FCAT failure rate is `scary'

Miami Herald ^ | May 23, 2002 | BY DANIEL A. GRECH dgrech@herald.com

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Passing the FCAT is one of several graduation requirements, including a minimum qualifying grade point average and community service. Tenth-graders who fail the FCAT are offered extra tutoring and can retake the test at least five times before their graduation date. ''It's not like all these kids don't get high school diplomas,'' Toural said.

More than half the 10th-graders in Miami-Dade County and about 40 percent in Broward County failed to meet the state's tougher new graduation standards on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test and will have to retake the test.

About 13,600 sophomores in Miami-Dade and 5,500 in Broward failed the reading and/or math sections of the FCAT this year. Last year, about 10,400 in Miami-Dade and 4,200 in Broward flunked.

''The failure rate is scary,'' said Mercedes Toural, associate superintendent for education in Miami-Dade schools, the nation's fourth-largest school district. ``It's disheartening for the kids and teachers who work so hard. We would like our kids to do well.''

Passing the FCAT is one of several graduation requirements, including a minimum qualifying grade point average and community service. Tenth-graders who fail the FCAT are offered extra tutoring and can retake the test at least five times before their graduation date.

''It's not like all these kids don't get high school diplomas,'' Toural said.

In October, about a third of the 11th-graders in Miami-Dade and about half in Broward passed the test on their second try.

Officials in both districts said that while the state's raised graduation standards were a major factor in the high number of failures, they can't identify other reasons until the state releases individual student scores in a couple of weeks. School average scores were released last week.

''This is a totally different group of kids from last year, and every group looks different,'' said Anne Dilgen, director of student assessment for Broward schools. ``We haven't been able to analyze the changes from this year to last. We need to wait for more drilled-down data.''

This year, high school sophomores have to earn 300 of 500 possible points in reading and math to qualify for a state diploma. Last year, students needed 287 in reading and 295 in math. The state recently decided not to apply this year's higher standards to 11th-graders retaking the test.

Students who fail to pass receive only a ''certificate of completion'' at graduation.

Student scores on math and reading -- along with writing, which doesn't apply toward the graduation requirement -- will determine the school performance grades that the state plans to release in mid-June.

The FCAT replaced the less difficult High School Competency Test as a graduation requirement last year. The old exam, used since 1976, tested basic knowledge while the FCAT tests higher-order critical thinking and problem solving.

''The FCAT is significantly more difficult,'' said Natalie Roca, executive director of student assessment and educational testing in Miami-Dade. ``Students now have to meet a more rigorous standard than previous classmates.''

Still, attaining the new FCAT minimums show only that students have ''limited success with the challenging content.'' Former Education Commissioner Tom Gallagher, now the state insurance commissioner, once called the FCAT minimums ''embarrassing'' and suggested raising them to 315 for math and 327 for reading.

As in years past, sophomores in Miami-Dade failed the FCAT at a much higher rate than other students in the state.

This year, 56 percent of the 24,300 10th-graders in Miami-Dade failed the reading section and 42 percent failed math. In Broward, about 40 percent of the 13,800 10th-graders failed reading and 28 percent failed math, mirroring state averages.

Miami-Dade wasn't alone in struggling with the new tougher standards. Thousands more 10th-graders across the state failed this year than last year.

The state has not yet released the exact number of students who failed at least one section of the test, so it is unclear how many South Florida sophomores will need to retake the test.

Miami-Dade school officials said the county's high poverty rate and large population of students still learning English factored into its high failure rate.

''We have bright kids who are new arrivals who really study and pass courses and have a good GPA,'' Toural said. ``But it's another thing to sit down and take a test designed for speakers of English. That's like you and I taking a test in German.''

Though specific breakdowns by race are not yet available, the higher graduation standards are expected to particularly impact minority students, officials said.

''We don't want to ask [that] standards be watered down for minorities, because there's a danger in that,'' Toural said. ``So how do you balance high standards for all with the special needs of minorities? That's the challenge our teachers face every day.''

[concerned about politics]

Students who fail to pass receive only a ''certificate of completion'' at graduation.

