. Let's discard the FCAT once and for all.

http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20120520/OPINION05/205200307/Jackie-Pons-s-time-get-rid-FCAT