FCAR SPEAKOUT

The FCAT: Florida's Pink Elephant

2009-05-24T20:14:00.004-04:00

Standardized testing results were reported this week for Florida’s third graders and a pink elephant still roams the Sunshine State.

In every community the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) was given to African-American, Latino and white children living in poverty, scores were low. Just about all of the 34,873 lowest scores, those children who now may wear the Scarlet Letter, came out of economically depressed neighborhoods. Higher FCAT scores without exception came from communities where African-American, Latino and white children live in relative affluence, material comfort and physical safety.

So now the dance around Florida’s pink elephant begins.

The governor, the legislators, and school board members across the state will dance for campaign contributors who fund their runs for office. Their corporate backers generated this whole standardized testing movement in the first place. Their preference is for a private for-profit school system and the FCAT provides a steady stream of headlines that scream of failing public schools.

The political appointees on the Florida Board of Education and the bureaucrats in the Florida Department of Education and the office of Commissioner Eric Smith will dance to advance their influence and career goals. Their job is to manufacture every rationalization no matter how farfetched, find every stitch of evidence no matter how irrelevant, and offer up every diversion no matter how harebrained to hide the pink elephant. But the pink elephant will still be there. There is a perfect correlation of FCAT scores to the economic circumstances of the test taker.

The FCAT is different things to different people.

For a devious and ambitious politician the FCAT can be the gateway to higher office. In 2006 Jeb Bush handed his job over to Charlie Crist and began appearing with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The two prospective 2008 presidential candidates wanted to talk to the nation about our schools. Bush advertised himself as the “education governor” based on skyrocketing FCAT scores in Florida. As they reported this year’s results The Miami Herald recalled that, “In 2006, thousands of third-grade reading scores were inflated because the test was too easy … an error discovered in 2007. The state later hired a consultant to oversee the testing program and all future tests.”

For the 8 or 9-year-old child the FCAT is a trial by fire. Children have vomited on their test booklets. Children have wet themselves during the test. All the tested children are anxious. It is not a health anxiety. It is not like butterflies before you play the big game or run the big race. For some of these young children there is a sense of dread. The FCAT is a monster under the bed.

If only the FCAT were an imaginary ogre that could be dispatched with a hug and some soothing reassurance from a loved one. But this threat is not in their minds. It is real. Every child knows one thing going into that third grade FCAT testing room. They know there is strict punishment for poor performance. They know the punishment is not over quickly. They know it will last a long time.

The State of Florida essentially embarked on a groundbreaking educational experiment through the FCAT. The Miami Herald describes it thus, “Third-graders have to score a two or higher in reading to move on to fourth grade. Research shows students need to master reading by third grade to learn from textbooks and not fall behind in class, which could eventually lead to dropping out of school.” Poverty, racism, neglect, abuse, malnutrition, the constant threat of violence—there will be no excuses for the inability to master FCAT reading skills. The state is determined to test the nurturing properties of shame and public humiliation on poor children.

34,873.

Tonight there are 34,873 little souls in Florida that tremble at what may come tomorrow.

Paul A. Moore
Miami Carol City High
Miami, Florida

Rigor?

2009-04-06T13:41:00.006-04:00

Marion Brady (retired educator, author, columnist) is one of the best thinkers in America on the subject of education. He's also one of the most consistently ignored, at least among the movers and shakers who make education policy.

In this slide show, which Brady calls "A reaction to Corporate America's big "RIGOR!" push," he takes his essential message and puts it into terms so simple that even corporate CEOs and politicians can understand it. Of course, it's not the message they want to hear, so it'll likely still fall on deaf ears (including those of Barack Obama and Arne Duncan).

Failing School or Failed Accountabilty System?

2009-03-28T23:25:00.001-04:00

Something is terribly wrong at Miami's Maya Angelou Elementary School!

According to the Florida Department of Education, Maya Angelou became a failing school last year. Strange since the year before it was a model school, an "A" school, judged by the same Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). But test scores don't lie so Maya Angelou was placed, along with neighboring inner-city schools like Holmes Elementary and Liberty City Elementary, on the state's list of schools subject to Differentiated Accountability (DA). DA is a fancy way of threatening that Maya Angelou will be closed if the kids there don't become better test takers.

One can only imagine the goings on in one of these failing schools. That may have inspired the Miami Herald to send its education reporter Kathleen McGrory into Maya Angelou for a look see. And McGrory found Ms. Cointa Martin's second grade class ignoring FCAT test prep and living in the real world. It's the world where Macy's lays off 600 of its Miami office employees and the children dare to care.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/971891.html

McCrory's story is accompanied by pictures of Kayla Yorks, a 7-year-old, and Daniel Hernandez, 7 too. Daniel wrote about unemployment, "It isn't easy when you lose your job. You have to buy things for your family, but you don't have enough money." Daniel's classmate and budding philosopher, 8-year-old Charlene Montero, added, "Deserts may seem empty at first, but if you know where to look, you will find they are full of life." The story ultimately introduces us to a cross section of Ms. Martin's class and of the community. There's Kayla, Daniel, Charlene, and Cierra Rodgers, Jackeline Ramirez, Javier Nunez, and Michael Hollomon.

Incredibly, the kids from the failing Maya Angelou Elementary seemed to reach accomplished adult professionals with their concern. Their "little tiny inspirational posters" brought tears to the eyes of broadcast manager Margaret Torok. Retouching specialist Nelson Viera said, "It reminded me that there's so much hope out there---we just have to open our eyes and see it. Truthfully, it made me feel so much better." The Macy's employees responded with letters and a book created by Viera. Veteran teacher Martin wrapped up the lesson for her kids, "When you are kind to someone, they will be kind to you."

Next year, as third graders, Ms. Martin's charges will face the FCAT. The test awards no points for kindness. Florida is in the middle of a groundbreaking experiment with childhood accountability and the educational value of humiliation If the 9-year-olds do not meet the reading standards of the FCAT they will be severely punished. The educational policy of the state, executed by Governor Charlie Crist and the Commissioner of Education Eric Smith, is to brand such children as failed. That is kept in confidence but then to make sure the lesson on accountability is seared into a child's brain and self-image forever, they are publicly humiliated. During the next school year their classmates proceed to grade four while they join a new group of kids to repeat third grade.

The FDOE does not report this but the vastly disproportionate number of the children retained in the third grade come from schools like Maya Angelou Elementary. They are children living in poverty. They are children of color. They are Ms. Martin's children.

Paul A. Moore
Miami Carol City High School

What Else Is New?

2007-06-29T06:54:00.000-04:00

Educators shift focus: More drills, less play

And the "school grades" are due out soon. And your property taxes will be cut. And the factory-style schooling continues.

And more kids are lost in the shuffle.

"Educators are trying to create a form to fit every child, and you just can't do that," said Stephen Rushton, a professor and researcher at the University of South Florida. "We have lost the whole child in this testing craze."

Teacher a victim of a failed system

2007-06-22T11:01:00.000-04:00

I was savoring every line of this terrific letter in today's St. Pete Times so much that I didn't even glance at the writer's name until I got
to the bottom, when I saw that it's by one of my personal heroines--FCAR director Judy Castillo. For those new to FCAR, in 2003 Judy and her husband sued the state for access to their son's graded FCATs. They didn't prevail, thanks to one of Jeb's appointees (and former staffers) on the appeals court, who reversed a favorable lower court decision, but they brought a lot of sunshine into a very dark corner--and won my undying respect. ~Gloria Pipkin

Teacher a victim of a failed system

The teacher in Pasco County who was fired for FCAT violations is a scapegoat for a failed system. At one time, citizens may have believed the FCAT would improve education. But now, most of us understand that the FCAT is just another divisive tool being used to segregate students. Wealthier communities enjoy higher scores and receive more state funds. Poorer communities suffer lower scores and, therefore, receive less funding. This is institutional racism cloaked in its finest apparel.

I am a high school teacher. During FCAT season, we must attend a brief tutorial on how to administer the test. We receive a book of instruction that none of us is able to completely read. Then, we are forced to sign a paper that stipulates we will not look at the FCAT booklet.

However, we are told that we must proctor the test by moving about the room, making sure all students are on the correct section of the test. How do you do that without glancing at the test? So, teachers are forced into a corner. We are the ones who must pay for the state's unprofessionalism. The state made big mistakes on last year's tests, yet who among them must lose their jobs? Who among them must be responsible to the taxpayers for the cost of a bungled debacle? Who among them will even apologize to the citizens of this state who believed in them? To the schools who depend on them? To the teachers who are sacrificed by them?

Because the state has done such a remarkable job of clouding the real issues in education, including the FCAT sham, it is hard for most people to see what's really at the core of this program. FCAT is not about improving education. It is not about fairness, equality or progress. It is about money and political manipulation. Sacrificing a teacher here or there to maintain rigid control and fear among educators is a small price for them to pay.

I hope the new governor is willing to undress the FCAT and promote a truly progressive education plan - one based on openness, clarity and honesty, and one that doesn't hold teachers hostage in the classrooms, afraid to make the wrong move, afraid to help students, afraid to do their jobs. Let's hope the new governor values what education is about: asking questions and finding answers.

Judy Castillo, Florida Coalition for Assessment Reform, Brooksville

Commissioner Blomberg responds to our letter

2007-05-31T11:19:00.000-04:00

Below is the announcement from FCAR president Gloria Pipkin regarding Commissioner Blomberg's response to our open letter.
_________________________________________________

I'm pleased to announce that FCAR will have a representative on the external advisory group that will assist the Department of Education in identifying an independent, external group of testing experts to review the data from 2006 and recommend a procedure for establishing an annual review of the test.

I had a call from the Commissioner's office this morning, letting us know that the advisory group meets in Orlando tomorrow and inviting us to appoint a representative. Dr. Robert Lange, retired UCF professor of educational measurement and FCAR stalwart, will represent FCAR.

Gloria

Open Letter To Gov. Crist, Comm. Blomberg

2007-05-29T11:57:00.000-04:00

Florida Coalition for Assessment Reform, Inc.

for further information:
Gloria Pipkin: 850 265-6438
cell: 850 866-9537
or Bob Schaeffer: 239 395-6773

for immediate release, Tuesday, May 28, 2007

ASSESSMENT REFORMERS SEEK "STRICT ACCOUNTABILITY" FOR FCAT; OPEN LETTER TO GOV. CRIST, COMM. BLOMBERG CALLS FOR COMPREHENSIVE, PUBLIC REVIEW OF STATE TESTS IN WAKE OF SCORING ERROR

The Florida Coalition for Assessment Reform (FCAR) today delivered to Florida Governor Charlie Crist and Education Commissioner Jeanine Blomberg a set of recommendations to implement "the administration's pledge of openness and transparency in reviewing the FCAT in the wake of the recent disclosure of the 2006 Grade Three scoring error."

Commissioner Blomberg has indicated that a review will take place but has not provided details about who will conduct the investigation, what topics it will cover, when it will be completed, or whether the results will be made public.

In an open letter, FCAR said, "The powerful impact of the FCAT on our children, our schools, and our communities demands strict accountability to the public" and listed suggestions including:

hearings around the state to determine the scope of questions Floridians want addressed;

inclusion of representatives from groups such as FCAR and the Florida League of Women Voters in the FCAT review process;

input from independent measurement experts as well as teachers, parents and school counselors;

investigation of all recent FCAT scores, not just the 2006 exam where the state admits an error was made; and

publication of relevant documents about how the FCAT is designed, constructed and administered, including the exam's technical manual

FCAR is a non-profit, non-partisan, statewide organization with members in 50 of Florida's school districts.

- - - - -
The text of the FCAR letter to Gov. Crist and Commissioner Blomberg follows
- - - - -

FLORIDA COALITION FOR ASSESSMENT REFORM, INC

May 28, 2007

Dear Governor Crist and Commissioner Blomberg:

The Florida Coalition for Assessment Reform (FCAR) applauds the administration's pledge of openness and transparency in reviewing the FCAT in the wake of the recent disclosure of the 2006 Grade Three scoring error. The powerful impact of the FCAT on our children, our schools, and our communities demands strict accountability to the public.

In that spirit, we ask you to consider these comments and suggestions:

The review process should begin with public hearings around the state, at convenient times and places, to help determine the scope of questions Florida parents, educators, and taxpayers want addressed.

The audit team should include representatives from FCAR, as well as representatives of the Florida League of Women Voters, which has recently launched a study of the FCAT, and other concerned organizations throughout the state

The team should seek input from teachers, parents, school counselors, and other child advocates, along with independent psychometricians.

The investigation should go beyond the 2006 test, thoroughly examining the validity, reliability, and fairness of the FCAT and its uses.

As part of upholding a pledge of openness and transparency, all critical documents about the FCAT (such as the technical manual) should be made available online and in libraries so that everyone concerned can understand how the test is designed, administered, and graded.

FCAR is a nonprofit organization with members and contacts in more than fifty school districts. We are committed to open, broad-based, constructive assessment that reflects the complexity of learning and respects the diversity of learners.

We look forward to hearing from you as you convene an external advisory group this week, at which time we will be pleased to submit the names of testing experts to review the data from 2006 and recommend a procedure for establishing an annual review of the test.

Sincerely,

Gloria Pipkin, President
for the FCAR Board of Directors

850 265-6438
fcar@fcarweb.org -- www fcarweb.org

Vital Questions

2007-05-29T10:10:00.000-04:00

In light of the recent revelations about last year's third grade FCAT scores [see our post from May 27], the questions asked by FCAR vice president Marion Brady are more urgent than ever.

I'm (Mr.) Marion Brady, long-time Florida teacher, administrator, publisher consultant, teacher educator, policy analyst, author of texts and professional books, myriad journal articles, and six years of newspaper columns distributed by KRT. I'm under no contract to anyone, and am offering non-exclusive rights to the following because I think the issues are too important to ignore. I live in Cocoa, and my phone number is 321-636-3448.

___________________

Jim Warford, executive director of the Florida Association of School Administrators, made an important point in his recent column in many of Florida's newspapers. The real FCAT issue isn't about accountability. All educators believe in it. Always have. Always will. It isn't being held accountable that frustrates them, but the FCAT's superficial, simplistic approach to it.

A source of even greater frustration for many is the degree to which the standardized testing fad has shut down dialog on education-related questions of great importance, questions bearing on student performance and societal well-being.

Here are some of those questions:

The present thrust of education "reform" assumes the familiar curriculum, now locked in place by "standards and accountability," is as appropriate today as it was when it was adopted in 1892. Is it?

If there are problems with the traditional, same-thing-for-everybody curriculum, don't "raising the bar" and "rigor" make the problems worse?

Management experts say poor institutional performance almost always indicates unaddressed "system" problems. Poor FCAT scores aren't being blamed on the system but on the people in the system. Are the experts wrong?

The FCAT is part of a reform movement that assumes market forces can shape schools up. At least one Florida legislator is even considering introducing legislation to pay students for passing scores. Does this mean that learning is unnatural and won't happen unless teachers and kids are threatened or bribed?

The FCAT is rapidly pushing "frills" out of the curriculum. Has research now established that art, music, physical activity and so on have nothing to do with developing reasoning ability and other desirable educational outcomes?

On critical, instruction-related questions, local educators and school boards are increasingly being pushed out of the decision-making loop. Does the history of top-down, centralized control suggest this change strategy works?

Statewide, thousands of kids are being held back because of poor reading and math scores. Is the ability to interpret symbols and fill in ovals on multiple-choice tests the only way kids learn, and therefore sufficient reason to flunk them?

Education is supposed to teach kids to think for themselves, not just recall what they've been ordered to remember. Are corporately produced, machine-scored tests able to judge the relative quality of complex thought processes? If so, why aren't they already doing that?

Will manipulating the curriculum to "maintain America's competitive position in world trade" be more likely to ensure America's future well-being than helping kids love learning because it lets them pursue their abilities wherever they lead?

Frantic to avoid the test-triggered "failing" label, educators use myriad strategies to "game" the system. For example, administrators, knowing ahead of time which kids will and which likely won't pass the FCAT, ignore them and flood the "marginals" with attention. Is it possible to track and counter all such score-distorting strategies?

If, as Acting Commissioner of Education Jeanine Blomberg says, state officials "...will go back and re-equate and rescale the 2006 third-grade FCAT reading exam..." isn't this an admission of how open the scoring process is to political manipulation?

The FCAT's defenders insist that it's legitimate because it's tied to the Sunshine State Standards. No one is questioning the quality of those
"standards"- their lack of an overarching aim, their failure to capitalize on the mutually supportive nature of school subjects, or their emphasis on knowledge rather than on what kids can actually do with what they know. Aren't those problems sufficiently serious to warrant a fresh look at the Standards?

Back in the 1980s, before the leaders of business and industry and the politicians hi-jacked education reform, thoughtful educators were beginning to explore ways to move student intellectual performance to a whole new level. The keys were World War II-developed General Systems Theory and research into how the brain organizes information. The FCAT's "mother" - the No Child Left Behind legislation - stopped that effort dead in its tracks.

The new model for education reform is the 19th century classroom of Charles Dickens' "Mr. Gradgrind." Future generations will look back on this era and shake their heads in disbelief at the naivete of the amateurs now writing education policy.

FCAT bombshell

2007-05-27T22:57:00.000-04:00

Below is an excerpt from FCAR's email news digest, F-TREND. More information will follow soon.

In the four years we've been publishing F-TREND, we've never seen FCAT news as explosive as what came to light this week. FCAT reading, math, and science scores in all grades in which they're administered were released this week, but they were overshadowed by the Florida Department of Education's admission--a year after the fact--that the 2006 grade 3 reading FCAT scores were artificially inflated because the test was easier than those in previous years.

What did the DOE know, and when did they know it?

When the 2007 scores for grade 3 FCAT were released two weeks ago, the percentage of students scoring at or above levels deemed "proficient" on the reading test dropped from 75% to 69% statewide, with 60 of 67 districts showing declines after six years of steady improvement.

Superintendents and assessment coordinators in many districts began pressing for answers, and one of the first responses from Jeanine Blomberg, acting commissioner of education, was that last year's test might have been easier. Shortly after, former commissioner of education John Winn acknowledged that these concerns had arisen in 2006 when the grade reading scores came in, but, according to Winn, the DOE and Harcourt, the test developer, were unable to detect any significant differences in the tests using traditional methods of statistical equating.

Common Item Equating

How do we know when a grade level test is easier or more difficult than one previously administered? Bob Schaeffer, national education director for Fair Test, resident of Sanibel, and member of FCAR, explained the procedure for equating tests from year to year this way: "The process they appear to have been using is called 'common item equating.' The way it works is that a set of identical questions (often called a 'testlet') is included in the exams for consecutive years. The rationale is that if average performance on these common items increases by a certain percentage, it is likely that student mastery of whatever it is the test measures has also improved by a similar proportion.

Unfortunately, that assumption holds only if the items are embedded in exactly the same place in the test year after year--item order can significantly alter performance." As Bob noted, there have been published reports that the placement of the "testlet" items for the 2006 test varied wasn't the same as the previous test.

Life-altering decisions made on the basis of a single flawed and fallible test

A constant theme running through all of FCAR's advocacy efforts over the last seven years has been that a single test is not a fair and reliable measure of any child's strengths and needs. The latest FCAT debacle only deepens our conviction. Even when there was strong evidence that something was rotten in FCATland, the politicians and bureaucrats kept us in the dark during an election year when the FCAT was a major issue.

Redressing the wrongs of FCAT, assessing the assessors, and supporting constructive assessment

The Florida Coalition for Assessment Reform will shortly propose a plan for digging deep into the flawed FCATs, assessing the assessors, and holding the State accountable to Florida children and families. FCAR's mission statement remains a worthy goal: open, broad-based, constructive assessment that reflects the complexity of learning and respects the diversity of learners.

Gloria Pipkin
John L. Perry
May 26, 2007

Educator Roundtable

2007-03-25T11:45:00.000-04:00

John included this link to the Educator Roundtable in his comments. Worth a visit! :)

I'll add it to the links here too.

http://www.educatorroundtable.org/

From the website:
Action

Teachers, parents, scholars, and policy analysts have convened this roundtable in hopes of repealing the CURRENT authorization of the ESEA (No Child Left Behind Act). While we recognize that many individuals signed onto the legislation with the best of intentions, it is our hope that we can help them see the damage NCLB has done. While no one has yet leveled an effective, widespread challenge to the law, we are hopeful. We are hopeful that the thousands of disenfranchised educators, disillusioned parents, overburdened students and hyper-regulated school districts will work together to reclaim our free, public, and locally controlled schools. From there we can explore multiple paths of learning...

continue reading about what we are trying to accomplish

Teachers With "Chutzpah"

2007-03-20T10:00:00.000-04:00

Looking for inspiration? Read about some people putting their money where their mouth is -- or, more to the point, not selling out!

A teaching moment

Pinellas County educators recently rejected a state merit pay plan by a huge margin, saying no to millions. Here's what they want state legislators to learn from their vote.

By DONNA WINCHESTER
Published March 20, 2007

Sherry Brock knows exactly what an extra few thousand dollars could buy.

New wall-to-wall carpeting for her living room. A cushy couch and a matching love seat. Hubcaps to replace the ones someone stole from her '92 Caddy.

