Lowering FCAT passing scores will allow 1,000 to graduate (Test discriminates who can't read/add)

CBS-47 Jacksonville, FL ^ | 5-14-03 | AP

[cgk]

Lowering FCAT passing scores will allow 1,000 to graduate

(Tallahassee-AP) -- The lowering of the passing score for seniors who took the F-CAT will allow about one-thousand who originally flunked to go ahead and graduate.

The F-CAT is given in 10th grade but a student who fails can take the test again five more times.

Nearly 14-thousand seniors have not passed the F-CAT, a requirement for grduation.

About 4-thousand of those wouldn't graduate even if they did pass the F-CAT because they don't have the grades or haven't taken all the required courses.

Seniors have another chance to take the F-CAT next month.

The passing score had been 300. But now the state is allowing seniors to graduate if they got 287 or above in reading. In math, 295 or above is good enough to get a diploma.

 

©2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[cgk]

The kids are the losers here, in addition to us. Graduating without being able to perform basic elements of education? What a joke. This is our next generation, folks. What a way to prepare them for the real world. Let them skate by at below the bar performances, telling them they were unfairly targeted, therefore deserve a pass. I can't wait for the lawsuits to erupt when these kids apply for jobs, can't even fill out an application, and don't get hired.

[cgk]

FCAT ping.

[lady lawyer]

According to O'Reilly, the passing score is only 40 percent. An important fact omitted from this story. Another important omitted fact is that each student has up to five chances to take the test and get the ridiculously low passing score.

[Normal4me]

Tell me about it. I ran a framing crew (Carpentry) a few years ago and tried to hire some new talent. I discovered that many didn't know fractions(i.e. 1/2", 1/4"...etc) or how to do basic math. I sat down during lunch time and tried to explain some basics only to be met with a bewildered look in their eyes.

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

Dumbing down of America Lowering the passing scores.....so they can graduate?

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that educating these children so they can *earn* a diploma was (oops!) overlooked as an option?

I can't even to imagine trying to refute logic such as this...

[Pan_Yans Wife]

This year you need 287 in English and 295 in Math. Next year, due to more protests, you will need 270 in English and 280 in Math. The year after that you will need...

And so on, and so on, and so on.

[cgk]

40%?? Yes, I did miss that. The tiny article above does mention that they have 5 chances to pass (flunk). Which is what I'd have done if ever I received a 40% on ANY test I took in school.

Here's a link to the FCAT sample tests for 10th graders (PDF format, LARGE files):

FCAT Math 2003, and FCAT English 2003

[IYAS9YAS]

Yeah, they probably are part of the 5/4ths of Americans who can't do fractions well.

[cgk]

ROFL!

[who knows what evil?]

Does ANYONE have any ACTUAL questions/problems from this test that they could post? O'Reilly ran through some on his show, but I caught it at the end and missed out. My understanding is just about any moron could pass this test. Unfortunately; today's youth doesn't come up to the intellectual standards of the average moron.

[The Wizard]

if you can't get a 40 on a test you can take 5 timnes you need help and don't deserve to graduate

[Phantom Lord]

How dare you evil republicans even suggest these kids should fail, be held back, and have their self esteem damaged.

You people are worse than Hitler!

[randog]

Try this simple experiment:

The next time you're buying something and a teenager is at the cash register (fast food, etc.), give them whole bills at first. Then when they punch in the amount you gave them to tally the change, give them the odd pennies, nickels, dimes to round off to the nearest dollar.

Be prepared to be disappointed.

[cgk]

It's only a matter of time before Diplomas are discarded as discriminatory and unfair. Valedictorians are already being discussed as such to those kids who will never be one. We're not allowed to award excellence anymore, it makes the other kids "feel bad."

[cgk]

see post #7

[Dr. Frank fan]

Oh, this is nothing. Heard a story from a math prof at a major university. He was teaching a course that's required for certain non-math, non-science majors (read: math for people who hate math). Everyone bombed the exam. Day after the exam, student raised his hand and gave this speech: he thinks the test was biased and discriminatory. Why? Cuz the test tests their math skills, and the people who take this class are people who aren't good at math. Testing them on their math abilities therefore discriminates against them. Class applauds.

College.

[goodnesswins]

The DEMS don't want anyone decently educated....then they would take care of THEMSELVES and NOT need THEM! This is typical of a master/slave relationship....Hannity or O'Reilly should ask just what kind of jobs these adults expect these kids to get upon graduation if they cannot even pass THIS test.....do they think the world is JUST waiting to hire them?????????

[BADROTOFINGER]

I was at the neighbor's while they were watching CNN and they posted 2 questions from the test. One was basically this. If a satellite is a cube 5 ft per side, and and one cubic foot weighs 24 pounds, then what does the satellite weigh on Earth? The anchor said that he had given the question to many CNN staffers and said that NO ONE COULD ANSWER IT! I was floored. While I had no pen/paper or calculator, I could tell you that the answer was 125x24 lbs. The next question was equally as silly, tho the CNN 'professionals' declined to state whether or not they could answer the question.

I wonder if there is somewhere online where one could take these 'extremely difficult' and 'unfair' tests like this one and the WA state WASL? As a high school drop out, I would like to give them a try...JFK

[Normal4me]

LOL! I have done that before, they usually just call the manager to figure it out.

On a side note, I did find one guy that was pretty intelligent. I started calling out numbers like 63 and 27/16th's and then he started throwing concrete rubble at me.....lol

[ladylib]

Florida always had poor schools from what I understand. How did high school graduates earn a living before the implementation of high-stakes tests? Did Florida import a workforce and did good companies go out of state because Florida's high school graduates weren't capable of doing the job?

Did Florida's high school graduates go on to college before the implementation of high-stakes tests?