From the Orlando Sentinel, By David Breen and Lauren Roth,
On the day the state released FCAT scores in reading, math and science, opposition to the testing program continued on two fronts in Central Florida.
Osceola County on Tuesday night joined the growing list of Florida school districts calling on the state to step back from its reliance on the FCAT.
At the urging of Superintendent Terry Andrews, the Osceola County School Board adopted a resolution urging Gov. Rick Scott, the state Department of Education and the Legislature "to reexamine public school accountability systems in the State of Florida."
The resolution initially fell short. But after an impassioned plea from longtime teacher Apryle Jackson, president of the Osceola County Education Association, the board reconsidered and unanimously adopted the measure, drawing applause from dozens of students, parents and teachers.
In Orange County, meanwhile, School Board member Rick Roach, who has inserted himself in the national debate over testing, held an event dubbed "The Truth About FCAT" in the Boone High Auditorium on Tuesday night.
About 85 people heard Roach argue that the FCAT puts too much stress on students and teachers, costs too much, eats up too much time and limits creativity in classrooms. He then provided some examples of FCAT questions he thought were unfair because they required students to go beyond what was contained in the text.
One question concerned the poem Ozymandias, which describes a long-ago collapsed royal monument. Students were asked to infer what once surrounded the monument. The answer: a great city.
"Inference is fine, but not with the clock ticking and graduation on the line," Roach said, noting that too many students are failing the FCAT reading test.
Parents Carolina and Dan Griffith, who stood outside the meeting with anti-FCAT signs, want families to have the option to waive the test.
"It puts unneeded pressure on children," Dan Griffith said.
Roach has been vocal in his criticism of the tests, particularly the 10th-grade reading exam, and helped put together a white paper arguing that testing costs too much.
The anti-test backlash comes despite a push by many legislators, supported by former Gov. Jeb Bush's Foundation for Florida's Future, to strengthen the state's accountability system.
In Osceola, the anti-testing resolution at first drew only two backers on the School Board: Jay Wheeler and Tom Long. But the other three members quickly changed their minds after Jackson's comments.
In doing so, they joined at least seven Florida school districts that have signed on to a national effort to de-emphasize standardized testing. According to a staff presentation to the School Board, similar resolutions have been adopted by school boards in Broward, Charlotte, Indian River, Levy, Martin, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties.
Before introducing the resolution, Andrews addressed students in the crowd.
"We're proud of you, we think you've done a great job," he said. "But we want you to understand that the FCAT doesn't reflect your accomplishments or your abilities."
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-06-05/features/os-truth-about-fcat-roach-20120605_1_anti-fcat-h-grade-reading-fcat-scores
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