Yet when the moment came for her to approve a plan that would bring Pinellas County schoolteachers $6.1-million - as much as $3,100 of it for herself - the district's 2007 Outstanding Educator checked the little box that said "No."

Brock, a math and journalism teacher at Dixie Hollins High in St. Petersburg, wanted the hubcaps. She thought she deserved them. But her years in the classroom have taught her that some things are more important than money.

"I have not been able to see how this can be fair," she said of the merit pay plan state legislators dubbed Special Teachers Are Rewarded, or STAR. "I think it's divisive."
. . .
In a stunning display of chutzpah not seen since the teacher walkout of 1968, Pinellas educators stood together last month, rejecting a legislative mandate they considered demeaning and demoralizing. From one end of the county to the other, their votes reflected years of frustration with the FCAT, years of frustration with politicians.

The final tally: 217 for STAR, 4,517 against.

Districts across the state posted similar results, sending legislators back to come up with a new plan they hope educators will find more palatable.

In Pinellas County, the teachers are still angry.
. . .

Almost OK

2007-02-25T09:29:00.000-05:00

This op-ed is almost OK. They end up saying "just do it" "ditch the bad." OK, as far as it goes.

But it doesn't go far enough.

There's still the insistence that we "keep what's good" -- the obligatory bow to the wonders of "accountability." As if the FCAT is the only way a parent could know what's going on with their child in their school.

"Just do it" -- ditch the whole thing and get on with figuring out how schools can truly serve children and their communities.

ESE and the FCAT

2007-02-12T09:04:00.000-05:00

A teacher sorted out the acronyms -- and supplied a new one! :) -- on the FCARForum list this weekend:

Given the spate of F#&% editorials in the papers this weekend, I thought that this might be the time to tell my story about how the emphasis on F#&% has affected the instruction of my ESE students and my teaching career.

After 18 years as a teacher of self-contained classes for emotionally disabled students in a high school in my district, I had the opportunity to play a part in the establishment of a stand-alone, magnet school (specializing in information technology).

I had served under my new principal when she was an assistant principal responsible for ESE at the aforementioned high school. While there, she had earned her doctorate in ESE law and had led an ESE department that was very successful in providing for the special needs of its special populations (ED, SLD, EMD, VI, HI, S/L). I served, for a period of time, as the department chair. I decided that I'd "follow" her and help to build the new school.

Our new magnet school implemented an inclusion model in which all our ESE students (SLD, ED, HI, S/l), all moderately disabled, received all their instruction in mainstream classrooms (standard, honors, AP). I served as the inclusion specialist charged with providing supportive facilitation in said classrooms and providing resource class type services when needed.

Since none of our ESE students were enrolled in ESE classes, we did not receive heightened funding for their instruction. The district funded my position at 60%, but for four years my principal was able to find additional funding for the balance of my full-time position.

After some disappointing school-wide performances on F#&% exams and a mandate for more reading coaches and teachers, my principal informed me that she would not be able to fund the extra 40% to pay for a full-time position. My students and their teachers would have to make due with part-time services. I was compelled to leave my position and transfer to a special center for the instruction of severely emotionally disabled students (SED).

Last year, my first at the center, I provided physical education instruction for about one-third of our students. Even though there was a concerted effort to raise F#&% writing scores, I was freed, to a certain degree, to concentrate on my students' more pressing individual needs because PE standards are not tested by the F#&%.

This year, since none of our students have "passed" the F#&%, many have been enrolled in remedial reading and math courses. Elective class offerings have declined even at our special center. Now, I provide PE instruction to only one-tenth of our students.

As you might imagine, our special center has never received monetary rewards through the A+ School Recognition Program, nor do we teachers ever expect to earn STAR (Special Teachers Are Rewarded) performance-pay. Yet, the administration and teachers at our center still are passionately dedicated to meeting the special needs of our students, despite reduced planning time and increased F#&% staff trainings (three out of four meetings per month). With severely emotionally disabled students, we have little choice but to place their needs first.

But how well are other schools and teachers are meeting the needs of more moderately disabled students and of "regular" students?

As long as F#&% is the high-stakes, end all-be all, students' needs will be secondary to the politics of ideologues and the profit motive. How should F#&% be reformed? Use it only as a diagnostic tool. Make the needs of all students the primary concern!

For more insights from Chris and other concerned educators, visit TheLink.

Jumping Jacks??

2007-02-09T09:14:00.000-05:00

Give FCAT a Workout

Surely there's more to the plan than a name change and jumping jacks? Really? Teacher-led jumping jacks? Did he really say that?

Headlines -- 2/8/07

2007-02-08T08:56:00.000-05:00

Gov. Crist

BOTTOM LINE: FCAT changes must be more than cosmetic.

School grades fail credibility test

Issues of race and class complicate this issue.

Could it be??

2007-01-26T08:41:00.000-05:00

Could there be reason to hope for meaningful changes from the new Gov?

Fingers crossed!

Gov. Charlie Crist kept a close lid on details for his plan to change the way the state applies FCAT testing during a Tiger Bay Club luncheon.

BY BRENDAN FARRINGTON
Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Charlie Crist will roll out a proposal next week to make changes to how the state uses and administers the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, but he gave few details when he revealed his plans Wednesday.

Crist was asked at a Tiger Bay Club luncheon why schools are graded only on FCAT results when they do more than teach the subjects on the standardized tests.

`OTHER FACTORS'

''It may not surprise you that I've heard that message before,'' Crist said to a smattering of laughter.

``I think what you'll see is across the board, but also in a very special, particular way as it relates to teacher salary increases, more items will be taken into account than just the test.''

After the lunch he was asked to elaborate.

''It's one of the pieces I'm going to roll out next week, so I won't say a whole lot, but other factors are important to include,'' Crist said.

. . .

Anyone have a good chisel?

2007-01-01T09:10:00.000-05:00

We have some uncarving to do.

Imprint carved on system: F-C-A-T
LETITIA STEIN
Published December 31, 2006

No governor has done more to change the way Florida students learn than Jeb Bush.

Or created more controversy along the way.

. . .

But the governor is best known for using a single, high-stakes test to reward or punish schools and crack down on social promotion.

Eight years later, polls show a majority of Floridians oppose Bush's decision to make the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test the centerpiece of a strict accountability system.

Bush defends the test, pointing to signs of rising achievement, especially among elementary students.

"The fact is that more kids are learning now, and we're not dumbing down the curriculum to have that be achieved," he said.

For better or worse, Bush transformed the education landscape in Florida.

"What he did is change the direction," said Senate Majority Leader Daniel Webster, R-Winter Garden, "which is an accomplishment in itself."

Most Floridians know Bush's impact on public education by a four-letter word: FCAT.

"In 1998, I couldn't tell you how many kids were reading at grade level, because we didn't measure," Bush said. "We didn't consider it important enough."

Because parents, students and teachers had no idea what was going on? Come on now. . .

Now the FCAT makes or breaks many schools. It helps decide whether third-graders get promoted and high school seniors graduate. It provides a letter grade for almost every school, which determines whether it is sanctioned or rewarded with extra money.

Bush's accountability system has critics, including Hillsborough parent Sherman Dorn. He said his sixth- and ninth-graders are angry about wasted time preparing for the FCAT.

As a historian of education policy at the University of South Florida, however, Dorn recognizes Bush's political skills.

"It's this very ingenious way of capturing public sentiment," said Dorn, who writes about accountability as an associate professor in USF's College of Education. "Adults in the state think, 'Well, if I got grades, why not schools?' "

The FCAT's impact has gone far beyond school grades. Test results brought attention to the long-standing achievement gap between white and minority students. It forced schools to focus more effort on their under-achieving students.

Because, again, we had no idea that some (read: poor) kids come to school with tremendous disadvantages, that zip code matters, that some schools are haves and some are have-nots, etc. Riiiiight.

But some teachers and parents never bought into the system. They say it has created a culture of teaching to a test.

"We're going to look back at public education in Florida in 10 or 15 years the way that we look back at apothecaries who used leeches," said Rep. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach and a public school parent. "We created this high-stakes test that only measured a very few things and minimal competence and put all our eggs in that basket."
. . .

You've gotta love a good leech joke! :)

Read the whole thing and then, please, help me find my chisel!

Vote Early, Vote Often!

2006-12-18T08:42:00.000-05:00

A poll at the FCAR Forum:

Question

Would you support a well-planned, well-organized statewide boycott of FCAT in 2008 by parents, students, teachers, and concerned citizens?

Go here to vote!

Stress Management?

2006-12-11T08:56:00.000-05:00

Does your child need stress management? They're 8 years old and they need this garbage?

Or, maybe it's not about your kids. It's about keeping teachers healthy. So the insurance companies save money.

Experts tell overstressed teachers: Laugh now or pay later
By Douane D. James
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

December 11, 2006

For the sake of their health, Broward County teachers are urged to add laughs to their lesson plans.

"Laughter is the shortest distance from stress to relaxation," entertainer Gail Choate told about 60 teachers in a recent workshop at Embassy Creek Elementary, in Cooper City. "If you look for joy and laughter in your classroom as well as in your own lives, you will find it."

As March FCAT exams draw closer, so too does test anxiety. Educators say when students who worry about their performances feel stressed, their teachers will, too.

The stress-management workshop is one of many programs that the Broward school district's health insurers sponsor for employees, said Tina Severance-Fonte, wellness coordinator for Broward County schools.

If the workshops succeed at unwinding employees, it could keep them from burning out, she said.

Choate, who has visited more than 70 Broward campuses at the schools' request, showed Embassy Creek teachers activities that would add humor to class. In one exercise, students alternate miming whatever activity a partner suggests. In another, students bow to each other in the laughing pose, meaning everyone repeats the chuckle, "ha, ha, ha, ha."

Among other tactics, Choate encouraged teachers to wear outlandish headgear such as Dr. Seuss, viking, or Indiana Jones-style hats when transitioning between subjects.

Part of a school's status depends on its annual accountability grade, which is determined by student results on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

"As you get into January and February, testing becomes the focus from first to fifth grade," said Embassy Creek Principal Robert Becker, who requested the workshop to help teachers and staff learn more ways to loosen up. "When the kids are stressed out, the teachers are stressed out."

Cari Rodriguez, third-grade teacher at Embassy Creek, said she liked Choate's idea of using silly hats to lighten the mood during class. She agreed the test prep during January and February can be taxing, but said it helps students feel prepared for exam week.

The FCAT determines which third-graders are promoted and which high school students will graduate.

Often, teachers' reputations rest on how their students achieve on the reading, writing and math exams. Science teachers in select grades will start to feel similar pressure, as scores in that subject begin counting for their schools' grades this academic year.

"[Teachers] carry the accountability on their shoulders," Becker said.

As teachers make up the biggest share of the school workforce, it's in the district's best interest to keep them healthy, Severance-Fonte said.

"People under a lot of stress [tend to] have health problems," she said. District staff monitors insurance claims for growth in items such as antidepressant drugs and hypertension medication, she added.

The district's health insurers, Vista and Humana, pay for prevention measures such as flu shots, gym memberships, mammograms, and cholesterol and blood-pressure screening, Severance-Fonte said.

"It's a proactive approach to health care," she said. "You either pay now or you pay later."

Douane D. James can be reached at ddjames@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7930.

Copyright © 2006, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"It's a mess. Really."

2006-11-30T09:40:00.000-05:00

Posted on Wed, Nov. 29, 2006

State links some teacher bonuses to final exams

BY HANNAH SAMPSON
hsampson@MiamiHerald.com

The Florida Department of Education is trying to make it less complicated for school districts to participate in a program that rewards teachers for student performance.

Since the Special Teachers Are Rewarded program was introduced, instructors have wondered how those who teach subjects not tested by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test will be measured.

Today, Florida Education Commissioner John Winn said that a slew of final exams for subjects like art and social studies will be made available to districts throughout the state.

Because that's what art students need. More tests!

The Florida Legislature this year set aside $147.5 million for districts around the state to put toward bonuses for the top quarter of the district's teachers.

Broward is set to receive $15 million for the voluntary bonus program, known as STAR, but has not yet submitted a plan, which is due Dec. 31.

IMPASSE IN BROWARD

Earlier this month, the district and the Broward Teachers Union were at an impasse during talks over the plan. Part of the issue was how to assess teachers whose students do not take the FCAT.

Hillsborough County, which has hundreds of end-of-course exams, will manage a clearinghouse of such tests that other districts can use. The district is the only one in the state to have a STAR program approved so far.

The department expects the clearinghouse to be in place by January for districts to use if they choose.

Besides Hillsborough, the Florida Virtual School has said that its end-of-course exams could be used, and department officials said they would welcome other districts' tests as well.

But many districts, including Broward, do not have their own such exams.

Lynn Strong, Broward's associate superintendent for human resources, said the district would be interested in looking at the tests.

''It's a resource that we would want to review,'' she said.

The exams would be available for non-FCAT subjects mostly at the high school level but also for middle school.

. . .

Gary Itzkowitz, field staff representative for the Broward Teachers Union, said problems still abound with the program.

Even with the exams, he said, there are teachers that cannot be measured by tests, like adult education instructors and school psychologists.

''It's a mess. Really,'' Itzkowitz said. ``That's about the best professional way I can describe it.''

This Is News?

2006-11-28T08:17:00.000-05:00

****NEWS RELEASE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE****

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF HIGH-STAKES ASSESSMENT UNDERMINE EDUCATION
REFORM, REPORT FINDS

CONTACT: Dan Laitsch 778-782-7589 (email) dlaitsch@sfu.ca or
Alex Molnar (480) 965-1886 (email) epsl@asu.edu

TEMPE, Ariz. (Monday, Nov. 27, 2006) - High-stakes assessment systems
for schools have a number of unintended consequences that undermine
their goal of reforming public education, according to a new policy
brief from the Education Policy Studies Laboratory at Arizona State
University.

Instead of promoting comprehensive, effective school reform, reports Dan
Laitsch, of Simon Fraser University, "the stress on rewards and
punishments based on test scores forces schools to consider the data
generated as evaluative rather than as useful for informing instruction.
The result is a system that appears coordinated, but results in a number
of unintended-although not unpredictable-negative consequences."

Laitsch sets forth his argument in the report "Assessment, high stakes,
and alternative visions: Appropriate use of the right tools to leverage
improvement," released today by the EPSL.

Laitsch identifies a wide range of audiences who each have an interest
in the outcome of school reform efforts. Internal stakeholders include
associations of educators, administrators and policy makers; external
stakeholders include parents, businesses, and think tanks.

"Each group has members with diverse ideas about public education's
goals and about how to judge a school's effectiveness," Laitsch writes.
"In contrast, the current high-takes system assumes that it is
self-evident that all schools should pursue increased test scores as
their dominant goal and that those scores offer the most reliable
evidence of how well a school is performing."

The federal No Child Left Behind act has helped promote the high-stakes
model of assessment, in which test scores are used to make decisions
affecting both individual students and the schools they attend-up to and
including whether those schools will remain open.

Negative consequences, Laitsch writes, include:

* Narrowed curriculum and instructional strategies, so that "students
experience an impoverished academic experience."
* Efforts to bypass high-stakes tests, undermining their efficacy;
disparate impacts on minorities and other disadvantaged subgroups of
students.
* Reallocation of services away from high- and low-achieving students
and disproportionately toward those whose scores are closest to the
cutoff between passing and failing for a particular test: "Students
likely to pass the tests easily are left to manage on their own, as are
students who are so far from passing the test that it is exceptionally
unlikely that they will succeed."
* Negative impact on students as a result of testing errors that
improperly categorize them.

"In effect, high-stakes systems may result in practitioners changing
their behavior from what they consider ethical best practice to altered,
undesirable behavior in order to achieve the mandated outcomes and
avoid punitive consequences," Laitsch writes.

Yet, as Laitsch points out, there are a variety of other models of
assessment, some incrementally different from NCLB while others
represent a radical departure from the high-stakes assessment model.

The report recommends refocusing reform emphasis toward building school
capacity and imposing professional accountability; abandoning
high-stakes accountability systems, "which produce not only questionable
improvement in student learning but also unintended, significant
negative consequences"; aligning new assessment systems with professional
guidelines for their ethical use; and broadening data collection methods "to
better evaluate the multiple purposes of education."

Find this document on the web at:
http://epsl.asu.edu/epru/documents/EPSL-0611-222-EPRU.pdf

CONTACT:
Dan Laitsch, Professor
Simon Fraser University
778-782-7589
dlaitsch@sfu.ca

Quality Time

2006-11-24T09:07:00.000-05:00

What do you think of when you want to spend "quality time" with your child? Of course, you:

Study the FCAT at Home

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- If you're looking to spend a little quality time with your children over their studies, you can now give them the FCAT at home.

The Florida Department of Education has placed another batch of questions from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test online.

It's the second year the agency has released questions from previous tests to increase the transparency of the FCAT. The standardized test is used to grade students and schools.

Florida Education Commissioner John Winn says there are enough questions in reading and math to allow you to give the test to your children at home.

He says the Web site has new features that will let you check the answers right away and see how many students got the answer right last year.

Winn says having the FCAT questions online is a great tool for families and can give you an indication of your child's proficiency level.

But he cautions that the questions are not a substitute for working with your child every-day on skills.

Really? Thanks for that parenting advice Mr. Winn.

And, for all the totally clueless parents out there who need all this great advice (there must be a lot of us!), studying old FCAT questions is not "quality time."

Petition!

2006-11-23T08:05:00.000-05:00

A Petition Calling For the Dismantling of the No Child Left Behind Act

To: U.S. Congress
We, the educators, parents, and concerned citizens whose names appear below, reject the misnamed No Child Left Behind Act and call for legislators to vote against its reauthorization. We do so not because we resist accountability, but because the law's simplistic approach to education reform wastes student potential, undermines public education, and threatens the future of our democracy.
. . .

Click above to read the rest of this petition and sign to urge better education policies!

An Open Letter to Margaret Spellings and Congress

2006-11-19T10:45:00.000-05:00

Some tough questions from Marion Brady --

An Open Letter to Margaret Spellings and Congress

"Human history," said H. G. Wells, is "a race between education and
catastrophe."
If we stay the course with No Child Left Behind, catastrophe
is a sure bet.

You'll soon be deciding the fate of this well-meant but appallingly
simplistic piece of legislation. Continued failure to answer the legitimate
questions of those you expect to carry out your mandates will further erode
trust in your leadership.

Here are some of those questions:

1. NCLB reflects the views primarily of leaders of business and industry
rather than of active, working educators. Does this make sense?

2. Did at least some of those who originally helped shape NCLB hope to
discredit public education as a step toward privatizing the institution?

3. On critical, instruction-related questions, NCLB removes local educators
and school boards from the decision-making loop. Does the history of
top-down, centralized control of complex institutions suggest this change
strategy works?

4. Will manipulating the curriculum to "maintain America's competitive
position in world trade" be more likely to ensure America's future
well-being than helping the young come to love learning because it allows
them to pursue their abilities and interests?

5. Management experts say that poor institutional performance almost always
indicates a "system" problem. NCLB blames poor performance not on "the
system" but on the people in the system. Are the management experts wrong?

6. NCLB relies on market forces to improve schools. Does this mean that
learning is unnatural and won't take place unless teachers and students are
threatened or bribed?

7. Do NCLB-mandated subject-matter standards, based as they are on an 1892
curriculum design, adequately address present and future individual and
societal needs?

8. If there are problems with the present, same-thing-for-every-student
curriculum, don't "raising the bar" and "rigor" make them worse?

9. NCLB is rapidly pushing "frills" out of the curriculum. Has research now
established that art, music, physical activity and so on have nothing to do
with scientific and mathematical reasoning ability and workforce skills?

10. Nationwide, hundreds of thousands of students are being held back
because of poor reading and math skills. Is the ability to interpret written
symbols the only way the young learn, and therefore sufficient reason to
retain them in grade?

11. Education is supposed to teach kids to think for themselves, not merely
recall what they've been ordered to remember. Are the centerpieces of NCLB
(corporately produced, machine-scored tests) able to judge the quality of
complex thought processes?

12. Should life-changing decisions for the young hinge on the results of a
single test?

13. Attempting to avoid the "failing" label, schools use myriad strategies
to "game" the system. For example, knowing which students are likely to fail
and which will succeed on high-stakes tests, schools give "marginals" the
most attention. Is it possible to anticipate and counter all such
strategies?

14. Has provision been made for coping with NCLB's unintended consequences -
increased drop-out rate, loss of teacher autonomy and professionalism,
negative student reaction to excessive rote instruction and drill, increased
costs of testing and test-related materials, the destructiveness of the
"failure" label - (just to begin a list)?

15. Are NCLB-related contracts entirely free of conflicts of interest?

[This post may be reproduced, forwarded, or otherwise used for the purpose
for which it is obviously intended without the express permission of the
author.]