That means they "think" the way they have been brainwashed to think. It's part of the Goals 2000 Socialist training program.
The Goals 2000 program has the elimination of all diplomas. The children are taught to think in a certain way, trained for a specific job, and school records will become resumes. Businesses will have to go to the school to find employees.
It's all part of the cradle to grave agenda, and ultimate mind control of the masses. "Give me the children, and I'll have them for life." --Stalin.
Changing society through the minds of the children comes first, academics are suppose to come after every child has gone through K-12 of the entire brainwash program (but they will work on getting the child from birth. Right now, there's a bill moving through the system to get children 3 yrs. to mandatorily enter the school controled pre-school programs).
So far, homosexuality is just starting to enter the kindergarden class, so it will be awhile before the academics fit in to the NEA program. The program isn't complete yet- parents keep getting in the way. It was suppose to be streamlined by 2000.
It's also important to keep the kids away from the influence of their parents. Before school programs, after school programs, summer programs, day care programs etc. They feed them, have a doctor and psychiatrist for them (if they fail to think in the manner taught at the centers).They care for their sex lives for you, too. Parents must be kept away from the children as much as possible. The Socialist village must be the childs new parent.
Test scores will remain low for quite some time. Goals 2000 isn't ready for academics yet.
All this is why the public schools say the homeschooled children will not be socialy trained to fit into society. What they're really saying is the homeschooled children will not recieve the Socialist training. They're defectors in the new society.
They won't be trained robots like the mass produced public school students. They'll be better educated, moral, and individuals. It's a Socialist disruption. Homeschool kids are escaping the new Socialist indoctrination centers, and the Democrats don't like it.
The number of homeschooling families is on the rise. It's a major threat to those who have their planned society, and all the time and money invested in it.

[concerned about politics]

PS...Goals 2000 is also refered to as outcome based education. You can guess the planned outcome.
It's important to rally to eliminate the program. Republicans have tried a number of times, but have failed to kill it.
I vote school choice canidates. Any private school is better for America, religion or not.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

(but they will work on getting the child from birth. Right now, there's a bill moving through the system to get children 3 yrs. to mandatorily enter the school controled pre-school programs).

A goal high up on Algore's list! Another plan is to make junior college *free.*

[Maelstrom]

The value of community service is completely destroyed when made mandatory.

[doc30]

''We don't want to ask [that] standards be watered down for minorities, because there's a danger in that,'' Toural said. ``So how do you balance high standards for all with the special needs of minorities? That's the challenge our teachers face every day.''

And isn't that what the job requirement for being a teacher entails? Or do they need government to hold their hand?

[summer]

From a young 13 year old homeschooler's interview with Gov. Bush (this student attends FL Virtual High School, an online school which is free for any student in FL, and many homeschoolers utilize its programs):

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

AUTUMN: Why do you think it is important to support the Florida Virtual School?

GOV. BUSH: It has the potential of helping to redefine education. It is student-centered and can be used in so many ways . . . remediation, honors-AP (advanced placement) classes for students who can't access them, etc.

AUTUMN: Do you think online learning would have been beneficial when you were growing up, or perhaps would have benefited your children?

GOV. BUSH: Gosh, I am so old I can remember black-and-white televisions! Online learning would have been very useful to me.

AUTUMN: Do you think the Virtual School will be able to issue diplomas to its students in the near future?

GOV. BUSH: I hope so.

AUTUMN: Many critics argue that Florida Virtual School is not an effective educational medium because of the lack of interaction among students and faculty. However, AP scores among Virtual School students exceed the national average by nearly 9 percent. What is your comment about this apparent contradiction?

GOV. BUSH: The Virtual School is not for everyone. But it is a good means to accelerate learning for kids who don't need as much attention.

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

To me, the above fact in bold tends to prove one of my own beliefs: students have to put forth more effort and do their part, too. And, students learning online already know that.

[summer]

The interview excerpt in my post #27 above is from:

'The Jeb Bush Nobody Knows' -- Part 16: A young FL homeschooler's interview with FL's Fabulous Gov

[concerned about politics]

lack of interaction among students and faculty.

What they're saying is that the teachers can't use reward and punishment conditioning on the virtual students. Without the ability to control their minds in a classroom, Goals 2000 is useless AND there's less money for the teachers unions to control the politicians.
Kids can wear a straight pride t-shirt while doing their school work! They can be pro-life, and the teachers can't do anything about it! Planned Parenthood has no control over these kids, either! Neither does GLADD, nor Earth Worshipers.

