Needs Improvement

FCAT time is here, folks, so stock up on the antacids. Make sure you have plenty – because your third-grader is going to need something when those tummy aches kick in.

If you live in the Sunshine State, you’ve probably heard of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, but what do you really know about it? Parents worry over the stress it induces in children. Teachers have had enough of overanxious administrators. Administrators complain the scores don't accurately reflect learning. Kids loathe tests in general. However, can anyone recall the real reasons this standardized test is hated and feared throughout the state?

First of all, FCAT isn’t all bad. You heard me.

This test with the awful name is a valuable tool to measure a student’s knowledge and ability. As one educator put it, “If we are going to have standards, then we should have some measure of whether or not our students are meeting the standards.” Makes sense, right? Another told me that FCAT is a way to evaluate a student’s skills at the time of the test.

Florida's standardized test is also a way to ensure certain subjects are taught and learned. Several teachers mentioned that without checks and balances, some teachers wouldn't keep to the curriculum. Others would buckle under pressure from parents to pass students who have not yet mastered such benchmarks.

However, certain improvements would create a more productive process. Here's how:

Just about every educator can talk about biases in standardized tests. Therefore, such a test should not be the only method used for high-stakes assessment. FCAT should be a tool, not the tool. If we combined FCAT with other forms of measurement, one teacher suggested portfolios like those used in higher education, we’d finally have a true understanding of our students and what they are learning.

Another error is using this test to grade schools and determine funding. Higher FCAT scores result in higher grades and more money for our schools. With so much at stake, how can we fault administrators for putting pressure on teachers and students? How can we blame teachers for wrapping curriculum around this one event? The system is set and everyone plays along because few people want to attend or teach in a D or F school. If we used many different measurements and applied the data differently, we’d truly know successful from struggling schools.

Another educator brought up this excellent point: “With so much emphasis placed upon the scores that students achieve on the FCAT, why are we holding students accountable for everything they need to know by the end of the year in February?” In other words, move the test back a few months for more instruction time. An April or May test would more accurately reflect the year of learning that has or has not taken place.

Also, FCAT does not even come close to addressing special needs students. These kids have average to above-average intelligence and do quite well in school. However, they do not test well and stand the chance of being held back. Their grades prove they have learned and yet they are failing at the same time. FCAT does not address individual learning styles. Rarely does one size fit all – why then force our kids to live by this ridiculous rule?

Teachers teach to the test. Period. This is the most common complaint and no way around it unless we use other measures when grading schools and determining where extra funds will go. Even textbooks refer to FCAT and test-taking strategies while true learning is abandoned because too much is at stake.

Do not misunderstand me – we should not cancel yearly FCAT exams or standardized tests in general. These tests should simply be combined with other assessments that prove quite valuable. To hold entire schools accountable for one test, taken in a few stress-filled days, with so many flaws attached, defies all reason and logic.

Our kids deserve better.