Marion Brady Cocoa, Florida 11/18/2006

Some Legacy! :(

2006-11-14T08:16:00.000-05:00

Jeb Bush wrote about his "legacy" and drew this response:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

FCAT Abuse: The Real Jeb Bush Legacy to Florida and Its Schools

Lake Mary, Florida
11-13-2006

Because of inappropriate and abusive use of student FCAT scores, Jeb Bush and his associates have left a pungent legacy to Florida and its schools. The legacy is:

a climate of punishment, fear and public ridicule for youth who
struggle with school learning,

the life destruction of nearly half of Florida’s youth who drop out
of school between grade eight and grade eleven,

schools that are forced to limit their curriculum in order to teach to
the FCAT,

a mandated grade-three retention law that the state’s own data have
shown to be a failure because students don’t catch up, and
the long term impact is always lower levels of long-term learning
for most students.

increasingly larger numbers of youth two or more years older then
school grade peers and who soon hate school and become disruptive,

a skyrocketing youth crime rate tied to youth marked as school
failures by the Bush program,

major losses of qualified teachers who become disillusioned and
leave the field,

distorted increases in student test scores that give inflated impressions
of improvements in learning,

large increases in the use of state tax dollars to support for-profit
private schools that are exempt from accountability,

teachers who reject a cash for high test scores policy because they
know scores reflect students’ family income rather than teaching quality,

the long term economic demise of Florida because the future of
any state or country is tied to providing an optimal education for
all of its youth.

Who will listen to the cries of the poor and those who struggle to keep up?
When will political leaders and their press attend to the needs of all Floridians and their children?

It is time for the Orlando Sentinel, similar big business controlled publications and other members of Bush’s rally squad to regain their senses, remove their tunnel-vision glasses and admit the truth. Although Florida voters may not have reacted as strongly as those in other regions of the country, the attack of the privileged on the middle and lower income working class has got to stop.

Robert Lange, Retired
Professor of Educational Research
Email: qida@bellsouth.net
lange@mail.ucf.edu
Phone: 407 322-6234

One Choice -- Davis

2006-11-05T08:35:00.000-05:00

Published - November, 5, 2006

For governor, two good candidates, one choice

The best news about the race for governor in Florida is the two good candidates. These are not divisive, polarizing politicians; both come across as thoughtful on the issues and closer to the center than either ideological extreme.

But voters have to choose, and so do we for an endorsement.

Our pick: Jim Davis.

The top issues across the state for most voters are the cost of insurance, rising property taxes and education.

Property taxes:

Davis offers $1 billion in school property tax relief, replacing the money by ending exemptions and tax breaks lobbyists have engineered in Tallahassee for just about everyone but property owners.

Crist wants a constitutional amendment to double the homestead exemption and to provide portability for tax savings under the Save Our Homes amendment. But that further worsens the inequities building in the property tax system, and simply redistributes the burden to those who don't benefit, such as small businesses.

Education:

The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is crowding too much else out of our schools, which soon might be turning out students whose only real achievement is passing the FCAT.

The test's weaknesses were revealed earlier this year when it was found that many, if not most, of the people hired to grade it were not even certified in their subject area.

Davis, refreshingly, calls for ending the FCAT's chokehold on our schools. He would keep it as an evaluative tool, but expand the criteria for evaluating schools while dropping the dreaded grading system. He wants students who get their tests back to be able to use them for understanding where they are.

Crist seems to like the FCAT as it is, although under pressure has been modifying his stance, as he has done on a number of key issues lately.

Insurance:

We're not sure either candidate has the answer on insurance, but who does?

Davis at least has his eyes focused on policyholders, pledging to seek repeal of a 2006 law that gave insurance companies more freedom to raise rates on their own, this on the heels of a 2005 law that clarified the question of policy liability squarely in favor of the insurance companies. With the Legislature so focused on helping insurance companies, it will be helpful to have a governor looking out for policyholders.

Crist of late can't seem to decide whether he is for or against the rate law, implying he would have vetoed it, and then backing off. Meanwhile, he also was mostly silent while the insurance debate was raging in the Legislature.

It is also hard to tell where Crist stood on the matter of the totally improper and unconstitutional attempt by the Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush to intervene in the Terry Schiavo case. As attorney general, Crist remained silent, although he now says that privately he took a stand against it.

On such a matter, the attorney general should have taken a clear public stand. While Crist ran a professional and competent office, people are right to expect more leadership from such a high-profile position.

We believe both Davis and Crist will be an improvement over the current administration on environmental matters, and both will stand strong against offshore drilling on Florida's coast, a role Davis took in Congress.

In this race, Florida voters could do a lot worse than either candidate. We believe they will do best with Davis.

MacLeish Unleashed on Monster

2006-11-04T08:42:00.000-05:00

Orlando Sentinel
--------------------
FCAT monster
by Laurin MacLeish
--------------------

November 2, 2006

Mike Thomas was off base in his Sunday column, "Davis wrong on desire to
dilute FCAT."

"Diluting" the FCAT is simply not what gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis
is proposing to do. What Davis does propose is to utilize the FCAT as an
open and positive measure that would allow both families and teachers to
better assist students.

I applaud anyone who stands up to this monster that continues to ravage
our public schools. As it stands now, the FCAT is a secretive and
punitive measure imposed on students and teachers all across the state
of Florida. Since its inception, FCAT has denied educators to teach in
the manner in which they know children learn best. Worse yet, it has
robbed students of a seamless, creative curriculum, taking with it their
joy for learning.

At the end of his column, in his reference to "poor-performing schools,"
Thomas states that "the FCAT is not a weapon used to punish kids. It is
a weapon used to punish those who fail them."

As a teacher in a "poor-performing school," I invite Thomas to visit my
school. What you will find are teachers going far beyond the extra mile
for students, not teachers failing students, as was stated.

What is failing both students and teachers is the almighty FCAT itself.
Laurin MacLeish

Orlando

Copyright (c) 2006, Orlando Sentinel

The Question

2006-10-31T10:02:00.000-05:00

High Stakes Test
By MARILYN BROWN The Tampa Tribune

Published: Oct 30, 2006

TAMPA - Florida's soaring insurance rates and property taxes all but blotted out an education agenda this election season save for one issue.

The future of the FCAT.

Republican Charlie Crist is defending it and Democrat Jim Davis is trying to revamp it as they race to Nov. 7 to replace Jeb Bush as governor.

The big question: Could either man make good on his promises?
. . .

Yep, that's the question. One part of the answer is that Davis will at least be moving in the right direction!

Most voters dislike FCAT use

2006-10-30T08:07:00.000-05:00

Most voters dislike FCAT use

But they don’t know the positions of the gubernatorial candidates on use of the test.

By THOMAS C. TOBIN, Times Staff Writer
Published October 29, 2006

Most Florida voters don’t like how the state uses a standardized test to grade schools. But ask them which candidate for governor would change things, and they are far less certain.

Fifty-nine percent of voters in a St. Petersburg Times poll said they oppose how the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is administered as the centerpiece of a strict accountability system for public schools. The number was even higher in the Tampa Bay area.

In other words, they agree with Jim Davis, the Democratic candidate for governor. But only 36 percent said they trust Davis to handle the task of improving public schools.

The flip side: 40 percent said they trust Republican candidate Charlie Crist to improve schools. But only 32 percent agreed with Crist’s position that the FCAT, as currently administered, is a good thing for Florida’s schoolchildren.

One explanation: When asked who they trusted to solve a specific problem, people went with the candidate they like in general, said Tom Eldon, vice president of Schroth/Eldon & Associates, the firm that conducted the poll for the Times.

“They don’t understand completely every candidate’s position on the issues,’’ he said, noting that the numbers signal a potential opportunity for Davis.

“Davis hasn’t had a lot of money to talk to voters, and people aren’t as aware of where he stands on the issues,” Eldon said. ''He will probably pick up voters if he talks about the FCAT.”

. . .

Davis-Crist Debate

2006-10-25T09:03:00.000-04:00

Agents Of Change

By MICHAEL FECHTER and WILLIAM MARCH The Tampa Tribune

Published: Oct 25, 2006

TAMPA - They have been in public office for years, but Republican Charlie Crist and Democrat Jim Davis each offered themselves as agents of change Tuesday night in their first debate in Florida's race for governor.

Davis sought to link Crist with what he called an unsatisfactory status quo, saying repeatedly that Crist wants to "stay the course" - on school testing, growth management, insurance regulation and taxation.

"Tonight we have a clear choice about the future of our state; I'm running for governor because I think we can do better," Davis said in his opening statement.

Crist, in turn, offered an optimistic assessment of the state's future. "Change is coming - if you vote for Charlie Crist, you'll get positive change," he said in his closing remarks.

Front-runner Crist went early and often after Davis' high absentee rate during the last session of Congress, time Davis spent in his campaign for governor.

. . .

Davis accused Crist of sitting out the state's more controversial issues during his four years as attorney general. Crist, he said, did nothing to stem rising property insurance and tax rates and admittedly stayed out of the fray when lawmakers tried to keep Terri Schiavo alive via feeding tubes in 2005.

That set up the one stunt of the night, pulled off by Davis.

In response to a question about middle class financial pressure on property taxes and insurance, Crist pointed to his record. "Public service is not to be taken lightly," he said. "And when you're somebody like my opponent, who doesn't show up for work, you pay."

Davis pulled a sheet of paper from his jacket and walked over to Crist's lectern.

"Speaking of showing up, Charlie, I want to show you something that showed up in my mailbox not too long ago. This is my insurance premium statement. I'm fortunate, because my insurance is only scheduled to go up 40 percent. As attorney general, Charlie never showed up, never stood up to these insurance companies. For four years he did nothing. And they have record prices and record profits."

Developers have given Crist $5 million, Davis said. Insurance companies have given $2 million.

Davis didn't sound happy, Crist said.

"I'm a happy warrior," Crist said. "I'm an optimist. I look forward to Florida's future."

Davis repeatedly promised Floridians a property tax break and insurance reform that could cut premiums next year. Crist called those "risky schemes" and noted that to cut taxes, Davis advocates raising other taxes such as the intangibles tax, which is a levy on stocks and other wealth.

On education, Crist defended use of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test as a measure of school progress. It's a way to show students have gained a year's worth of learning in a year's time, he said.

Davis said the test punishes students, teachers and schools, and he advocated using the test as a barometer of student achievement, helping parents and teachers identify a student's strengths and weaknesses.

Recent polls are in conflict over where the race stands. The Quinnipiac University Polling Institute showed Crist with a 2 percentage point lead Monday, but subsequent polls by the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries still have Crist up about 11 percentage points.

. . .
Crist hit on pocketbook issues, too,

. . .

he added several references to Ronald Reagan, Paulson said. "It was a subtle message: 'I'm with you, I'm one of you,'" Paulson said.

. . .

Davis tried to link Crist with a less popular Republican president.

"Charlie sounds a lot tonight like Ronald Reagan, but he really wants to govern like George Bush. He wants to stay the course," Davis said.

. . .

Political Backlash Over FCAT

2006-10-23T08:27:00.000-04:00

Political Backlash Builds Over High-Stakes Testing
Public Support Wanes for Tests Seen as Punitive

By Peter Whoriskey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 23, 2006

LAUDERHILL, Fla. -- School exams may be detested by students everywhere, but in this state at the forefront of the testing and accountability movement in the United States, the backlash against them has become far broader, and politically potent.

The role of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, or FCAT, has become central to the race to succeed Gov. Jeb Bush (R), with polls showing a growing discontent over the exams, which he has championed and which are used to determine many aspects of the school system, including teacher pay, budgets and who flunks third grade.

Republican Charlie Crist is offering to push forward with the testing regime, but Democrat Jim Davis has condemned what he calls its "punitive" nature, arguing that exam pressures have transformed schools into "dreary test-taking factories."

"Couple years ago one of my sons brought this quiz home, and the first question was 'What does the FCAT stand for?' " Davis told a meeting of clergy here Saturday. "I won't repeat to you what I said because I used words I'm teaching my boys not to use. . . . We're going to stop using the FCAT to punish children, teachers and schools."

This election season may be the first in which the growing use of high-stakes school testing, embodied in the No Child Left Behind legislation, has reached this level of political prominence.

A similar exam revolt has become a key issue in the race for governor in Texas, another state in the vanguard of the testing movement, and the issue has roiled the Ohio gubernatorial contest as well.

High-stakes testing -- using standardized test scores to impose consequences affecting teachers and students -- has been embraced widely in recent years as a way to hold educators and students accountable for their performance. Experts say the movement is one of the most significant shifts in U.S. education in decades.

. . .

Davis Better Choice -- Daytona Editorial

2006-10-22T07:59:00.000-04:00

Editorial

October 22, 2006

Davis offers better focus for Florida

Before Florida voters choose their next governor, let's look back.

For almost eight years, this state's schools and public services have been hampered by a governor who disdains government. Jeb Bush tells voters they're better off for his policies to reorganize, downsize, privatize and dismantle state services. He brags that Florida's public schools are more accountable and Floridians are more prosperous.

What state is he in? Not Florida.

. . .

The two candidates present voters with distinct differences on critical concerns for this state:

· ON EDUCATION: Crist wants to continue grading schools based on student FCAT scores and punish those that score low by shifting resources to better scoring schools. Typically schools with low scores are those with a disproportionate number of disadvantaged students who need the most help. Taking away resources and punishing teachers won't help those students. It's a misuse of diagnostic testing. Davis would fight to assure standardized testing is used as it should be, to help assess individual student progress only. Davis also has sensible plans for smaller class sizes and to raise teacher pay.

. . .

Trust me!

2006-10-19T08:47:00.000-04:00

I mean it this time!

Crist changes positions on 3 hot issues
Charlie Crist has switched positions on several key issues, and his new stances bring him closer to the views of his opponent in the governor's race.
BY MARY ELLEN KLAS
meklas@MiamiHerald.com

Until recently, Charlie Crist said he was a strong believer in denying felons an automatic right to vote after they left prison.

He was equally emphatic that the FCAT tests as they are now administered are fine.

And he declared that Citizens Insurance, the state-run company that provides windstorm insurance, should be abolished.

Those stances have one thing in common: Crist has changed his position on all three.

. . .

The felon-vote issue was accompanied this week by another zigzag, when Crist said he wants to allow flexibility in the way the high-stakes FCAT test is handled, including allowing parents to see the tests and focus on the exam as a ''diagnostic tool'' rather than as punishment for schools' poor performance.

Those are all positions that Democratic opponent Jim Davis has staked out. They are also contrary to Gov. Jeb Bush's approach -- which Crist had earlier said he supported.
. . .

Vote for Change!

2006-10-18T09:08:00.000-04:00

Different state, same message --

Standardized tests can send students who fail into tailspin

. . .

The emphasis on high-stakes standardized testing is creating a culture of failure among many students, especially in urban areas. Imagine for a moment how a student might feel with a curriculum dominated by test preparation, a routine many students find not very interesting. Also, consider how some students might feel after their low test scores are shared and compared publicly to those of higher-scoring students. Some students may be learning to feel hopeless.
Students who are poor, who are from English-as-a-second-language families, who have special education needs, who desire to have a vocational education or who have unique interests or learning styles, have suffered under the one-size-fits-all Regents education process. Even those students who do well on Regents tests suffer because they are often denied the opportunities to focus their studies on areas of personal interest, citizenship and other lifelong-learning skills.

Each person who agrees should voice his or her concerns to school district officials, state and federal representatives. Only through active citizenship can we create an education system that truly meets the needs of our students and our society.

Wearing Badge of Sanctions Proudly

2006-10-15T09:34:00.000-04:00

Testing craze puts A school on dunce list

BILL ARCHER

October 15, 2006

Surprisingly, it's sanction time at our little FCAT A school here at R.J. Longstreet Elementary in Daytona Beach.

After having received five A's in a row on the FCAT, but simultaneously having failed the annual progress goal of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, we are under a sanction called "corrective action."

. . .

We wear our badge of sanctions proudly, knowing we are succeeding despite misguided actions.

Davis the Choice

2006-10-15T09:27:00.000-04:00

Education, insurance make Davis the choice
Palm Beach Post Editorial

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist and Democratic candidate Jim Davis differ most on the two issues that matter most to Floridians: education and property insurance. Mr. Crist would continue the wrongheaded, failed policies of his predecessor. Rep. Davis would transform them. For the future of Florida's public schools and property owners, The Post recommends voters elect Jim Davis for governor.

. . .

FCAT Swallows World!

2006-10-14T09:02:00.000-04:00

Governor candidates Crist and Davis grade merit of the FCAT differently

Tallahassee Bureau Chief

October 14, 2006

TALLAHASSEE · Love it or hate it, the FCAT may be the most incendiary issue in this year's race for governor.

When voters pick a successor to Gov. Jeb Bush next month, they will also be deciding the future of Florida's public school system and the controversial annual exam.

Some of the starkest differences between Republican Charlie Crist and Democrat Jim Davis revolve around what Bush has done with public schools. Under Bush's guidance, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is used to hand out financial rewards to the best schools and teachers. It can also be the deciding factor for which students get promoted and graduate.

"You can't talk about education in the state of Florida without talking about the FCAT," said Nancy Cox, president of the Florida PTA and a kindergarten teacher in central Florida. "If there is a signature that Jeb Bush has placed on education, that probably is it."

Before being elected Florida attorney general, Crist served two years as state education commissioner and helped implement some of Bush's education reforms. He has pledged to maintain the FCAT.

. . .

"I believe in the FCAT," Crist said during one of the televised debates in the primary campaign. "If we don't measure, it shows that we don't care."

Davis, a Tampa congressman and former state legislator, is channeling the wrath of many South Florida parents and educators, promising wholesale change. Emboldened by polls showing a majority of voters don't like how the FCAT is being used, he wants to de-emphasize the importance of the test, which he claims is draining the creativity out of schools.

One of his first two TV ads in the general election campaign focuses on the FCAT, which he calls a "political weapon" leveled against schools and students.

"We have to keep our eyes on excellence, but there are a lot of parents who are up to their eyeballs with the FCAT. The FCAT swallows their whole world. They want to see more attention paid to creative thinking and a well-rounded education," said Maureen Dinnen, a member of the Broward County School Board and former president of the state teachers' union. "The parents are just tired of FCAT driving the whole system."

But Crist, borrowing from a phrase often used by Bush, insists the state needs to know that students are receiving "a year's worth of learning in a year's worth of time."

Carlos Gonzalez agrees on the need for a standardized test. But his 8-year-old daughter, a third-grader at Golden Grove Elementary in The Acreage, an affluent suburb of West Palm Beach, is getting grilled daily on FCAT questions. Although an A student, she is struggling with math because she often misses the lessons when her bus arrives late, he said.

"In third grade, the big stigma facing these kids is the FCAT. Everything is focused on it," said Gonzalez, who is fighting for better bus service. "I'm asking why we don't do some other things and the answer I get is that it isn't going to be on the FCAT. You want to have an A school ... but we're missing something."

Gregg Huddlestone, a kindergarten teacher at Peters Elementary in Plantation, said teachers begin focusing attention on the FCAT as early as pre-school. By first grade, students already have practice FCAT books.

. . .

As the father of two teenage boys who attend public school, Davis has had firsthand experience with the exam. He wants to scrap the A-F school grading system, replacing it with a broader scale that takes into account other indicators, such as class size and level of parental involvement.

. . .

"We're pushing parents away from their children's education," he said.

Darlene Henry agrees with Davis and wishes she had that opportunity for her daughter, who had a 4.0 GPA at Hallandale High School but couldn't pass the reading portion of the FCAT. She left school in 2005 with a certificate of completion -- and lost her opportunity to go to Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach. Now she is trying to earn her general equivalency diploma before seeking a degree in early education.

Henry sent her daughter to FCAT camp and paid for tutors, but it didn't help.

"If they could have shown me what she was failing, the questions she was missing, it could have helped her to pass," she said. "We can't even look at the test. Something is wrong with that."

. . .

A School With Long Days

2006-10-09T07:03:00.000-04:00

One principal -- and lots of little kids -- deal with the craziness of an FCAT-centered NCLB-driven world.

After-school push for progress

At West Hernando Middle, which got an A from the state, tutoring policies aim to help the school reach federal No Child Left Behind standards.
By TOM MARSHALL
Published October 8, 2006

BROOKSVILLE - Here's a paradox.

A school earns a C, two B's and most recently an A from the state for its students' performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

But the federal government, using the same FCAT results, says the school hasn't made adequate yearly progress during all four of those years under the No Child Left Behind Act.

That's the situation facing West Hernando Middle School, where principal Joe Clifford is pulling out all the stops to get his school off the federal government's trouble list.

This fall he's offering after-school tutoring for a broad range of students, including athletes, students facing problems in core subjects, those with disciplinary infractions and special-needs students. On some days, more than 150 students are busily at work until 5 p.m., when they catch a late bus home.

Clifford has also told parents that students who are failing a core academic subject after nine weeks may be forced, like it or not, to attend tutoring.

He's even growing his hair long, with the promise of a cut - within reason - if the school makes its goal.

"It's not because our feet are to the fire," Clifford said Friday, referring to the federal pressure. "It's because it's the right thing to do for kids."

But the fire is real.

If the school fails to make adequate yearly progress this year, the district will be forced to write a plan next year for a major restructuring for West Hernando. Only one other school in the district, Spring Hill Elementary, faces similar consequences.

Under No Child Left Behind, those could include replacing all or most of school staff, including the principal, hiring an outside management company, becoming a charter school or facing a state takeover.

. . .
Corey, a seventh-grader, was studying the Earth's atmosphere for science class.

"We're looking at what's inside it, what kind of gases," he said. "How that makes heat and everything."

How did he feel about being in after-school tutoring, honestly?

"It's a pain," he admitted.

But Robert, an eighth-grader working on a math study guide, saw the bright side.

