From Politico Florida: Some lawmakers hope to ditch Florida’s controversial new state exams by requiring the Department of Education to instead administer existing national exams, like the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills or the SAT college entrance exam...
I think above is great and the way we should go though I feel obligated to point out that if we did switch we would have wasted millions and millions of dollars. All for a test we won't know if is valid or not for another week, though I think we all know what the answer is going to be.
I don't know what to think about this sudden burst of sanity.
Florida this year began administering new state exams, developed by Utah-based American Institutes for Research under a six-year, $220 million contract. Because of technical difficulties associated with the administration of the computer-based exams, Gov. Rick Scott and the Legislature ordered a separate company to study the tests' validity, and that report is due by Sept. 1.
Seminole County’s original proposal, which district leaders outlined in a July letter to the department, called for the state to allow schools to administer the Iowa Tests, which have been offered since the 1930s, for younger students, since the federal government requires annual testing in grades three through eight. Students in middle school would take the PSAT, a pre-cursor to the SAT, and students in high school would take the SAT.
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/florida/2015/08/8575091/lawmakers-look-ditch-state-exams-adopt-national-testsI think above is great and the way we should go though I feel obligated to point out that if we did switch we would have wasted millions and millions of dollars. All for a test we won't know if is valid or not for another week, though I think we all know what the answer is going to be.
I don't know what to think about this sudden burst of sanity.
It's about time someone in the Legislature showed some sense! Iowa Basics, PSAT, & SAT --- that sounds wonderful!!!
ReplyDeleteOne test to another is ignorant. Whole child assessment can be monitored, We assess orchestra competitions, speeches debates etc. We can assess everything with a reality base
ReplyDeleteSadly, as long as the stakes remain attached to the tests, i.e. the tests are used in manners other than their intended purpose, the system will still fail; but dumping the FSA, and using a paper/pencil already valid test, would be a nice step in the right direction.
ReplyDelete