[cibco]

Summer... are you any relation to Autumn? LOL

[Steve0113]

AND there's less money for the teachers unions to control the politicians.

That's the bottom line, right there.

[Unicorn]

Btttt

[LibertarianLiz]

Some parents had no idea their children were having problems with reading. ***

While this can be a strong indication of parental apathy; I wouldn't rule out grade inflation and teachers basically lying to the parents at conferences.

Case in point: Last summer my daughter was on a local fastpitch team. There was another girl on that team, a 6th grader, who had just taken a test from the district which she needed to pass to be promoted to the 7th grade.

The girl had not passed the math portion. Her mother was talking to me about this and said she didn't understand what had happened, since Anna had gotten straight A's in math all year. This is not a "minority" school district, but a strong middle to upper-middle class town, yet grade inflation was obviously going on in her daughter's school. These were parents who attended the parent-teacher conferences, who were active in their school with fund-raising. They were not uninvolved parents. But, if the teacher and school lie to you about the child's progress, what then?

I did have the audacity to ask this mother if it wouldn't have been better for everyone if they had been up front in the beginning so that Anna could have gotten some help with math early in the year, instead of having the girl be worrying about not being promoted to the next grade?

[summer]

Re your very clever post #30 - LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!! (And, no, I am not any relation to her.) :)

[summer]

I wouldn't rule out grade inflation and teachers basically lying to the parents at conferences.

In addition to your valid points above, I also would not rule out that some teachers would like to give parents more accurate feedback on every student, but find it impossible to do so for a variety of reasons -- not enough time to accurately assess individual students, not enough time to analyze the weaknesses of students, more students than that individual teacher can handle, inexperience of the teacher, etc.

Unless a student's weaknesses are glaring, a new teacher of 35 students could easily miss or unintentionally overlook something, and some teachers would feel terrible about it. This does not mean a smaller class size is always the answer, but it does mean that parents need to keep a watchful eye over what is going on. Some teachers really do want to do more -- I know I alway felt that way. But there is literally only so much time in a day, and I am including time after school and evenings.

It is also overwhelming to teachers who have students on every grade level in their classrooms. In FL, with GOv. Bush's new law prohibiting social promotion (and financially punishing school districts that continue to socially promote students), I believe that one important result will be that over time, we'll see more accurate assessments of students by teachers -- because now, for the first time, a 3rd grade teacher may in fact have a class of students reading on a 3rd grade level.

And, consequently, that teacher will certainly be more likely to immediately notice the student who starts falling behind.

[summer]

Classes can be big. Too big. The class size really depends on a variety of factors -- the school district, the school, the principal, and what s happening with teachers.

Sometimes, for example, you will have a school that has a high turnover rate of teachers, because the school is located in an low income area with little parental support, and even a new teacher will try to leave after a year. In a grade level, it can be that although there are four available classrooms, you only have two teachers on staff -- some principals will then double up the class size until another teacher or two can be hired.

And, there are schools where there are way too many students period. I have taught reading on the middle school level in one school, where the class size was strictly kept to a maximum of fifteen students, and, in another district, where I had OVER THIRTY low level middle school readers, and the program used by that district for reading is terrible. Now, my effectiveness as a teacher is in fact diminished, because I am trying to remediate students, and I have over a hundred such students during each day in that middle school, and, frankly, the program I am required to use is just awful for these students. It is not a mystery why I decided not to stay there the following year. The teacher who replaced me quit mid-year. The principal of that school was nice, the assistant principal was nice, but that particular school district is tone deaf to their teachers, and, so, it is pointless for me to remain.

[summer]

And, no, I had NO "helpers" -- no parent help, nothing.

[summer]

In fact, FYI, and do not mean to be rude, in addition to teaching duties, teachers at that school were ALSO required to do EVERYTHING the parents in PTA's do at other schools. So, yes, while I personally would prefer to spend more time thinking how to help improve my students' reading, and creating better lessons, sometimes what I instead have to do with my planning time is drive around town buying snacks and junk food for whatever is the current social event at school. This is a drag.