"When I usually go home, I want to go outside and play," he admitted. "But here I have to work."

Under Clifford's policy, all athletes must study before the team can practice. Students caught putting a wad of gum under a desk must study first, then help the custodians. Students who are struggling in a core academic subject get help in the computer lab and another room, while students with severe disabilities work in yet a different room.

Clifford pays for some of the extra staff time with federal Title I money for low-income schools, as well as special education funding.

Grading by subgroups

Is West Hernando a failing school? Not according to Florida, which grades schools based on the percentage of students who meet standards in reading, writing and math, and also awards points for each percentage of students who make annual gains.

The federal measure is trickier, since students are broken down and graded by subgroups.

If each of those groups - including low-income, minority and special-needs students - does not make annual improvements, the entire school won't make the AYP grade, even if 90 percent or more of the students are testing at proficient levels.

Clifford isn't whining about it, but he will be the first to tell you that the situation isn't quite fair. West Hernando is a federal Title I school, with more than 50 percent of its students receiving a free or reduced-price lunches. Under district policy, West Hernando is also a center school for special-needs students. About 22 percent of students at the school receive special services, including many with severe needs, compared to a statewide average of about 14 percent.

Even students with autism, Down's syndrome and other profound disabilities must take the FCAT. Those students are an integral part of the school, Clifford said, and he wouldn't want to be part of a school that excluded them.

But that subgroup was the only one that didn't make AYP last year, according to the federal government, and the entire school could soon pay for it with an unwanted makeover.

"In order to receive special-needs services, you have to be two or three levels behind grade level," Clifford said. "In order to make AYP, you have to be at grade level."
. . .

Sensible ideas about the FCAT. . . hmmm. . .

2006-10-04T09:07:00.000-04:00

Beyond FCAT

Jim Davis has some sensible ideas for evaluating Florida's schools.

A Times Editorial
Published October 4, 2006

In his "Achieve Florida" education plan, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jim Davis doesn't aim to end standardized testing or abandon rating schools. Instead, he makes a reasonable call for better feedback to students and a more thorough way to hold schools accountable.

That such modest improvements are viewed as anathema to the Department of Education shows just how deeply politicized school reform has become. Gov. Jeb Bush, as if on cue, responded with extravagant umbrage: "Congressman Davis would prefer not to hold our schools accountable for student achievement and would rather sugarcoat their performance."

That isn't close to the truth. What Davis is actually seeking is to bring some precision to a system that uses the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test as though it can provide all the answers. The FCAT is valuable in determining how well students are progressing in math, reading and writing. But it alone can't identify which principals and teachers should be fired, which schools need to be shut down, which teachers deserve raises, and which third-graders should be promoted to fourth grade.

. . .

The FCAT and the Candidates

2006-10-03T10:58:00.000-04:00

EDUCATION DIVIDES GOVERNOR CANDIDATES

Daytona Beach News-Journal -- October 3, 2006
by Jim Saunders

Tallahassee -- Gov. Jeb Bush has spent the past eight years trying to
overhaul Florida's public schools.

But as Jim Davis and Charlie Crist campaign this fall to become the next
governor, they are battling about whether to continue some of Bush's
most-controversial policies.

Davis, the Democratic candidate, calls for making major changes such as
scrapping Bush's system of grading the performances of schools. He also
wants to reduce emphasis on the high-stakes Florida Comprehensive
Assessment Test, which has been a centerpiece of Bush's policies but
which has drawn criticism from many educators and parents.

"I think I am standing up for millions of parents who want this changed
and don't want to stay the course" on the FCAT, Davis said.

. . .

More Pressure

2006-10-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

Because there's not enough already??

Tougher grading rules have schools working harder for that A
By Marc Freeman
South Florida Sun-Sentinel Education Writer

October 2, 2006

A new warning that Palm Beach County's public schools are in danger of declining letter grades means there's even more pressure on students to prepare for the FCAT this year.

The trouble lies with tougher grading rules from the state Department of Education, which issues report cards to schools in June based on student performance on the annual Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

Dozens of traditional and charter schools are at a high risk of entering C, D and F territory, according to a recent school district projection. Campuses are responding by placing more children in intensive reading classes, math tutoring and test preparation programs.

. . .

Grade retention based on low FCAT reading scores is a failure

2006-09-29T08:16:00.000-04:00

Grade retention based on low FCAT reading scores is a failure

28 Sep 2006 As I See It By Robert R. Lange
contribute@osceolanewsgazette.com

A 2002 Florida law mandates that third-grade students with FCAT reading scores at level 1 or below be required to repeat grade three.

However, one- and two-year follow-up achievement data collected by the Florida Department of Education and reported by Greene and Winters of the Manhattan Institute For Policy Research show there was little improvement after retention.

. . .

Recently, those who control the Florida Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush claimed that holding students back would allow slower learning students to catch up with their grade peers. As was predicted by those who have studied the long-term impact of such unfounded beliefs, fairy-tales don’t come true.

The findings in Florida closely agree with the many previous studies of the impact of grade-level retention.

. . .

Most experts have classified the percentile and effect-size comparisons found in the Florida data as trivial or very small – small enough to indicate a failed intervention.

Contrary to widely accepted standard interpretations of data, the report from the Manhattan Institute claimed that the results support the use of grade retention for improving student achievement.

Wise readers will note that the Manhattan Institute’s stated goal is to support the conservative political agenda and to influence public policy in a direction desired by big business and the wealthy. At the same time, this writer has a long reputation as a supporter of liberal child-centered strategies for improving student achievement.

Research data are always meaningless until interpreted. Researchers with different agendas can always see divergent meanings when reviewing data.

. . .

Sure, FCAT test scores have shown some improvement. But measurement experts have noted that average scores on standardized tests such as the FCAT most always increase over time. The gradual increase reflects natural test corruption as teachers become more familiar with non-changing test items and test formats.

In Florida, the higher scores were likely caused by such natural test corruption and by Florida Department of Education tweaking of the test scoring process. Such tweaking was suggested in comments made by Education Commissioner John L. Winn.

Gov. Bush’s A+ plan seems to be designed to ensure that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Perhaps, the plan was put together by persons who enjoy kicking those who are down or have fallen behind.

Robert R. Lange is a retired professor of educational research who taught at the University of Central Florida for 25 years and was the former associate dean for research at Colorado State University. Contact him at lange@mail.ucf.edu.

Davis' Education Plank . . . zzzzz . . .

2006-09-28T09:03:00.000-04:00

Education plank

September 28, 2006

Highlights of the "Achieve Florida" education plan for public schools unveiled on Wednesday by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis:

Stop giving schools A-F letter grades and replace with "Excellent," "Achieving" and "Needs Improvement."

Stop using students' FCAT grades as the primary method to grade schools and include other indicators, including average class size, parental involvement, school discipline, AP test scores, graduation rates, and school's long-term progress.

Return students' FCAT exams - with questions and graded answers - to parents and teachers.

Provide quick turnaround on FCAT grades, then give students a study guide that parents and teachers can use to strengthen performance in the academic areas where they scored poorly.

. . .

There's more. None of it is all that exciting though. . .

Start your Sunday with a chuckle!

2006-09-24T09:13:00.000-04:00

Max Linn in "Attack of the FCAT"

Because it would be wrong. . .

2006-09-19T08:19:00.000-04:00

to base everything on one test! And what about art!

Let's hope the teachers association expands their lawsuit to include the children who have to live with this idiocy every day.

Lee teacher, union challenge performance pay increases

Teachers Association of Lee County, Golden Apple winner say teachers were left out of rule-making process for STAR

Staff and wire reports

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Education Association is challenging state guidelines for developing local teacher performance pay plans because they were written without going through required rule-making procedures, officials of the statewide teachers union said Monday.

The union contends the Florida Department of Education has cut teachers out of the guideline-writing process for the new program dubbed Special Teachers are Rewarded, or STAR. The challenge is aimed at invalidating several interpretations of the plan that the department has made.

A Lee County teacher is the lead plaintiff in the petition, filed Monday.

Art teacher Caren Pearson, the Teachers Association of Lee County and the state teachers' union, argue that the Florida Department of Education improperly cut teachers out of the rule-making procedures for the plan.

. . .
Pearson, a Lehigh Acres art teacher who has won the coveted Golden Apple prize and is certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, applied for and received performance pay each year it was offered in Lee County, Mutzenard said. This year, however, she might not get that chance despite being recognized as one of the best in the county.

"Because (the interpretation) is based so heavily on learning gains, basically this thing is based on the FCAT," Mutzenard said, referring to the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. "As an art teacher she doesn't teach subjects tested on the FCAT."

Pay Attention -- And Vote!!

2006-09-16T08:15:00.000-04:00

Pay attention to candidate's words

Andrew J. Meyers
Boca Raton

September 16, 2006

Charlie Crist is pleasant and telegenic. And because entrenched special interests will invest millions of dollars to support his campaign, every Floridian who owns a television will get to see the likable Crist time and time again. Floridians must look past Crist's tan and smile, and listen to the words he utters in his own commercials.

In the commercial currently bombarding morning viewers, Crist asks whether Floridians will "continue to prosper." As an attorney, Crist knows that question would not be permitted in a court of law. It is called a compound question, because it assumes a fact not in evidence. By any objective measure, millions of Floridians are not prospering. Crist's question assumes away the problem.

Crist next states, "If we're willing to grade 5- and 6-year-old children, we ought to be willing to grade the schools that are supposed to perform for those children." Crist is an ardent supporter of rewarding schools for good performance on the fill-in-the-bubble Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. As a parent of two public school children, I know most parents and teachers are hugely critical of the FCAT system. Because school budgets are affected by FCAT performance, great attention is paid to short-term memorization and retention, rather than teaching the fundamental lessons necessary to serve as building blocks for long-term academic excellence. Crist does not have children. Grading schools for FCAT performance sounds good in theory. Were Crist personally invested in the public school system, or any school system, he would understand the practical flaws.

Finally, Crist boldly states, "I want to lower your property taxes, and your homeowner's insurance needs to go down." Crist is not a homeowner. If he were, he'd say he wants to lower "our" taxes and insurance costs, not "your."

The costs of home ownership and how to fix our deficient public schools are the biggest issues facing Floridians. Crist thinks Floridians are "prospering" largely because he does not have to live with these problems. That doesn't make Crist a bad person. It does, however, make him a bad choice to lead Florida.

Similar to news . . .

2006-09-13T09:05:00.000-04:00

Conservative think-tank commends Bush education reforms

Gee, Ya Think??

2006-09-12T08:15:00.000-04:00

Is local school performance linked to poverty?
2006-09-11
By Nick Claussen
Athens NEWS Associate Editor

Just because you're poor doesn't mean you can't do well in school, but it sure makes it a lot harder.

A close look at the recent Ohio School Report Cards for Athens County shows that in every district in the county, the students who are economically disadvantaged generally do worse than the students who are not.

The report cards also show that in several of the school districts, the female students overall did better on the proficiency tests than the males (see related story).

Several factors contribute to the discrepancy in test results between students living in poverty and those who don't, but the size of the gap is still surprising.

In the Athens City School District, 31 percent of the students are classified as "economically disadvantaged," in the state report-card rankings. This means that the students are eligible to take part in the free or reduced-price lunch program (meaning their family income levels are at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level), or the students or their parents or guardians are recipients of public assistance.

In the Athens district, test results for the two groups of students are fairly even in the third and fourth grades, but in the fifth and sixth grades the test results show a large difference.

For the sixth-grade math tests, for example, 82.1 percent of the non-economically disadvantaged students passed the test compared to just 50 percent of the economically disadvantaged students. In the seventh grade, 65.8 percent of the non-economically disadvantaged students passed, while 48.1 percent of the economically disadvantaged students passed. Not all of the gaps in these grades are this large, but several are.

In eighth-grade reading, the economically disadvantaged students did better on the test, with 80 percent of these students passing compared to 77.4 percent of the non-economically disadvantaged students.

In the 10th grade, the economically disadvantaged students scored higher in reading again, but in most tests the economically disadvantaged students did worse. On the 10th-grade science test, for example, 72.9 percent of the non-economically disadvantaged students passed, compared to 51.2 percent of the economically disadvantaged students.

The report cards also break down test results for each individual school building. In the Athens district, 28.4 percent of the students at Morrison Elementary School are listed as economically disadvantaged, while 67.3 percent of students at Chauncey Elementary School are listed as such. The two schools were both listed as "Effective" on the state report cards, and both finished at or above the state requirements in most categories. The two schools finished close together in many of the results, with Morrison finishing ahead in five categories and Chauncey in four. Morrison was far ahead in two of the categories -- fifth-grade reading (92.1 percent to 74.1 percent) and sixth-grade math (85.4 percent to 47.8 percent).

. . .

The goal of education should not be to help the students do well on proficiency tests, but to provide the best learning environment possible, Glascock argued. The proficiency tests do not take into account how students learn differently, or how students are proficient in areas other than the basic subjects, she added.

"Does it really matter to us if Picasso passed his 10th-grade assessment test?" Glascock asked.

Good schools give students opportunities to be exposed to cultural programs and activities, Glascock said. She added that this region does have many good schools. Standardized testing can take time away from these other programs and experiences, however, and actually hurt how students learn, she said.

"We have to accept that human beings are very complex beings, and the interaction between human beings are very complex," Glascock said.

The Children's Hunger Alliance states on its Web site that research has shown that children living in poverty also have a harder time learning because of the lack of food in their homes. Children without enough food at home are sick more often, are hospitalized more frequently, and miss more days of school, the Web site states. In addition, children who suffer from poor nutrition during the brain's formative years score lower in vocabulary, reading comprehension, math and general knowledge, according to the Web site. Hungry children are also less likely to interact with other people or explore or learn from their surroundings, the Web site states.

Davis pledges to end use of FCAT as political tool

2006-09-09T08:40:00.000-04:00

Davis pledges to end use of FCAT as political tool

By Brian E. Crowley

Palm Beach Post Political Editor

Saturday, September 09, 2006

TAMPA — Jim Davis, the newly minted Democratic nominee for governor, began his general election campaign Friday warning voters that keeping Republicans in power will result in the "continued domination of the insurance lobby" in Tallahassee.

Davis, a Tampa-area congressman, spoke before a crowd of more than 100 in the historic Columbia Restaurant in Tampa's Ybor City neighborhood. He was joined on stage by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, running for reelection, and Alex Sink, the party nominee for chief financial officer.

. . .

Davis pledged to "end the use of the FCAT as a political weapon against our children, our teachers and our schools."

Crist has said he is willing to tinker with the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test but remains convinced that FCAT is an important tool for measuring student achievement.

. . .

Davis or Crist -- Vote or Sit Down!

2006-09-07T09:06:00.000-04:00

The weather and other bad excuses kept many from the polls this week. Now we're down to it. Pick your poison!

September 07, 2006

Crist, Davis come out swinging in race for governor

By JIM SAUNDERS
Tallahassee Bureau Chief

ST. PETERSBURG -- Charlie Crist and Jim Davis couldn't have made the choice any clearer.

Basking in the cheers of hundreds of supporters after winning Tuesday's gubernatorial primaries, Crist and Davis immediately started a debate about Florida's future.

Crist, the Republican nominee, said the state needs to continue with the direction started by Gov. Jeb Bush on issues such as education, or it will go back to what has "failed us in the past."

"I'm an optimist," Crist told a crowd gathered in a St. Petersburg hotel ballroom late Tuesday. "I believe Floridians will make the right choice."

But little more than an hour later, Davis, the Democratic nominee, called for making major changes in Tallahassee as the state grapples with issues such as improving schools and stemming a property-insurance crisis.

"If you're ready to fight for change, I am your candidate for governor," Davis told supporters at a victory party in Tampa.

The back-and-forth about the direction of the state were the opening shots in a gubernatorial race that likely will dominate Florida politics during the next two months.

. . .

One issue that emerged Wednesday as a potentially big difference between the candidates is the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which Bush has made a centerpiece of his efforts to overhaul the public-school system.

Under Bush, the FCAT has become a high-stakes exam used to grade the performances of public schools and to help determine such things as whether students will graduate from high school.

But echoing a complaint of many teachers and parents, Davis said he wants to reduce the emphasis on the FCAT and use it more as a "diagnostic learning tool, a road map" to determine whether children are learning.

Crist, however, said he supports using the FCAT to hold schools accountable, though he acknowledged many people don't like tests.

"Guess what? Life's a test," Crist said. "Every single day we're tested."

. . .

Happy Labor Day??

2006-09-04T09:11:00.000-04:00

Well, at least the kids get a break from this madness for a day!

Standardized tests gaining more influence

New and already existing laws give high-stakes FCAT more power over schools

By Deirdre Conner

Sunday, September 3, 2006

Some say it leads to data-driven instruction that boosts student achievement.

Others believe it’s a recipe for creating high school dropouts and burned-out teachers.

Either way, the heavy-handed influence of standardized testing is at an all-time high in Florida schools, and almost every student is feeling the effects.

Because of a spate of new laws and mounting pressure from existing ones, the state’s high-stakes test, known as the FCAT, is more important to schools and students this year than ever before.

The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is driving more than two-thirds of high school freshmen and half of sophomores into remedial classes instead of electives this year.

And it’s causing elementary schools to move back toward the trend of grouping children together by ability level, since they are graded on how well they improve in reading.

And it’s the reason some local schools got hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra funding while others didn’t.

While opinions vary widely, this much is not in doubt: As Gov. Jeb Bush finishes his last year in office, his reform efforts in Florida have been sweeping in their consequences, both intended and unintended. And they are likely to be a big factor in this fall’s election season.

The A-plus plan he championed as a first-term governor grades schools based on student performance and improvement on the annual test in math, reading, writing and, for the first time this spring, science. It also makes the 10th grade FCAT a high school graduation requirement, holds back third graders who fail the reading portion of the test and mandates extra reading classes for all students who perform poorly on the test, which is scored in levels from one to five.

A new law passed this year requires teacher bonuses based on test scores next spring.

“After Jeb Bush’s election and passage of the A-plus plan, the importance of the FCAT got ratcheted up several notches,” said David Figlio, an economics professor in Gainesville at the University of Florida who has studied high-stakes testing and school accountability reform.

Schools have improved dramatically in the dimensions measured on the test, Figlio said. But, he said, there is also “increasing evidence that schools have been narrowing their curriculum as a result of heavy emphasis on the FCAT.” That means history, social science, art, music and other classes wither away.

Mary Maxwell doesn’t need research to tell her that. Her daughter, an honor student at Estero High, is stuck in an intensive reading class at school instead of Spanish II this year because she missed passing the FCAT by 10 points. Instead, the B-average medical academy student will take the elective online so as not to jeopardize her chances for getting into college.

“It’s becoming more and more of a pain,” Maxwell said. “The class is basically FCAT prep.”

Too, Maxwell worries that the test is holding teachers back with added workload or driving them out of the profession altogether.

It’s a legitimate concern, Figlio said.

“For better or for worse, teachers are working longer hours and bringing work home,” he said.

Without better pay or bonuses to make up for that, he said, good teachers could end up leaving schools altogether.

Some of that extra time is undoubtedly devoted to learning how to find and apply test data in the classroom, which is why Lee County schools administrators devoted pre-school workshops to train teachers in how to find and use such information, said Larry Tihen, the district’s curriculum director.

Few teachers learned data analysis in college, but knowing how to do it helps students, Tihen said.

“We know much more about our students than we have in the past,” he said. “Once teachers know what students need, they’re able to provide that instruction.”

Nancy Foley, a math teacher at Estero High whose students had some of the biggest gains of any teacher at the school, is helping other teachers tailor their lessons to what kids don’t know and avoiding repeating concepts they’ve already grasped based on how students did on the FCAT.

“It really makes you start to think, ‘What could I have done differently?’” Foley said.

Foley also has her students do the same analysis on their own FCAT score, because their diploma depends on it. Although she believes it helps, she admits the test pressure is unrelenting.

“It’s on everybody’s mind all the time,” she said. “Their whole life revolves around — gotta pass that test.”

More than any other subject, though, reading is the biggest focus. That’s because so many of the punishments and rewards from the state depend on it, from school grades to third-grade retention. And because only about 30 percent of high school students are considered to be on grade level, which means Level 3 or above.

In elementary schools, Level 1 and 2 scorers on the FCAT reading get 30 minutes of additional reading intervention per day. At middle and high schools, scoring at Level 2 now means students must take one “intensive reading” class each day, while Level 1 mandates a two-period block.

Working them all in has been difficult for administrators and students, and some are left without electives at all.

Still, in politically conservative Lee County, district officials and School Board members have been quicker to embrace the policies handed down from the Republican-controlled Legislature and executive branch than have other counties.

That doesn’t mean FCAT isn’t a four-letter word to many in Southwest Florida and statewide. The mere mention of it can roil some parents and teachers; vocal coalitions and teachers’ unions are determined to repeal the way the test is used.

Some of the heaviest criticism is leveled at the test’s secrecy. Parents get detailed score reports but aren’t allowed to see their child’s graded answer sheets. Last year, for the first time since the FCAT was developed in the late 1990s, the Florida Department of Education scheduled releases of multiple actual tests given in years past.

The FCAT’s grading generated controversy earlier this year when two Democratic state senators sued to get the employment records of the $10 hourly temporary workers hired to grade the free-response portions of the test. They found two-thirds lacked degrees or teaching experience in subjects they were grading, as required by contract. Some of the graders had only non-education job experience, including hair styling, pizza delivery and work as a store clerk.

Maxwell sees the FCAT as a “political ploy” and doesn’t think schools should be graded based on the results. She isn’t the only one whose frustration is growing, and thousands of fed-up parents will factor prominently in this fall’s gubernatorial campaign. The primary election is Tuesday.

Democratic candidates Rod Smith and Jim Davis hope to galvanize parents angry about the pervasive influence the test has on public schools. Both want to eliminate the FCAT’s use in punishing low-performing schools and in holding back students in certain grades.

Those goals are unlikely to become reality any time soon. That’s because of a constitutional amendment limiting the governor’s control over education policy. In 1998, the same year Bush was first elected governor, voters approved an amendment that changed the department of education. The commissioner is now chosen by the Board of Education, whose seats are filled with gubernatorial appointees.

Bush appointees will remain a majority on the board until 2010, leaving current commissioner John Winn secure in his position until the new governor’s last year in office.

Republican candidates for governor Charlie Crist, who became in 2000 the last elected education commissioner, and Tom Gallagher, who preceded him in that job, want to keep the current system they both helped put in place.

Figlio said that system still needs improvement but also is in jeopardy of getting much worse.

“Who knows what will happen next year?” Figlio said. “Democrat or Republican, there may be an incentive to change the school grading system.”

Good changes would come in the form of better teacher pay, he said, while doing away with the accountability program’s reliance on tracking individual students’ improvement instead of just looking at their scores would be a bad idea.

Figlio, whose research has extended nationwide, said simply measuring levels instead of learning gains can lead to disturbing unintended consequences. His research found that in those situations, administrators are more likely to suspend low-achieving students on test days, and that schools on test days “carbo-loaded” students at lunch with higher-calorie meals.

With the federal No Child Left Behind Act, most states are trending toward that model, he said. Florida should not.

- - -

To look at the FCAT and an answer key, plus find scores for individual schools and districts, visit www.fldoe.org.

© 2005 Bonita Daily News and The Banner. Published in Bonita Springs, Florida, USA by the E.W. Scripps Co.

But Hammer Away

2006-08-28T07:35:00.000-04:00

at the 8-year-olds? Sure, they're big, tough third graders!

Next, the kiddie FCAT

Palm Beach Post Editorial

Monday, August 28, 2006

Fewer than half of Florida's eligible 4-year-olds were enrolled in the state's first voluntary pre-kindergarten programs last school year and summer. The typical school-year program lasted just three hours a day, teachers were not required to have early childhood education degrees, and the curriculum varied from one school to the next. Transportation was not provided, so pre-K was inaccessible to many working families.

Even as school officials and child advocates have urged the state to extend the hours, toughen teacher standards and provide buses, state officials have declared the first year of the voter-approved voluntary pre-K program a success. Now, the Florida Department of Education plans to "confirm" that success by a standardized test - given in kindergarten.
The timing of the evaluation does not make sense. And the state's plans to punish pre-K providers based on that ill-timed assessment is unfair. "We do not believe that a child at kindergarten can be 'FCATed'," said Tana Ebbole, CEO of the Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County, "or that you can rate the child care setting on the child's screening or assessmetnt."

A better assessment would screen pre-kindergartners at the beginning of the program and at the end. A diagnostic tool (instead of a punitive, after-the-fact hammer) would help teachers better prepare children for kindergarten.

And, Really, That's the Point. Isn't It?

2006-08-27T09:14:00.000-04:00

Higher FCAT scores pay off in more cash for 109 schools

It's bonus time for 109 top-rated and improved public schools in Palm Beach County.

Etc.

Schools turned into test-prep centers

2006-08-26T09:39:00.000-04:00

In case you though choosing a charter school would make any difference. . .

Schools turned into test-prep centers

August 26, 2006

NEVER BEING a fan of charter schools, particularly those of the for-profit variety, I suppose I should cheer yet another study showing that they perform worse on tests than traditional public school (Page A3, Aug. 23). And yet, for the same reason that judging schools solely on test results makes for bad educational policy in mainstream schools, it also hurts the charters.

Public schools are increasingly looking like glorified test-prep centers . Leaving aside private schooling companies whose bottom line is profitability, well-intentioned educators engaged in creating charter schools are in a bind. Being evaluated on the results of a few standardized tests hamstrings creativity. Tests foster rote memorization, and teachers, under the gun, fall in line and teach to the test.

Pity the poor charter school that tries to offer a creative and innovative program. It may be a great school full of inquisitive, happy, and engaged students, but if these students don't get the big scores, they're sunk. To cheer the relative ability of seasoned public school teachers to better teach test-taking skills is to get mired in the ideological slop that often passes for debate about education in this country.

JOHN V. CALLAHAN
Jamaica Plain
The writer is a teacher at Newton North High School.

© Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company

Candidates Debate

2006-08-24T09:36:00.000-04:00

There's more to this vote than the FCAT but they did, eventually, get around to it.

Posted on Thu, Aug. 24, 2006

GOVERNOR'S RACE | DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
Davis, Smith trade volleys during debate
The Democrats vying to be Florida's next governor traded jabs over insurance, education and track records in a debate.
BY BETH REINHARD AND MARY ELLEN KLAS
breinhard@MiamiHerald.com

TAMPA - In the first debate televised statewide between the Democratic contenders for governor, U.S. Rep. Jim Davis slammed state Sen. Rod Smith as a candidate bought and paid for by corporate interests.

At least I go to work, Smith shot back, defending his independence and leadership and pointing to Davis' second-worst attendance record in the U.S. House of Representatives. Smith also knocked Davis for once voting against compensating two wrongfully convicted black men.

It was a take-that kind of debate, loaded with more policy details than the Republican matchup the night before, with both Davis and Smith drilling into each other's political vulnerabilities.

For Smith, it's his ties to the sugar industry. Davis pointed to an estimated $1 million that sugar growers have spent attacking him on behalf of Smith, who serves as chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Smith voted for sugar-backed legislation in 2003 that environmentalists said would weaken Everglades pollution standards and delay the national park's cleanup.

''You say you haven't gotten control over what they do, but they've got control over you,'' Davis said.

Smith said the Everglades bill ensured the cleanup timetable was ''realistic.'' The real problem, he said, is that Congress has not put up its share of the billions in cleanup money. He also defended the anti-Davis ads, saying that they aren't personal attacks and accurately describe the congressman's record.

''What congressman Davis hasn't done is his job,'' Smith said. ``He hasn't earned a promotion to governor.''

Davis said he was proud of his record, which includes fighting oil drilling off Florida's coast and passing a law that stops nursing homes from evicting poor patients. And he said his voting percentage in Congress was 93 percent before he began running for governor.

One of Smith's hardest punches hearkened back to when Davis was a state representative. In 1990, Davis voted against awarding compensation to two black men, Freddie Pitts and Wilbert Lee, who were convicted in 1963 of murdering two white gas station attendants in a rural Panhandle town.

Pitts and Lee were sentenced to die and served 12 years in prison. They were pardoned in 1975 after Gov. Reubin Askew said there was substantial doubt about their guilt -- and another man confessed to the murders. In 1998 -- two years after Davis went to Congress -- the Florida Legislature awarded Pitts and Lee $500,000 each.

''My job was to hear the evidence,'' Davis said. ``So I did what I thought was the right thing to do, not the popular thing to do.''

AT THE OUTSET

Smith, a celebrated public speaker in the courthouse and Senate floor, seemed a little nervous and guarded in his opening remarks. He stumbled a few times but picked up momentum as the debate went on.

Davis started off stronger, looking more relaxed and keeping a smile on his face. He made sure to point out his efforts on behalf of the husband of Terri Schiavo, a severely brain-damaged woman. Smith pointed out his own opposition to the Republicans' plan to keep Schiavo alive.

Davis continued his strategy of hammering away at the problems facing state government -- most notably soaring insurance rates -- and accusing Smith of being part of the problem.

He assailed Smith for supporting an industry-backed bill that allows insurance companies to pay only part of a claim if a homeowner's damage was caused by water instead of wind. Davis said he would repeal the law that enabled the ''loophole,'' but Smith said that is a short-sighted solution that will raise rates or drive insurance companies out of Florida.

Smith repeated his proposal to use sales-tax revenues from storm-related repairs to pay for the Hurricane Catastrophe Fund and subsidize insurance premiums for homeowners who carry Citizens Property Insurance. He also wants to create a state-run hurricane insurance account that will protect the first $50,000 to $100,000 of a home's value, while private insurance would protect the rest. Davis and Republicans have criticized the idea, saying it is destined to bankrupt the state.

In another charge aimed at linking Smith to corporate interests, Davis pointed to legislation that allowed regulators to increase telephone rates $355 million if they determined there was enough competition in the market.

Consumer groups said that a provision in the bill gave phone companies a lopsided advantage that allowed them to get the automatic rate increases when phone calls over the Internet took off. Davis noted that Gov. Jeb Bush vetoed the bill, but the Legislature -- with Smith's support -- returned to approve it.

''That time, you showed up for work, and I think your constituents wish you hadn't,'' Davis quipped.

Smith shot back that Davis hadn't read the bill, and defended it as allowing the free-enterprise market to work.

ON GUN CONTROL

One of Davis' weaker responses was when he was asked about the availability of weapons at a time when dozens of South Florida children have been gunned down. The National Rifle Association has flunked Davis for his gun-control votes and given Smith an ''A,'' a potential liability for Davis in a Democratic vote.

But Davis, perhaps concerned about being tarred as a liberal, said he supports ''some restrictions'' on assault weapons.

''As for the cause of this [violence], we don't know yet,'' he said. ``This problem did not develop overnight.''

Both candidates agreed that electronic voting machines should produce receipts, and that felons should automatically get to vote again after they serve their sentences. Smith and Davis also agree on making sure the state builds enough classrooms and hires enough teachers to fulfill the class-size limits added to the Florida Constitution in 2002.

Neither candidate directly answered a question about how he would close the ''achievement gap'' between white and minority students. Smith decried the state's emphasis on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, calling schools ``FCAT prep centers.''

In response to a question about U.S. policy on Cuban immigration, Davis said the ''wet-foot/dry-foot'' policy was unjust.

Smith argued that Haitian immigrants should get to stay in the United States if they reach land.

Robotic Test-Takers

2006-08-20T10:06:00.000-04:00

Even if you're well-to-do, you don't want your kid turned into a robot? Hmmm. . .

Schools land on FCAT smart list: 40 in Broward, 16 in Palm Beach County

By Douane D. James
South Florida Sun-Sentinel Education Writer

August 19, 2006

Led by schools in the west, Broward County shined in state academic rankings announced Friday. Broward accounted for 40 of the 225 elementary, middle and high schools lauded for their results on the 2006 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

The brightest of the lot were the public schools in affluent Weston, which landed nine of its 10 schools on the high-performing list.

. . .

Kaplan said students from wealthy families tend to be better prepared to learn, but that does not mean the work of faculty and staff is trouble-free.

. . .

One Weston parent said Florida schools put too much focus on testing.

"Who cares what the grades and rankings of the schools are?" asked Andrew Horowitz, whose daughter attends Cypress Bay High School in Weston, which made the Top 50 list of high schools.

"There's too much emphasis on [the FCAT]," he added. "We're creating children who are robotic test-takers."

Dithering Away Our Children's Time

2006-08-19T08:43:00.000-04:00

How much time do we have to waste dithering with these meaningless changes!

Posted on Sat, Aug. 19, 2006

Florida lags in No Child Left Behind, Jeb wants law changed

BILL KACZOR
Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Jacksonville's George Washington Carver Elementary is a B school in the state's eyes and barely missed getting an A this year.

Yet, Carver, which once got D's and F's, still is considered a failing school under the federal No Child Left Behind law, which was adopted in 2001.

It is one of 2,278 Florida schools - 71 percent of the total - that have failed to make the adequate yearly progress, or AYP, required by No Child Left Behind in 2006. That's in sharp contrast to the state's report card that this year gave an A or B to three of every four Florida schools.

Gov. Jeb Bush and state education officials have responded to those contradictory results by proposing an experimental AYP program that would give Florida schools a better shot at meeting federal standards. The governor also is lobbying for changes in the No Child Left Behind law, the centerpiece for the domestic policy of his brother, President Bush, when it comes up for reauthorization next year.

. . .

FL Lags? Heck, We're Last!!

2006-08-17T09:06:00.000-04:00

A++ indeed.

Florida lags in high school graduation testing
Bill Kaczor
The Associated Press

August 16, 2006, 5:09 PM EDT

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida students ranked last in 2005 among 23 states that gave reading or English language arts tests required for high school graduation, with only 52 percent passing on the first try, the independent Center on Education Policy reported today.

Florida did much better, though, in math. The state's first-time passing rate was 77 percent, good for 10th place.

The center's report titled "State High School Exams: A Challenging Year" was compiled from information collected from 22 states that required an exam to earn a diploma last year, one -- Indiana -- that began testing the 2006 class in 2003 and two that plan such tests in the future.

It closely followed another report that showed Florida's ACT composite score fell this year, although the national average was the highest of any class since 1991 and the biggest annual increase in 20 years.

The two reports are among several national comparisons that have conflicted with glowing state assessments. This year, three of every four Florida public schools received grades of A or B from the state while only 23 -- a fraction of 1 percent -- got an F.

Florida Department of Education spokeswoman Cathy Schroeder said state officials recognize the passage rate for first-time test takers needs improving as shown by the Center on Education Policy's report.

"It confirms to us what we knew all along: We need to increase the rigor and relevance of middle and high school so that our students will be prepared to succeed the very first time they take the FCAT," Schroeder said.

Legislation dubbed "A-Plus-Plus" was passed this year to help achieve that goal by a variety of means including requirements that high school students take a fourth year of math and focus on major fields of interest.

The state's ACT scores have declined in each of the last three years, including a decline from 20.4 in 2005 to 20.3 in 2006 on the college entrance test. Scores tend to drop as more students take the test and Florida's participation increased from 41 percent last year to 44 percent in 2006, Schroeder said.

Gov. Jeb Bush said he was pleased that the number of Florida students taking the ACT increased from 58,302 to 66,299.

"We must encourage all of our high school students to take these exams and prepare for the rigor of college and the work force," Bush said in a statement.

The state school grades are based on the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test. It is the same test Florida high school students must pass to earn a diploma.

The center's report shows a first-time passing rate among 11 states requiring a reading test ranging from Florida's low of 52 percent to a high of 91 percent in Ohio.

Other states test English language arts, which can include reading, writing, grammar, literature and oral communication, instead of or in addition to reading only. The lowest first-time passing rate on those tests was 57 percent in Maryland, still better than Florida's reading rate. The highest was Georgia's 95 percent.

Florida's white students (65 percent), black students (28 percent), and Hispanic students (41 percent), ranked last in reading or English language arts in a sampling of eight states broken down by ethnicity. The 37 point gap between white and black students in Florida also was the biggest among the eight states.

"An achievement gap still exists in Florida for our Hispanic students and our African American students, but we have been successful in slowly but steadily reducing that gap and we won't be successful until no gap exists," Schroeder said.
Copyright © 2006, Orlando Sentinel

This Is Just Sad

2006-08-13T12:25:00.000-04:00

. . . in so many ways. . .

Posted on Sun, Aug. 13, 2006

EDUCATION
Science goes under the microscope
Science education becomes an important test area now that students' scores on the FCAT will factor into overall school letter grades.
BY HANNAH SAMPSON
hsampson@MiamiHerald.com

The fifth-graders in Tyane Deal's science class at Watkins Elementary morphed into little sleuths, examining clues like texture and shape to determine which fruit was depicted in front of them.

They used a hand lens as an investigative tool, and prompts from Deal kept them on track.

''We're thinking about how we might use our senses to describe something,'' she told them.

The ''Name That Fruit'' lesson was fun for the kids, but it was also Deal's way to ease them into topics they're sure to see on the science portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which will count for the first time toward their school's grade this year.

''It's like learning a different language for them,'' said Deal, who teaches science to the year-round Pembroke Park school's kindergartners through fifth-graders.

And it's a language they'll need to master.

Students have taken the test since 2003, but it has never mattered as much as it will this year.

The scores of the fifth-, eighth- and 11th-graders who take the science FCAT this school year will count for one-eighth of an overall school grade.

. . .

Madness Everywhere

2006-08-10T09:17:00.000-04:00

There's our local craziness but lest we forget the rest of the world. . .

Learning 'harmed by tests craze'
By Liz Lightfoot, Education Correspondent

(Filed: 10/08/2006)

Most teachers admit they drill children to pass tests and meet targets instead of encouraging a love of learning, a study published today claims.

Teachers felt that the high-stakes testing regime meant they had to cover the curriculum at "break-neck speed", using work sheets and practice papers to ensure their pupils can tick the right boxes.

Four fifths of the 1,500 staff questioned in 40 schools admitted "teaching to the test", and conceded it made lessons less effective in terms of encouraging independence and a love of learning.

. . .

Please Vote!!

2006-08-06T11:22:00.000-04:00

This is today's nonsense --

Standardized, high-stakes test now key

It starts with this:

From the time they begin kindergarten, Florida children hear about The Test.

It ends with this:

''No one did anything before,'' Bush said. ``Now they are.''

This is what passes for solving problems in the public school system. If we don't vote for change, we will get more of the same.

Candidates tap into rage over education

2006-08-04T09:12:00.000-04:00

Candidates tap into rage over education

Democratic gubernatorial contenders criticize reforms, vow to amend `failed' system.

By Linda Kleindienst

Tallahassee Bureau Chief

August 4, 2006

Gov. Jeb Bush won't be on this fall's ballot, but his education policy will.

Boasting of improved student test scores and better-performing schools, Republican gubernatorial candidates Charlie Crist and Tom Gallagher -- both former state education commissioners -- embrace most of the changes championed by Bush and heartily endorsed by the GOP-led Legislature since 1999.

But Democrats Jim Davis and Rod Smith are channeling the wrath of many South Florida parents and educators, bashing key reforms adopted over the past seven years.

Promising wholesale change, they scorn how the FCAT is used to punish or reward schools and students based on their scores. They say the state has failed to boost teacher salaries and has made a paltry financial commitment to education, including too little to meet the state's tough class-size mandate.

"We're 47th in public school spending and we're second in the nation on what we spend for prisons," said Smith, a state senator from Alachua County. "What kind of irony is that?"

National yardsticks show elementary students are making significant improvements in reading and math -- and minority students especially are making gains under Bush's education reforms, known as the A-Plus Plan. But critics note Florida's graduation rate and college entrance test scores remain among the worst in the country and the state ranks 31st in average teacher salaries.

The Democratic candidates have pledged to boost teacher pay, aggressively fund new classroom construction to lower class size and use the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test as a tool for teachers and parents to determine where students need help.

Smith and Davis, who started the push to lower class size as state House majority leader in 1996, have promised to implement the class-size amendment, which mandates that by 2010 there will be no more than 18 students per class in kindergarten through fourth grade, 22 in fourth through eighth and 25 in high school.

On the Republican side, Crist, Florida's attorney general, has also said he would push for full funding of the class-size mandate. Only Gallagher, the state's chief financial officer, has said he will follow Bush's lead and try to get voters to soften the caps.

The education issue is resounding with South Florida voters and the candidates' words play especially well with partisan crowds.

. . .

Get Rid Of The FCAT

2006-08-04T08:55:00.000-04:00

Commentary: Get Rid Of The FCAT
POSTED: 10:20 am EDT August 3, 2006

It takes a big man to admit his mistakes and an even bigger man to correct them. It's time that Gov. Jeb Bush lead the charge to abolish the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

This standardized test has consumed our state's education system. It has been plagued by warped thinking -- if a school fails, take desparately needed money away from it? Or maybe change the principal? Redraw the boundaries?

But the real reasons for FCAT failure are never addressed: the often crushing poverty of the neighborhoods, the lack of books in the home and the focus on paying the rent rather than reading.

. . .

Some folks get it!

A School Counselor Speaks Out

2006-08-02T09:35:00.000-04:00

August 02, 2006

Return to schools that address needs of all students

By BILL ARCHER
COMMUNITY VOICES

When I attended school there was a procedure that was followed and it was applied to all who attended school. If a student failed to make adequate progress overall he was retained. If there was some learning problem that precluded his mastery of certain disciplines he was, over time, usually steered to those courses in which he had some aptitude and a higher probability for experiencing some success.

Some students excelled in the academic disciplines and others in the vocational and mechanical areas. Those successful in the academic disciplines usually graduated and went on to universities to earn four-year degrees and post-graduate degrees. They pursued careers in professions that tended to reflect "higher" positions in the social order.

Those who finished high school with a vocational emphasis usually went to local community colleges and earned associate degrees and completed certificated programs that allowed them to enter the work force in the medical technologies field, law enforcement, emergency medical response, and find jobs in an enormous variety of social services programs and trades. Their career paths usually were the ones that involved much immediate and valued local involvement and interaction.

. . .

In Florida any student not achieving the state-mandated achievement level in reading in the third grade is retained despite the student's achievement level in other academic areas. Some students are entering the third grade for the third year in a row this year.

Under this new system, Florida public school teachers are no longer trusted to evaluate a child's academic performance. That responsibility has now been taken over by the state without even one public hearing. Now the teacher's only job is to make sure the student knows what the FCAT requirements are. In other words, the student will conform to the academic blueprint declared by the FCAT in order to be successful. Nothing else matters. Not the student's talents and abilities with respect to his global personality nor his family situation nor his personal aspirations.

And for the teacher who can't, for whatever reason, train that student to be a good FCAT tester, well, it will soon be pink-slip time. Just like in the corporate world.

Oh, to be in the old public school system where local and district administrators would have fought against the politically motivated hijacking of their schools. Where teachers would have refused to sign FCAT "secrecy statements" before being forced to administer grueling tests that they had to swear they wouldn't look at or discuss. To be in the old system, where students' natural tendencies would lead them through an impartial system that would help them fulfill their own potentials. Somehow the old public school system got replaced by the state and federal Bush administrations' ideas of an educational system that's "good for the economy."

Sadly, it may no longer be good for the students in Volusia and Flagler county schools who return to class this month to face these ill-conceived requirements for success.

Archer is a school counselor in Daytona Beach.

Time to Consider Your Choices

2006-07-30T10:24:00.000-04:00

I don't wish to belabor the political angle here, but the upcoming midterm elections are the most important in years because of the potential for a change of political direction, and that includes the race for governor of Florida.

Will Floridians, after eight years of Jeb Bush, choose to continue down the same path for public schools? Or will voters decide to at least moderate the Bush agenda for education? If so, the two Republican candidates offer no change from current policy. On the other hand, the two moderate Democrats running for governor, Jim Davis and Rod Smith, offer, if nothing else, a turn towards a less FCAT-obsessed future.

The St. Petersburg Times continues with its series of candidate profiles today with "Jim Davis: Earnest and detailed, if not very flashy," and "Rod Smith: Happy to talk - at length - about his causes." These articles barely mention education, and don't mention FCAT at all, but for those of you who are undecided, they will help flesh out your knowledge of the two candidates. Don't forget, the last day to register to vote is Monday, August 7th! The primaries are almost upon us- Tuesday, September 5th- with the general election following a month later. The time is now, if you haven't yet started, to educate yourself about all the candidates- local, state, and congressional.

An Independent Candidate

2006-07-29T08:33:00.000-04:00

Democratic governor hopeful: FCAT must go

By COLLEEN WIXON

July 29, 2006

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Carol Castagnero makes no secret of what is a priority in her campaign platform for governor.

"FCAT must go" is written in large letters on the sign she holds up at intersections throughout the state.

The sign, which includes two of her campaign bumper stickers, is often mistaken as a protest. Law enforcement is occasionally called to advise her against protesting, she said.

"I'm not protesting when I do this. I'm a candidate," she said.

Castagnero, 67, is one of five candidates who have qualified as Democratic candidates for governor. Other Democrats who have qualified are Glenn Aldine Burkett of Panama City, John Crotty of Maitland, U.S. Congressman Jim Davis of Tampa and state Sen. Rod Smith of Alachua.

. . .

For more info:

http://www.grandmacarol.org/

Too Little, Too Early

2006-07-26T10:27:00.000-04:00

State to test for success of pre-K
A two-part assessment will help show how much prekindergarten helped. But some say the test is flawed and out of context.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK, Times Staff Writer
Published July 25, 2006

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now that a year’s worth of 4-year-olds have completed prekindergarten, Florida wants to find out if its state-funded program prepared the youngsters for school.

Experts, however, are questioning whether the state can do a meaningful assessment.

They pointed out that the evaluations won’t be done until after students enter kindergarten, months after many of them finished pre-K.

The screening won’t take into account what a child knew before entering prekindergarten. Nor does it consider a child’s home environment, lifestyle or age — some kindergartners are almost 6 years old while others are barely 5.

. . .

Really? And you think that might be a problem? Judging a program and a school and, lest we forget, a child on a one-time test?

Heck, that's not a problem! It will prepare the kids and the parents for the insanity of the FCAT!

Sunday Headlines

2006-07-23T09:09:00.000-04:00

13 schools in hot water with feds
-- Thirteen Osceola District schools are on a government watch list for poor performance -- a direct result of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Democratic governor hopefuls bash GOP
-- Democratic gubernatorial candidates Jim Davis and Rod Smith sparred in a debate Saturday, calling for reforms of the state's property-insurance system and blasting Republicans for their handling of public schools.

And in Texas -- but it all sounds familiar --

Who's keeping score? Grading the TAKS essay
-- When students write their essays for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, they can take hours to organize their thoughts and craft the perfect response.
But speed is paramount when it comes to grading the nearly 2 million essays: School districts demand a quick turnaround on the tests so they can assist struggling students, who will need to be retested. And the state needs the tallies to evaluate how well districts and individual schools are doing.

As a result, scorers spend an average of 2 1/2 minutes deciding whether a student's effort passes or fails. And that has a growing number of critics, including testing experts and legislators in other states, wondering if the part-time workers, who make as a little as $11 an hour, are shortchanging quality for speed.

And why we need all the speedy scoring. . .

Tracking academic progress quicker
-- There's a hole in the school accountability model imposed by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, educators say.

Students prepare all year for the high-stakes tests that determine whether their school is labeled passing or failing.
They study and drill.
And then they move on to the next grade - before the state returns their scores.
By the time teachers can assess their students' performance, they have a whole new set of students.

Because, you know, there's no other way for the teachers to know what's going on. . .

Maybe the comics section would be better reading.

Smith vs. Davis

2006-07-22T08:17:00.000-04:00

Posted on Sat, Jul. 22, 2006

Smith, Davis a contrast of styles, not substance

BRENDAN FARRINGTON
Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - If you read what Rod Smith and Jim Davis have to say about issues in the governor's race, there won't be much difference between the Democrats.

Neither likes how Gov. Jeb Bush has used standardized testing to reward and punish schools, both criticize Republicans for not doing enough to stabilize the homeowners insurance market, they agree Republicans have passed too many tax cuts that benefit too few people while schools and health care are underfunded and they tout their efforts to keep government out of the Terri Schiavo case.

But their styles and backgrounds are clearly different as they try to take back the governor's mansion from Republicans. Saturday, when about 1,000 Democrats gather here for a state party fundraiser, Smith and Davis will likely be trying hard to show those differences as they fight to win over a large number of undecided voters.

. . .

The More I Hear

2006-07-21T09:31:00.000-04:00

from Smith, the more I like about him.

Gubernatorial candidate Rod Smith visits Southwest Florida

By Larry Hannan

Friday, July 21, 2006

State Sen. Rod Smith has a concise explanation for why people should vote for him in the Sept. 5 primary that will determine who will be the Democratic candidate for Florida governor.

“I’ve proven that I can beat Republicans,” Smith said. “It’s time for us to win again and I can win in places (within Florida) that we’ve been losing.”
. . .
Florida is 46th in education in the nation but second in the number of prisoners held.

“I’d like to see those statistics reversed,” he said.

Smith said the school systems in Florida are now singularly focused on getting students to pass the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

That needs to change, he said.

“The FCAT has become the be-all and end-all that schools focus on,” Smith said. “We should prepare kids for life. Instead we’re preparing them for the FCAT.”

He doesn’t want to do away with the FCAT, but he wants to de-emphasize it, Smith said.
. . .

Read It and Weep!

2006-07-20T10:05:00.000-04:00

Handcuff Me, Too!

Ms. Chenfeld puts herself in the shoes of an eager, curious, hopeful kindergartner and finds that it's a sadly scary place to be.

By Mimi Brodsky Chenfeld

. . .

Five years old, full of life and fun; loves to play, loves stories, dress-up, making things out of clay, painting pictures, building with blocks, and playing house; loves climbing and digging in sand and water, adores dolls and stuffed animals, sings a lot, bounces and dances to all kinds of music and rhythms, is fascinated by butterflies, caterpillars, clouds, flowers, stones, trees; watches squirrels jump from limb to limb, feeds birds in the winter, notices shadows on sunny days and prints on snowy streets, plays forever with empty boxes and wrappings from gifts, can't wait to go to kindergarten . . .

For weeks before kindergarten, she can hardly sleep. Kindergarten will be so exciting!

. . .

Finally, K-Day arrives! Face shining, heart pounding, she joins the other children. They are greeted by a colorful welcome poster on the door with everyone's name in bright colors. She finds her name and bounces into the room, sitting at a table with her name tag displayed. A cheery bulletin board boasts images and words. She especially likes the picture of a clown. (After she went to the circus, she borrowed a bunch of cool books about clowns from the library.) Now she relaxes, waiting for the class to begin.

Looking around the room, she notices shelves tightly packed with books and workbooks, packaged games, and cut-out shapes. "Where are the fun centers?" she wonders, almost whispering out loud. Now her teacher is explaining how the day will go. Just before lunch, they will have a 20-minute outside recess - if they finish their work. Although she still can't tell time perfectly, she knows that lunch is a long time away.

Every day she and her classmates spend a lot of time sitting at tables doing worksheets. Circle this, put a line under that, color in something else. Every night she takes home her homework. Sometimes her mom helps her circle the right dots. She loves to listen to stories, but sometimes her teacher has no time to read stories to the kids. They have to finish their lessons on letters and sounds, double letters, and rhyming words. Then they have to do their worksheets.

Sometimes she wishes there were some stuffed animals and dolls to hold while the teacher is telling them what to do. She would love to bring her best cuddly bear to school, but the teacher said that at the end of the school year all the children will have a day to bring in their special animals.

Sometimes she whispers to her tablemate that they can play together at recess, but her teacher reminds her that there is no talking while they are having a lesson. Soon they will be having tests, the teacher reminds them, so they will want to do their very best work.

. . .

The principal comes in just to see if everyone is on schedule.

Today, she is very excited. The teacher said that if they finished all their work, they would have time for "free play"! Maybe the blocks and dolls, easels and clay, dress-up clothes and make-believe kitchen, puppets and stuffed animals are waiting in a special place for "free play." Maybe they're all in the closet that's always locked. Maybe it's a closet filled with surprises! Hurrying through her workbooks and worksheets, she pays extra attention. The teacher looks at her watch and tells the kids they can have 20 whole minutes of free play instead of outside recess. Then the teacher takes down the board games and puts them on the tables. Board games! She wanted to play dress-up or house or zoo or forest. She didn't want to play board games that told them to follow directions and recognize letters.

When she says she doesn't want to play, her teacher seems disappointed. The little girl suddenly feels caged. She tries to tell the teacher that she can't sit down anymore. And she hates the worksheets. She wants to tell her how she needs to move! To talk and sing and play with her friends as they make up stories and act out characters. But the kids and the teacher look at her with strange expressions, like she is a bad girl. But she can't help it. She starts throwing the board games and worksheets about. She pushes over the tables. She kicks the chairs and cries. And she cries when the handcuffs are clicked on her wrists. Cries like a trapped animal. It is so hard to say how she feels. She is crying so hard, she has no words. Only sounds. No words for the disappointment and frustration she feels now that she is a big kindergarten girl of 5 years old.

* * *

If we interview the teacher, we will learn that, like her colleagues across the country, she is under great pressure to prepare kindergartners for tests, for benchmarks, for academic goals, for assessments. She admits that the curriculum she is now teaching is really the first-grade curriculum, pushed down to kindergarten. She believes these changes are developmentally inappropriate. She knows from her experience and her training that young children learn best through play, through hands-on and active direct experiences, through movement and music, and through relevant activities that are joyful, language-rich, and creative.

Given what is expected of her and the children by local, state, and federal legislation and regulations, as well as by family pressures, the teacher feels she has few choices.

. . .

She feels handcuffed. She feels trapped.

And so do I, writing this piece from the point of view of children and teachers caught in an education system gone berserk. I think I understand why this small child made headlines: she lacked the words to express the disappointment and frustration she felt now that she was a big kindergarten girl of 5 years old.

MIMI BRODSKY CHENFELD is a teacher, author, and national consultant who lives in Columbus, Ohio. Among her books are Teaching in the Key of Life (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1993), Teaching by Heart (Redleaf Press, 2001), and Creative Experiences for Young Children (Heinemann, 2002). She began teaching in 1956 and will stay in education till she gets it right.

Tell It To The WOO!

2006-07-18T09:39:00.000-04:00

The students "suffered for decades" but now the miracle of the FCAT will help "highlight and begin to correct serious deficiencies in reading."

Riiiiight. Tell it to the WOO!

Article published Jul 18, 2006
Measuring success
Gadsden schools seek credibility
Gadsden County's struggling public schools have reason to feel somewhat more hopeful these days. Slowly but surely, they're making more passing grades on the measures used to determine school performance.
Gadsden is one of Florida's poorest counties, and its public schools have suffered for decades because of a host of socioeconomic challenges related to rural poverty and white flight.
After the state began to grade public schools in 1998, Gadsden was mired in the proverbial cellar. Grades of D and F were common, and the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test - on which school grades are largely based - was surely viewed by many as less of a diagnostic tool for improvement than a weapon of mass destruction.
In Gadsden and throughout the state, the FCAT's single most important utility has been that it has helped highlight and begin to correct serious deficiencies in reading. When a student can't read at grade level, he or she very likely can't do anything else at grade level.
While we strongly believe that Florida has put too many eggs in the FCAT basket, it's important to point out that the test has forced schools to put more effort into basic skills - such as reading - that weren't given sufficient attention before.
. . .

What Compassion Looks Like

2006-07-18T09:20:00.000-04:00

World of Opportunity Welcomes All Comers

Published: July 17, 2006

by: Gin Phillips

It’s not a typical classroom setting.

The pothole-filled road to the World of Opportunity (WOO) winds through the bare yards and housing projects of Gate City, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Birmingham, Ala. The school takes up one room in a cinderblock building largely hidden by a trailer. The walls are plastered with posters—Langston Hughes and American Idol’s Ruben Studdard among them—and pages of announcements:

“Congratulations on obtaining your employment as a maintenance worker at Sam’s Club!”

“Congratulations on the arrival of your beautiful beloved baby daughter!”

“Congratulations on enrolling at Lawson State!”

The walls speak of a family as much as they speak of a school, and that overlap defines this program for young adults looking for a General Education Diploma, or GED.

Co-Director Steve Orel helped start WOO in 2000 after 522 students—all African American and many recently turned 16—were dismissed from the Birmingham public schools because of “lack of interest.” At the time, Orel ran an adult education program affiliated with the city, and some of those hundreds of students began to show up with dismissal slips in hand.

“I say the students started the program,” Orel said. “They said, ‘I want to make something of my life,’ and I’m looking at this piece of paper that says, ‘No, you don’t want to make something of your life.’”

Orel protested the dismissal of the students, claiming schools were trying to improve their standardized testing scores, and lost his job in the uproar that followed. So he launched World of Opportunity in 2000. Nearly 3,000 students, mostly young adults, have walked through the doors of WOO since then to work toward their GED or, in some cases, to seek out vocational training. So far, 67 students have received their GED.

This particular population has many obstacles to overcome on the way to the GED, and the numbers reflect those obstacles. Some only come once. Others stay for a few days, leave, then try again weeks or months later. The defining feature of the program is also what keeps the success rate low: WOO never turns a student away. There is no contract signed, no Big Brother watching.

A World Away from High School

Students work at their own pace after an assessment from GED instructors. Classes start at 10 a.m., with two-hour blocks running through the afternoon. Three nights a week, there are additional classes from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The students work quietly at long tables, going over study booklets, and when they have questions, they ask.

“It seems like it’s one big classroom, but it’s actually one-on-one individual time,” said Candace Ferguson, WOO’s 40th GED graduate. She is now enrolled at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “You’re on your own pace…You can stay just two hours or you can stay longer.”

From drawing up a personalized study plan for each student to carefully following their progress to determine when someone is prepared to pass the GED—the school has a 100 percent success rate among students who take the exam—instructors teach each student differently.

“It’s hands-on,” said 20-year-old Nicole Humphries, WOO’s 65th GED graduate. “In high school, they just give you the work and want you to do it. But Steve takes the time to try to learn a person and tell you where to begin. Every time I needed some help, he was always right there.”

No one has ever been asked to leave the program. And WOO has never had a fight.

The Path Here

“One thing I’ve learned is that some of these individuals are overcoming some horrendous and horrific situations,” said Corey Howard, WOO’s financial director. “When you and I were brought up, it was education, education, education. But if you don’t have food in the refrigerator or lights in the house, education is not necessarily a priority.”

Though some left school voluntarily and some have been expelled, most WOO students say they had been pushed out by the prospect of having to repeat grades multiple times.

“They don’t want to return school because they’re retained,” Orel said. “It’s a sugar-coated poison—they say you’re welcome back in the fall, but you don’t want to go back because you’ll be the oldest kid in the ninth grade.”

Andrew McKnight, assistant professor of educational foundations at the university, laments the attitudes among educators that lead to the “pushing out” of some kids. “Some of it is out of the unsound belief that if we get rid of certain students, we help others. It’s a horrible, unnecessary triage. But in the minds of a lot of people actually on the ground, it’s necessary. It’s a kind of lifeboat mentality.”
. . .
A Switch Flipped

As much as WOO is a different kind of school, the students are sometimes different students than they were in a traditional setting. They have a chance to start anew.

“No one’s criticized on what they did in the past,” Howard said.
. . .
More than Academics

Although the bulk of students come for GED preparation, the school also offers computer classes and certified nurse’s aide training. Spanish classes and an automotive computer-aided drafting class have been added, and there’s a class on job interviewing skills. The school gives every student a library card and helps those aged 18 or older register to vote.

Then there are the more fundamental needs. The school spent more than $1,600 in 2004 on direct assistance to students for food, rent, medical needs and other emergencies.
. . .
When they can, the students give back: when Orel had surgery for cancer in April, five of his caretakers were graduates of the program.

By the Numbers

New faces arrive nearly everyday, with Orel enrolling at least a student or two each day. Instructors work with about 175 different people per month, averaging 40 to 50 per day. The annual cost per pupil is $2,500, about one-third the per-pupil costs of the Birmingham School System. If the 150 students who are not in the program full-time but attend periodically are included, the cost drops to $770 per year, according to research in the Knowledge Foundation’s “Dollars and Sense: Lessons from Good, Cost-Effective Small Schools.”

WOO receives no state or federal funding, relying solely on private donations and neighborhood association funds. The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham awarded its first grant—$23,000—to WOO in 2003, followed by another $25,000 in 2004, and $40,000 in 2005.

“It’s a different kind of model because they have a policy of accepting anybody that comes to the door,” said Patti Whitt, senior program officer for the foundation. “Most others that do this have some qualifications or stipulations, but they’ve intentionally created a very welcoming model.”

What the Numbers Don’t Show

Woo students seem to revel in the unaccustomed feeling that they are being taken seriously.

“They have confidence in you,” Kelly said. “They believe in you and are always saying encouraging words. And just accomplishing this one thing will make you feel like you can do more, like you can accomplish other things.”

She has her sights set firmly on that office job as a legal secretary.
. . .

Candidates and Positions

2006-07-17T08:37:00.000-04:00

Bush's education policy hangs over race
The candidates for governor may find that it’s not too safe to get too close to, or too far away from, the governor or FCAT.

By RON MATUS, Times Staff Writer
Published July 16, 2006

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gov. Jeb Bush is popular. The FCAT isn’t.

The race to replace him may turn in part on which icon is more potent.

The Democrats — U.S. Rep. Jim Davis and state Sen. Rod Smith — slam virtually every change Bush has made to Florida’s school system, but reserve special scorn for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Smith says the governor’s “maniacal commitment” to the FCAT is burning out teachers and thinning out curriculum. Davis calls it a “political weapon.”

Meanwhile, the Republicans — Attorney General Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher — praise Bush’s policies and promise to keep using the FCAT to grade schools, retain students and reward teachers.

Both approaches carry big risks.

The Republicans want a smooth ride on the coattails of a popular governor, but Bush’s glow does not extend to his education policies, which remain out-of-favor with the general public and even with many loyal Republicans. That is especially true of the FCAT, which preceded Bush’s election but became the keystone in his efforts to restructure Florida schools.

“If it was my campaign, that would not be the position I’d be taking,” said state Sen. Dennis Jones, a Treasure Island Republican and Crist supporter. “When you see so much opposition to the FCAT, all the parties involved need to find a better way.”

But by condemning Bush’s policies across the board, Democrats may be rolling the dice, too.

. . .

Let the Whining Commence!

2006-07-14T09:26:00.000-04:00

Now we will hear from the people who think private schoolers and homeschoolers should have to endure the "mean world" FCAT too, to be fair to public schoolers.

But these kids got some real world help.

Posted on Fri, Jul. 14, 2006

Special ceremony for 10 Center Academy graduates

ERICA RODRIGUEZ
Herald Staff Writer

PALMETTO - Yolanda Dawes has big plans for her future: move to Tallahassee for college, graduate from Florida State University and apply to law schools.

But those plans were put on hold earlier this year.

Missing the passing mark by a few points, Dawes and nine fellow public high school seniors struggled on the reading portion of the FCAT and faced the possibility of not graduating - until Jacquelin Jones, director of Center Academy High School, gave them another chance by offering them an intensive remedial summer course.

And at a spiritually charged ceremony in St. John Missionary Baptist Church Thursday night, those 10 students finally graduated.

"These are students who have maintained good grades," Jones said of the students, who formerly attended Palmetto, Manatee, Southeast and Lakewood Ranch high schools. "I just felt like it was a waste (if they didn't graduate)."

In Florida, public high school students must pass the FCAT, or Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, in order to graduate. But that rule does not apply at private schools.

So, Jones started a summer program in 2003 for students who missed the mark in reading on the FCAT and has since helped 19 students receive high school diplomas.

"I don't feel like a hero . . . I feel like I have done what I would have wanted someone to do for my son," Jones said.

Each student spoke at the commencement ceremony Thursday night, following speeches by Jones and Florida state Sen. Lesley Miller Jr., D-Tampa. Manatee County School Board member Barbara Harvey also addressed the crowd, which filled the church and left only standing room.

Between speakers, audience members clapped and sang along to religious songs with an energetic choir group called North Manatee Crime Stoppers.

"Let me tell you that the FCAT is not going to be the last problem you encounter in your life," Miller said to the graduates. "The real world is a mean world. But you just keep your faith. .. . And never forget where you came from."
. . .
Dawes said she is confident and optimistic about her future.
. . .

A Bad Attitude in Ohio :)

2006-07-11T09:53:00.000-04:00

We were away and now we're catching up but I found this in my inbox and got a chuckle.

Friday, July 07, 2006

Memo to the OGT committee: Test this

by Rory Ryan
Publisher & Editor

Friday, July 07, 2006

Memo to the OGT committee: Test this

I’m glad my academic testing days are over. If they weren’t, and if I were subjected to today’s proficiency standards, I’d probably tell a schoolteacher or building principal to “Test this.”

Of course, as a student, I excelled in obstinacy and insolence. Some things never change.

Years after my personal academic adventures were over, and later, when proficiency tests became the rage in Ohio education in the early 1990s, I thought I had all the answers.

Test ’em, I wrote in columns and editorials for The Portsmouth Daily Times, The People’s Defender and The Times-Gazette. (I never could keep a job.)

Test ’em. Test ’em early and often. If they can’t pass a simple test, such as a fourth-grade proficiency or a ninth-grade proficiency, round ’em up and do it again. How tough can it be, after all? The tests just measure basic comprehension of the 3 Rs – readin’, ’ritin’ and ’rithmetic – right?

Initially, perhaps. But . . .

Go ahead. Click and read the rest.

More later! :)

Celebrate the 4th with Lara!

2006-07-04T11:25:00.000-04:00

Viewpoint: FCAT makes children political pawns
by Lara McKnight
Pensacola New-Journal
July 4, 2006

Recent News Journal headlines hail local FCAT "successes." School grades
and statistics are tossed about like compliments in a women's dressing
room -- there are a lot of them, only no one is really quite sure what
they mean.

Ambiguous catchphrases like "Adequate Yearly Progress" or the "A+ Plan"
are touted with reckless abandon. But when the hard questions come up,
politicians rush to blame political agendas.

Well, I don't have a political agenda -- I am simply tired of my
children being used as pawns in a political pecking contest.

In a world where we are encouraged to "question everything," it amazes
me that Education Commissioner John Winn suggests that "everybody should
have a great deal of faith in our scoring process" on the Florida
Comprehensive Assessment Test. My question is: Why?

He'd like us to ignore recent allegations that call into question the
credibility of those who grade this test. Temporary hirelings are
required to have a bachelor's degree in a pertinent or related field of
study, but a recent court-ordered release of test graders' credentials
showed this is not always the case. It has turned out that some of the
diplomas are from foreign universities; for others, English is a second
language. Early claims that at least half of the graders were teachers
or former teachers have since proven incorrect.

Remember, a low score on this test can prevent a child from advancing to
the next grade (despite classroom grades that indicate proficiency),
result in placement in remedial reading at the expense of college-prep
courses, or prevent a child from receiving a diploma. And we're supposed
to just trust that it all comes out OK in the end?

There are those who argue the testing makes sense -- exit exams and
evaluations are nothing new. The problem is not the test; it's the way
it is used. Human and mechanical errors exist in real life. The FCAT,
when used as a sole measure of a child's ability, is not open to
question. Considering all that is riding on it, shouldn't parents have
access? The credibility issue only makes the situation more frustrating.

Is it legal for the Florida Department of Education to keep these tests
a secret? Not according to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy
Act, which states in section 99.10: "A parent or eligible student must
be given the opportunity to inspect and review the student's education
records. This provision applies to (1) any educational agency or
institution, and (2) any state educational agency and its components."

FCAT supporters argue that allowing parents to see the tests would open
the door for cheating, and that it would cost more money to come up with
new questions every year.

It seems to me this is their problem, not mine -- and not my children's.
They can't break the law because they can't afford the consequences of a
situation that they put into place. It costs money to insure my car,
too, but I can't drive legally without it!

Parents and students who would like to request access to their tests
should contact Commissioner Winn at the Florida Department of Education.

Those who would like to see changes should contact their elected officials
and those running for office (it's an election year, folks) to find out where they stand on Truth in Testing.

For more information, visit FCAR or FairTest.

Lara McKnight is a Pensacola homemaker whose children are enrolled in
Escambia County public schools.

Like Watching a Train Wreck

2006-07-03T08:40:00.000-04:00

Fighting within the state. . .

Posted on Mon, Jul. 03, 2006

EDUCATION
Blame game topic: failing schools
Threats from Florida's education commissioner to crack down on low-performing schools could lead to a showdown with Miami-Dade's superintendent.
BY MATTHEW I. PINZUR
mpinzur@MiamiHerald.com

Like the OK Corral, the Death Star and the Lake Placid ice rink, Miami-Dade's lowest-performing high schools are becoming the sites of an epic showdown.

Florida Education Commissioner John Winn told The Miami Herald on Friday that Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Rudy Crew's reform efforts at Edison, Central, Jackson and Northwestern senior highs have been too small and too slow.

He said state observers would begin making regular visits to the campuses this fall, giving monthly reports to the state Board of Education and Winn himself.

If profound change does not come quickly, Winn said, he could try to withhold millions of dollars in state education funding -- an unprecedented move that Winn said could be necessary to prod the district into fundamental change.

''It needs to look like the Marines have landed at Edison, Central and Northwestern,'' Winn said.

...

Crew agreed with Winn's call for a review of all the teachers and administrators at the struggling schools. Winn said he is ''not convinced'' the schools have the best possible faculty, but Crew said he has the right staff in place.

The two leaders continue to speak fairly regularly, but Crew said they never discuss the most important topics.

''A real conversation would include a conversation about what we need to do this,'' he said.

``There's been no such conversation about that.''

Fighting with the federal bosses. . .

Published Monday, July 3, 2006
Monday, July 3, 2006

State to Seek Flexibility in Own Rating System

By Andrew Dunn
The Ledger

LAKELAND -- Florida may be a victim of its own ambition.

The state's rigorous accountability system is the barometer for how well Florida is meeting the federal government's No Child Left Behind law.

And Florida is hoping for some leniency.

In 2007, the No Child Left Behind law must be re-authorized. And Florida Education Commissioner John Winn said Florida will be seeking more flexibility in the law's rating system rather than an all-or-nothing system.

The state also will ask that student learning gains -- not just set achievement levels -- be taken into consideration, as they are in Florida.

"If that doesn't happen by Congress, I don't know what options will be available to me," said Winn. "But if we have schools that are doing very well for all children, that are closing the achievement gaps and that are achieving at high levels and still not making AYP, I'm going to be hard pressed to put the federal sanctions ahead of our state accountability system."

. . .

All as if we didn't see any of this coming. Sigh. . .

It Seems Unfair

2006-07-01T17:16:00.000-04:00

It seems unfair to out this handful of administrators. . . when the whole system is rigged to encourage just this sort of behavior. . .and everything else that goes with having everything hinge on one meaningless test.

July 1, 2006

Brevard principals out after FCAT probe

Administrators promoted students so they wouldn't have to take test

BY JAMES DEAN
FLORIDA TODAY
Cocoa High Principal Lori Backus was removed from her job and retired Friday after Brevard Public Schools investigators said she improperly placed students in higher grades so their FCAT scores wouldn't count toward the school's state grade.

Three assistant principals -- including one about to take over Titusville High -- were also disciplined because they were involved or knew about the policy, officials said.
. . .

Real Life Skills

2006-06-30T09:03:00.000-04:00

How many students could benefit from something along these lines?

Posted on Fri, Jun. 30, 2006

EDUCATION
Life Skills Center grads defy odds, stay the course
The Life Skills Center of Miami-Dade allows teens who couldn't attend a traditional high school the chance to earn a diploma.
BY KATHLEEN McGRORY
kmcgrory@MiamiHerald.com

Brianna Benish spent most of her teenage years in a juvenile detention facility in her home state of Iowa.

''My friends didn't think I would ever graduate from high school,'' said Benish, 19. ``The way I was going, they thought I would end up in prison. I did, too.''

On Thursday night, she proved them wrong.

Benish and six other teens donned caps and gowns, and as a computer played Pomp and Circumstance, walked across a makeshift stage to pick up their high school diplomas.

They are the first graduates of the Life Skills Center of Miami-Dade, an alternative charter school that opened in August.

The center's curriculum allows teens who have dropped out of a traditional high school -- or are at risk of doing so -- to complete their schooling by attending daily four-hour sessions.

Don't be fooled: This is no GED class. Life Skills students, all of whom are between 16 to 21 years old, earn a diploma that is recognized by the state. And like other high school students, they must pass the state-mandated FCAT.

The difference is that Life Skills students do much of their work on a computer at their own pace. They must also work or volunteer at least 360 hours.

''This is high school stripped to the core,'' said Administrator Jose Filpo, the school's equivalent of a principal. ``We can't really do assemblies and gym and lunch, but we can help the students to get the school work finished.''

That schoolwork includes run-of-the-mill classes such as English, science and math, plus additional classes in life skills such as interviewing for jobs and paying bills.

''We want our students to know that there is life after high school,'' said Rubén Sánchez, the administrator charged with helping students find employment. ``And life takes hard work and responsibility.''

The Miami-Dade campus is one of 37 Life Skills Centers throughout the United States; there are several in Broward County. Still, the center in Miami is a public school, and tuition is free.

This year, roughly 110 students are working toward diplomas there, Filpo said. He estimates another hundred are on a waiting list.

Even on the day of graduation, the school is buzzing with teenagers. It operates year-round, and students can start and finish at will.

In the main computer lab, a poster on the wall reminded students: ''Minimum effort. Minimum wage.'' Five teachers circulated the room while 33 pupils plugged away at math, history and science lessons.

A handful even listened to iPods: a privilege in the lab.

''In any given classroom, we have many students working on different subjects: math, sciences, foreign languages,'' said Mercedes Tanus, a teacher who specializes in math. ``We as teachers help them in every field. We help them with life skills, too.''

For the new graduates, finishing the curriculum was a daunting task.

Merianne Pamias said the hardest part was time management. In addition to her school responsibilities, Pamias, 21, also worked full time managing a Winn-Dixie supermarket, and took care of her 16-month-old daughter, Yaelis.

''It was hard,'' said Pamias, running her hand through Yaelis' blond curls, ``but I had to do it for her future.''

. . .

The Accountability Machine

2006-06-29T15:56:00.000-04:00

Seeing the Danger of SCHOOLING Machines: An Accountability Malfunction Voting Can't Fix?
Thoughts about the vagaries of voting machines today put me in mind of the mandatory tests used once upon a time--not just in the South either -- to prequalify voter fitness by virtue of proving oneself to the government already in power by passing whatever tests it sees fit to impose on you without your consent to be governed by it.
Talk about a high stakes Catch-22! I feel a rant coming on --

It's not a rant. It's a thing of beauty. Click and read and think about it.

A "Plunge Into Pedagogy and Poverty . . ."

2006-06-27T11:22:00.000-04:00

Candidates for FL Governor

2006-06-27T08:32:00.000-04:00

The candidates spoke . . .

Gubernatorial hopefuls divided on schools, FCAT
By Brian E. Crowley
Palm Beach Post Political Editor

Saturday, June 24, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG — Florida's four candidates for governor offered strikingly different views of the state's education system Friday, with Republicans talking about great gains and Democrats arguing that Florida schools have suffered severe setbacks.

Gov. Jeb Bush and the GOP-led legislature have brought the state better schools, more accountability and higher scores in reading, argued GOP candidates Charlie Crist and Tom Gallagher.

Not so, said Democrats Jim Davis and Rod Smith. Both argued that Republicans have turned schools into testing centers, while failing to increase teacher pay and reduce class size.

"I'm proud of what Gov. Bush has done to bring more accountability to schools," said Crist, Florida's attorney general.

Crist, a former education commissioner, told a gathering of the state's newspaper editors that he is a "product of public schools" and as governor he would "invest more in education."

Gallagher, the state's chief financial officer and also a former education commissioner, said, "I recognize that a world-class education is the most important thing we can do for our children."

He went on to tout state statistics that show dramatic increases in reading and other skills. Those numbers are at odds with other national studies that show Florida ranking near the bottom.

"I love how these guys tell you they spent more on education," said Smith, a Gainesville area state senator.

Smith said that while the state has spent more in "raw dollars" for education, it has not kept up with student growth, and per-student spending is well below the national average.

Smith also criticized the FCAT, saying Republicans have used it to turn schools into "test preparation factories in lieu of teaching" children.

Davis said he would not do away with the standardized tests known as the FCAT but would use the test as a "diagnostic tool" to help parents and teachers determine the strengths and weaknesses of students.

The Tampa-area congressman also said Republicans were wrong to cut spending for summer schools.

"We can't afford not to have summer school," he said.

After speaking about global warming (they all oppose it) and rural growth (they all favor controlled growth), the candidates were asked their feelings about stories detailing their divorces and personal foibles.

. . . at which point, I lost interest.

Every Year

2006-06-25T09:10:00.000-04:00

We go through this ridiculous exercise every year. A waste of time and money and good teachers.

District struggles to come up with another teacher-bonus plan

By Christina DeNardo

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Sunday, June 25, 2006
By all the measures that seem to matter, Anita Foster is a good teacher.
Her students rush to say hello when they see her outside class. She gets positive reviews. She leads the business department at Palm Beach Central High. This year, her peers nominated the 20-year veteran for the prestigious William T. Dwyer award.
But when the district handed out performance-pay bonuses a few months ago, Foster didn't get one.
The district didn't care that Foster knows the names of all of the 180 students who roll through her classroom every day. It didn't consider the time she volunteers as sponsor of the Future Business Leaders of America. Or how many students she recruits into the business program. Or how many go to college.
But when the district handed out performance-pay bonuses a few months ago, Foster didn't get one.

The district didn't care that Foster knows the names of all of the 180 students who roll through her classroom every day. It didn't consider the time she volunteers as sponsor of the Future Business Leaders of America. Or how many students she recruits into the business program. Or how many go to college.

. . .
Pamela Joy Swift, a special education teacher at Wellington Landings Middle, said how a student performs in school has more to do with the student's motivation, upbringing and his parents' income than his teacher's ability.

"They should give the money to the students, then," she said. "It's not necessarily directly related to how well the teacher taught."

Candidates for governor eye FCAT changes

2006-06-19T10:30:00.000-04:00

Posted on Mon, Jun. 19, 2006

EDUCATION
Candidates for governor eye FCAT changes
Democrats hoping to become Gov. Jeb Bush's successor will face an uphill battle if they try to revamp Florida's testing program in public schools.
BY BETH REINHARD
breinhard@MiamiHerald.com

The FCAT test, the centerpiece of Republican Gov. Jeb Bush's A+ education program, is the favorite whipping boy for the Democrats who want his job.

U.S. Rep. Jim Davis promises that if he is elected, the FCAT will be used simply as a ''diagnostic tool.'' State Sen. Rod Smith also vows sweeping change in Bush's program, which bases school grades, student promotion and additional funding on test scores.

''I will not use this test to grade schools for money,'' Smith recently told Democratic activists in Miami, who hissed at the mere mention of the FCAT. ``I will not use this test to pay schoolteachers. I will not use this test to keep students from advancing.''

Not so fast.

Much of the FCAT system is enshrined in law and could not be overhauled without support from the Legislature -- which is certain, barring a major miracle, to remain in Republican control after the election this November. A Democratic governor could do little to the testing program single-handedly.

''This is is not a monarchy,'' said Cathy Schroeder, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Education. ``We have a system of checks and balances. The new governor will have to work with the state Legislature.''

The gap between stump speeches and political realities is commonplace in campaigns, in which complicated policy positions are often condensed into sound bites for 30-second commercials or one-page fundraising letters.

But even a voter paying scant attention to this year's contest to replace the term-limited Bush would know that the FCAT provides one of the starkest contrasts between the two parties.

. . .

See the link for more. And see the links to Davis's and Smith's websites.

What A Waste!

2006-06-18T11:05:00.000-04:00

Jun 18, 2006

No Child law affecting all teachers

By TIFFANY LANKES
tiffany.lankes@heraldtribune.com

Students in Janice Eitelgeorge's literacy assessment course at the University of South Florida spend an entire class learning about standardized tests.

They talk about about bubble sheets, scan trons and trend lines. They debate whether those tools -- all part of the standardized testing process -- can actually gauge how much a student has learned.

Lessons like these are becoming more common in teaching schools across the country as the federal No Child Left Behind law forces colleges to prepare teachers to help students do well on standardized tests.

Professors are finding it's no longer enough to equip future educators with traditional teaching strategies. Now, they must also prepare them for an education system where schools are judged -- and funded in part -- on how well their students perform on these tests.

"There's no education school in the United States that isn't talking about this new accountability and testing," said Arthur Levine, president of Teachers College at Columbia University. "The reality is that students are going to be tested."

Education colleges are adding courses on topics like interpreting data and using scripted remedial programs required by the No Child law.

Discussions and debates on the merits of the legislation have also worked their way onto nearly every college course syllabus.

. . .

Even lessons on just interpreting the No Child law and its mandatory programs have worked their way into nearly every classroom.

"You start to feel the pressure of this testing craze that we're in," Eitelgeorge said. "It's something that we must deal with."

In one of Eitelgeorge's graduate courses at USF Sarasota, students spent a recent Thursday night discussing the reading programs endorsed by the law.

They talked about reading skills such as fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. And they debated how well a teacher can really gauge a student's abilities with a single test.

Most of the students in Eitelgeorge's class are already teachers and came back to school for additional course work. Many had already seen the classroom effects of No Child.

"What do you think about this kind of accountability?" Eitelgeorge asked them. "What do you see happening in your classrooms?"

Her students responded with anecdotes about spending hours of classroom time taking practice standardized tests.

They talked about what the data show -- and what it doesn't.

They questioned what it means when teachers have to sacrifice time reading books to their students in exchange for regimented programs that prepare children for a test.

"What good is going to school and learning all of this if I just have to go in my classroom and read off a script?" questioned student Jewell DeMarco.

. . .

And for some college educators, the No Child law is just the latest trend in education reform, and there's no guarantee it will last.

Those professors are holding onto their lesson plans on what they believe are the best ways of teaching children.

And they're continuing the debate on standardized testing on their own turf -- in their classrooms.

"No Child Left Behind sort of cemented this whole push for teaching and learning in terms of test scores," said Marilyn Cochran-Smith, a professor at the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. "But does it, can it, should it influence how you teach on a regular basis?"

Some Good Questions for Parents

2006-06-18T11:00:00.000-04:00

Parents should be upset about FCAT

. . .

Does anyone have any idea how many students were told they did not pass the FCAT by only a few points? Does anyone see a credibility problem here with the scoring? Could a senior with a 3.0 have been denied a diploma because they didn't pass the FCAT, graded by someone who, possibly, could not have passed it himself?

. . .

There are more good questions -- go ahead and read the whole thing at the link above.

In Case You Thought . . .

2006-06-17T12:05:00.000-04:00

. . . it was just Florida --

More at Risk of Repeating Fifth Grade

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Published: June 17, 2006

More than 8,900 New York City fifth graders are in danger of being held back because of failing scores on annual reading and math tests, city education officials said yesterday. That contrasts sharply with last year when a big rise in scores led Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to say that his effort to end social promotion had improved student achievement.

. . .

While the results were mixed, it was the fifth grade numbers that drew attention because the most stellar increases on city exams last year were in that grade.

In interviews, city education officials offered many explanations for the poorer fifth grade results, which saw the number failing to earn promotion rise to 8,921, or 15.2 percent of students subject to the mayor's promotion rules, from 5,450 students, or 8.6 percent last year.

. . .

But some analysts said the latest data lent credence to skeptics' assertions that last year's steep jump in test scores of fourth and fifth graders was too good to be true.

"There is some evidence here to suggest that the grade four test results last year were inflated," said Robert Tobias, the former director of testing for the city schools and now a professor at New York University's Steinhardt School of Education.

Lori Mei, the city's current testing director, disputed any notion that the new results cast any doubt on last year's success. "I am saying categorically no," she said.

Unlike the last two years in which Mr. Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein held triumphant news conferences to tout test results, this year's promotion data was e-mailed to reporters by Mr. Klein's press office yesterday. Officials said a news conference would be held when the full state test results are released in August.

. . .

Critics of standardized testing seized on all of these issues to yet again condemn the city's use of the exams. "It goes to prove one more time that these tests are really a sham," said Jane Hirschmann, of the Time Out From High-Stakes Testing, a leading anti-test group, accusing the city of making decisions in a way that no test expert "would validate or find reliable."

It's not.

More Math for You

2006-06-17T11:31:00.000-04:00

Here are more numbers for you to think about. They aren't getting any prettier!

Jun 16, 2006

2 Democrats say education chief should quit post

The Associated Press
Picture

TALLAHASSEE - Florida's education commissioner ought to resign and the state should take over scoring standardized tests because most temporary graders working for a private contractor are unqualified, two Democratic state senators said Friday.

A review of 2,947 employment files showed 1,845, or 64 percent, lacked degrees or teaching experience in subjects they were grading on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test as required by the contract, said Sens. Les Miller and Walter "Skip" Campbell.

For some of the FCAT graders, their only other work experience was in non-education jobs including hair styling, pizza delivery, store clerk, janitor and popping corn at a movie theater.

"We think this is an F - a failure of the system," said Campbell of Tamarac.

He said Education Commissioner John Winn's resignation would restore the FCAT's credibility and bring "true accountability to government at the same high level that we demand of our schools."

Winn said he would resign only if the State Board of Education asks him to. The board, appointed by Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, hired Winn, a former Bush staffer.

. . .

There's more info at the link.

Today's Math Questions

2006-06-17T09:11:00.000-04:00

Today's math questions:

What is 2500 divided by 1255?
What percentage of 1255 is 674?

For once, these are not meaningless bubble-in questions. These are real numbers in the real world.

2500 divided by 1255 = 1.99.
And 674 is 53.7% of 1255.

Or you can think of it this way:

50% of the job applications for FCAT graders (1 out of 1.99) have been checked. The rest haven't been checked yet.

Of the ones checked, over half (53.7%) of the applicants did not meet the requirements for the job.

Now to the question -- yes, the raw numbers are in this new article and several others floating around -- Who grades the graders? -- but we have to do the calculations above and then think about what this means.

The thinking -- that's the important part. Articles with figures like 1255 out of 2500 and the figures we have come up with above -- these have no meaning on their own. We have to think about what they mean.

Does it matter that over half the people grading the tests that determine promotion, graduation, school funding and teacher salaries, not to mention student self-perception, are not qualified?

Did the original meaning of the qualifications for this job miss the mark? Doesn't it matter who grades the FCAT tests? Maybe it doesn't. Maybe anyone could do it.

I tend to think that the whole test is meaningless. And maybe the graders use an answer sheet that eliminates any need for them to understand the content of what they are grading.

And, as long as your child doesn't deviate from the essay formula, bubbles in the practiced answers, and simply regurgitates what was drilled, then all is well. No creativity or actual knowledge required on anyone's part!

But to think a bit further -- is this what we want? Is this what we think we are paying for? Is this why we send our children to school every day?

Things That Come in a Crock!

2006-06-15T08:47:00.000-04:00

Let's see: there's cheese . . . what else? Oh, yes. There's this --

Gap grows in how schools graded

Gov. Jeb Bush says Florida’s system gives a better picture of how well children are learning than the federal standards his brother imposed.
By RON MATUS, Times Staff Writer
Published June 14, 2006

TALLAHASSEE— A record number of Florida schools earned A and B grades this year, but an increasing number also failed to meet federal standards, according to data released Wednesday.

The disconnect isn’t new.

But for the first time since the state and federal grading systems began clashing four years ago, Gov. Jeb Bush said Florida’s system is a better gauge than the one that anchors the education agenda of his brother, President Bush.

Asked at a Tallahassee news conference whether parents should pay more attention to the state’s school grades than the federal report card, Bush said, “Absolutely.”

“With no disrespect to anyone in Washington, D.C.,” he said, “I believe our system is the most comprehensive system of measuring how schools are doing based on student learning, by far.”

Our meaningless bubble-in test is better than yours??

Two hours later, Education Commissioner John Winn went a step further. He said he didn’t foresee the state planning for the takeover of hundreds of schools next year, which is one of the options prescribed for schools that continue falling short of the federal “adequate yearly progress” standard.

No, of course not. He'll use the loophole explained below. Changing little or nothing for the better. Taking forever to consider changes that do nothing more than provide more test prep.

. . .

The federal standards causing frustration in Tallahassee are at the heart of the No Child Left Behind Act, the sweeping 2002 law that initially enjoyed bipartisan support but has since come under fire from liberals and conservatives alike.

As recently as last year, Florida education officials were praising the law and winning concessions from the federal government on how to measure student achievement. But they have since been rebuffed on other requests, including one to shield A and B schools from federal sanctions. And Winn has testified before a national commission on the need to make the federal system more flexible.

Wednesday’s federal report card was the big downer on an otherwise sunny day.

Some 2,074 Florida schools, or 75 percent statewide, earned A’s or B’s this year, up from 1,843 schools and 67 percent last year. Most dramatically, 87 percent of middle schools landed in the top tier, up from 63 percent a year ago.

School grades are based on math, reading and writing scores from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which is given to students in grades 3-10 every year. This year’s scores showed, for the first time, substantial reading gains among middle schoolers.

The number of D and F schools also plummeted, from 308 to 153, though part of the decrease stems from new legislation that allows alternative schools, which cater to students with behavior and attendance problems, to be rated by a point system instead of letter grades.

. . .

After the news conference, Bush said he believes the success of the FCAT and the school grading system will shield it from attack after he leaves office in January 2007. Polls show a majority of teachers and parents do not like the high stakes use of the FCAT, despite national yardsticks that show Florida elementary school students are making some of the biggest gains in the country in reading.

Meanwhile, both Democratic candidates for governor are promising big changes.

For more than just this glancing blow, check the links on the home page here to read more about the Democratic candidates' positions.

“Now people can see that you can, if you organize yourself right, make sure that all children learn,” Bush said.

Or maybe not . . .

The federal report card offered a different picture.

This year, 72 percent of Florida schools failed to make adequately yearly progress, up from 64 percent last year.

More than 500 of them are high-poverty schools that failed to meet the federal standards for a fourth year in a row, which means they will be in line next year for a potentially dramatic shakeup.

. . .
The federal report card offers parents valuable information that can’t be found in a school grade, and better pinpoints which student groups need more attention, said Dianne Piche , executive director of the Citizens’ Commission on Civil Rights in Washington, D.C.

“If I look at my son’s GPA and I find that he has a 3.0, that might look really good,” Piche said. “But if I look at his actual report card and I see he’s bringing home a C in math ... I can take some remedial action to get his math grade up.”

Reports cards? What are those? Doesn't Ms. Piche understand that these antiquated little pieces of paper -- the ones where the actual teacher grades the actual student and maybe even has time to make actual comments, request an actual meeting with the parent, and set up a helpful new plan for the actual real-life student -- don't matter. Not today. Today's it's all about bubbles!

. . .

Under the federal system, sanctions apply only to schools that receive Title I money, which is offered to those with high proportions of low-income students. The penalties get more dramatic every year a school fails to pass muster.

. . .

Title I schools that fail to make enough progress for a fifth consecutive year, which could include more than 500 Florida schools next year, must prepare for one or more of the following options: takeover by the state, takeover by a private company, conversion to a charter school, firing of top staff, or some other major restructuring.

“Once you get in the fourth year, the clock is ticking,” said Jack Jennings, president of the Center on Education Policy in Washington, D.C. “What it does undoubtedly is create more pressure on principals and teachers” to improve.

But other observers say No Child’s tough language comes with a big loophole.

So far, most districts in the handful of states where the Year-Five options have come into play have used the last option — any other major restructuring — to impose much more modest changes on their schools.

In Florida, there is no indication districts will do otherwise, and Winn’s comments Wednesday suggest the state will not force them to come down harder.

Whew! Sounded like we were going to have to do something there for a minute!

But, not so much. Just more content for the crock.

It Doesn't Matter?

2006-06-14T08:16:00.000-04:00

That seems to be the answer from Tallahassee. Yes, there are people grading the tests who shouldn't be. But it doesn't matter.

And, in the long run, can we disagree?

The whole thing is a farce so who cares how the tests are graded . . .

Oh, right, the actual children involved . . . hmmm . . .

FCAT scoring is accurate, governor insists
Bush calls criticism 'political posturing'
Mark Hollis
Tallahassee Bureau

June 14, 2006

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Jeb Bush said Tuesday he is confident in the scoring accuracy of the FCAT, despite criticism that some of the temporary workers who grade the high-stakes tests are unqualified.

"There has not been any evidence that there has been any problems with the folks who are grading these tests," Bush said. "Not one problem."

Bush also said, "There is not evidence -- and there's extensive auditing procedures -- that not even one test has been graded improperly."

. . .

I'm not even going to comment on the grammar of those statements . . . he doesn't have to pass the FCAT . . .

He's Not Happy

2006-06-13T09:57:00.000-04:00

Well, that's really too bad. Or maybe that's what it takes to get something done. Mr. Winn has to be unhappy.

The kids being pushed out by various means, the parents struggling to keep their kids interested and on track in the face of endless FCAT harassment, the kids who throw up on their tests, the teachers who quit, just quit, rather than have their profession denigrated -- all of these unhappy people don't count.

They complain about not being allowed to really teach, having to stick to a script that they know is wrong for half their class. They complain about their kids who are completely stressed out, freaked out by the grownups all around them telling them their entire future and their school's welfare depends on them. They complain about lost months and years when real learning could have been happening.

These folks, teachers and parents and kids, are unhappy. But none of that unhappiness counts. None of that matters in the face of magical thinking. None of it counts in the world of the standardized tests -- and the campaign donors who produce them -- that do count.

We are supposed to believe -- really, suspend our disbelief and just go along with the grand plan -- that these tests actually mean something. Of course, anyone else -- the ones who don't count, the teachers, the parents, the kids -- can and will tell you that they are not impressed with the curative qualities of the FCAT or other standardized tests. These people could and would tell you who needs help and why.

But these are not the people who count. Their unhappiness does not count. They get a pat on the head and are told to believe in the magic of the FCAT. That everything will be straightened out THIS time. "Really, we really mean it this time. Mr. Winn is unhappy so we're going to . . . well, we're going to do something or other. . . ." and all these months and years will not have been the waste that they feel like now. "Really, trust us."

Article published Jun 13, 2006
FCAT scorers' qualifications to be monitored more closely
By Marci Elliott
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Commissioner of Education John Winn said Monday that a more stringent monitoring system will be used to track the hiring process for people scoring the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, beginning with the 2006-2007 round of scoring.

Winn said he was "not happy" with the hiring practices of CTB/McGraw-Hill, the Monterey, Calif.-based publisher of standardized achievement tests that developed and administers the FCAT.

The Department of Education has completed an investigation into the company's hiring processes and that found 30 percent of the candidates applying don't make it through to becoming test-scorers, and that many of those who do get hired don't possess the qualifications the DOE requires for scorers, Winn said. The questionable candidates didn't have bachelor's degrees in or related to the fields they scored on the FCAT.

. . .

Winn said he discussed his concerns about unqualified test-scorers Monday morning with a CTB/McGraw-Hill representative, who Winn said assured him the company would cooperate with the DOE and its wishes for stricter monitoring of scoring candidates.

From now on, Winn said, candidates for the hiring process have to have bachelor's degrees in the appropriate fields and show documentation of the degrees.

"I am not happy with CTB/McGraw-Hill," Winn told reporters throughout the state. "We are communicating to (the company) that we are putting into place a monitoring program to ensure candidates' degrees are in or related to the fields of the tests they score."

No one from CTB/McGraw-Hill could be reached for comment later Monday.

The DOE awarded a three-year $82 million contract to CTB/McGraw-Hill to serve as the primary contractor for the FCAT from 2005 to 2008, Winn spokeswoman Cathy Schroeder said. The contract includes a two-year, $58 million option to renew from 2008 to 2010.

Build a Better America!

2006-06-08T08:07:00.000-04:00

Maybe if we send the politicians enough building materials. . . :)

'Screw NCLB' Joins 'Million Erasers' Campaign as the Latest Way Public Can Express Discontent with the Very Flawed No Child Left Behind

Teacher/author Debra Craig is encouraging the public to not only send erasers, but screws to Governor Tommy Thompson letting him & Congress know that NCLB is screwing up public schools with its “almost evil” overemphasis on raising test scores, impossible goals, and creating the hysteria that all public schools are failures.

Moreno Valley, CA (PRWEB) June 6, 2006 -- High school teacher, author, and anti-No Child Left Behind activist Debra Craig has been so encouraged by the initial launch of her “Million Erasers” campaign, that she is expanding it by adding a “Screw NCLB” message. “I’m stepping up the intensity a notch with this new campaign because I’m just so angry that many in the media continue to believe the rhetoric from the government that No Child Left Behind is this panacea for public education. It is not! It is just an insane piece of legislation, a mistake, and must be erased from our public schools! If left in place for long, I'm also worried it will screw up public schools even more than it already has, thus explaining the idea of sending screws.”

“Forget about it not being funded correctly. Forget about the “highly qualified” teachers. I work at a low, socio-economic school. I know firsthand what public schools are up against. Just like in life there are loser adults, well I have news for the government: those loser adults were probably loser students who once attended public schools and just didn’t care about an education. Yes teachers should try to motivate these students, but we’re not miracles workers. Yet the government continues their mantra that “No Child can be Left Behind and teachers are solely responsible? Wrong! Parents and students must be held accountable as well!!! It is only fair.”

In fact, that subject has been the inspiration for Debra’s second book which should be out late this fall called, “No Parent Held Accountable: Plus 45 Other Reasons Why Public Schools Struggle.” Like her successful first book, Why Is the Teacher’s Butt So Big? Plus 111 Other Mysteries of Public Education, her new book will also help educate the public on why No Child Left Behind is bad for public schools as well as enlighten people on what our schools should be focusing on.

“I want to make one thing clear. I’m not saying get rid of accountability or standardized tests altogether because both have their place in public schools. But schools need to worry less about what a student’s standardized test score is in math and English is and more about what MSN educational columnist Tamim Ansary wrote about in his column called “A National School System.” He stated that for us “to compete in this world, our country needs (and has) the dynamic creativity to invent, initiate, explore. Let's not lose that. Our schools must keep nurturing inventiveness. If they do, we'll change the world--in unpredictable ways that will make many of our current skills obsolete.”

“Yes, exactly!” comments Debra. “And we’re not going to get inventiveness with students just being taught to pass tests."

“In addition, we now have the hindsight that George Bush’s legacy will be one of failure…decisions and policies that not only didn’t make sense, but have been bad for our country. Let’s not forget that NCLB was the one that started it all.”

Debra would like people in support of creating public schools that are more about creating responsible, inventive citizens and not ones who do well on meaningless standardized tests, to send erasers or screws, whichever one a person is most comfortable in sending, along with a card that just says 'NCLB,' to Governor Tommy Thompson, Commission on No Child Left Behind, One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 700, Washington D.C. 20036.

“We have a long way to reach our goal of one million erasers, but to quote that famous verse…A journey of 1,000 miles begins with that first step.” Debra hopes to take her campaign national in August as parents are buying school supplies for their children.

People sending erasers or screws are asked to email her at StopNCLB.org so she can keep track unofficially on how many have been sent. “I’ve also heard great suggestions from supporters like sending broken pencils with erasers and old dirty erasers to the Commission on No Child Left Behind. Also please remember that even though it may way less than an ounce, additional postage might be needed because the letter has to be hand cancelled.”

For more information on the “Million Erasers” or “Screw NCLB” campaigns, please call Debra Craig at (951) 247-6980 or email her through the secure link to the right.

Smith Movie

2006-06-07T07:32:00.000-04:00

http://www.rodsmith2006.com/blog

I hadn't seen it before today. Maybe you haven't either. It's one of those online movies. Just click and watch Rod Smith talk about what he'd like to do about education if he is elected Governor of Florida.

Nance

Transform Education

2006-06-06T09:45:00.000-04:00

Check out the new link under "Blogs Worth Reading." This is a keeper! Be sure to bookmark it.

Transform Education

Our public schools help create the people of the future. The people of the future create the world. For there to be social and economic justice in our world, our goal must be to prepare all children for the conversations that create the future. We can transform education and we can close the educational achievement gap only if we are willing to address the real sources of this gap and only if we are prepared to stand up for free, high-quality education for all children as their civil right.

http://transformeducation.blogspot.com/

And they have a terrific interview with our wonderful Gloria Pipkin! :)

Just Stop! Look at the FCAT and Toss It!

2006-06-04T11:02:00.000-04:00

T-O-S-S, toss.

L-O-O-K, look.

S-T-O-P, stop.

J-U-S-T, just.

Just Stop. Look at the FCAT and Toss It!

Take the spelling words above, use them in a sentence, and write to your newspapers, your representatives, your school board, your Governor and your President. Tell them you are sick of all this and want a better way. It is time to stop playing twisted games and actually do something to help individual children get on with their learning.

These are spelling words being drilled into 3rd graders at summer camp. For some, it's not their first trip through 3rd grade. And this is what they are spending their summer doing. Parroting back words they should have mastered years earlier. More of the same that has not worked to help them pass the meaningless FCAT in the past.

And the whole point of this? Not to ensure that any real reading is going on. Not to ensure that these kids have a chance of learning more about the world. But to get them over the 3rd grade FCAT hurdle so that -- stupidity heaped on top of stupidity -- they can then be confronted again with the only thing the system accepts as proof of their learning -- the FCAT! Which, to no one's surprise, many do not pass even though they have been shoved into a 4th grade slot.

Why, if a child needs an alternative method of evaluation in 3rd grade, would you dream that he wouldn't need support and an equally individualized alternative the next year? How many years will this child be beaten with the same stick before someone takes it away from the grownups!

Use your words, folks! Write to somebody for real change. Maybe your children can help you -- when they get home from their FCAT prep . . . er . . . summer school.

What a concept!

2006-06-03T09:31:00.000-04:00

This just caught my eye . . .

Wal-Mart honors ACCS teacher

Altoona Central Catholic School middle school teacher Steve Cogan was named Wal-Mart teacher of the year.

. . .

“Mr. Cogan is a hands-on instructor who helps the students to enjoy learning,’’ said Maucieri.

“He has that special gift of a true teacher that knows his students’ abilities without looking at standardized testing results,’’ Maucieri said.

. . .

The Convenience of Being the Grownup

2006-06-01T10:38:00.000-04:00

You know what must be really convenient? Being the one who gets to decide what is morally right and wrong. For other people.

It is OK to bribe young children but it is bad, oh so bad, to cheat on the FCAT.

Got that? It's fine, just fine and dandy, for the adults to prod and push and retain and coerce and entice with goodies. And now it's OK to bribe -- with cold, hard cash. Anything to get those kids to try a little harder.

Because, apparently, that's why Johnny can't read. He's just not inspired enough. The endless drilling hasn't pumped him up. So let's try some money. A couple thousand should do it!

Gainesville Sun
May 31, 2006

Does it pay to reward students for success? Schools using performance
perks

But to bend the rules the other way? Oh no!! That would be bad and evil and worthy of immediate expulsion.

Got that? If you are the kid in this equation -- the one not trying to pad next year's school budget or your own salary -- you might think of some "creative" way to look better on this test, some way that may have, in an earlier, purer time, seemed a smidge unethical -- because, heck, who has ethics anymore -- they're bribing us, aren't they? Of course it's OK to cheat. . . .

Well, if that's what you thought, youngster, you'd better think again. Only the grownups get to act smarmy!!

It must be nice to be the one who gets to pick and choose what is ethical each year . . .

May 31, 2006

Polk Schools to Crack Down on Cheaters

New rule, which will apply mostly to FCAT, says students could get
expelled if caught.

It's Magic!!

2006-05-30T08:56:00.000-04:00

Because we didn't know any of this before the FCAT. And now that we have the FCAT results, it'll all be fixed. Right?

FCAT shows who's teaching, learning
Ana Gomez-Mallada
Lighthouse Point

May 30, 2006

Grousing abounds about the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. However:

If you don't test the kids, how do you know they are learning?

. . .

Now we know just how much the kids are learning and which teachers and schools are succeeding. Not a pretty picture everywhere, is it? The truth hurts.

Or maybe not. Maybe we'll just retain all the kids indefinitely.

LOW SCORES ON FCAT ENERGIZE RETENTION DEBATE

Naples Daily News -- May 30, 2006
by Deidre Conner

Last week's release of reading and math results on a statewide test
surprised education officials when scores dipped at the elementary
school level, leading to a new debate about Florida's strict retention
policy.

Educators are still scratching their heads over the results of this
year's Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Statewide and in Lee
County, fourth-grade reading scores declined for the first time since
the test was initiated in 2001. In Lee, fifth-grade scores were also
down slightly, from 67 percent reading at or above grade level to 66
percent.

After scores were released, Florida Education Commissioner John Winn
offered an explanation.

"This is the first year where we have a more significant number of
students who have been retained twice," Winn said.

The discussion comes at a time when Lee County Schools administrators
are floating a new proposal that could hold kids back in all elementary
school grades.

. . .

Doing the same thing, drilling the same garbage, over and over again. That should work. Now that we magically know who needs help.

I'm getting tired of being treated like an idiot. Can you tell?