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FCAT shrinks South Florida's class of '08 by 6,400

About one in five Miami-Dade high school seniors and one in 10 in Broward won't receive their diplomas on time because they failed to pass the FCAT, despite multiple attempts.

by Nirvi Shah and Kathleen McGrory

At least 1,977 students in Broward and 4,420 in Miami-Dade won't graduate with the rest of the class of 2008 because they still haven't passed the reading or math sections of the 10th-grade FCAT.

Students who haven't passed the FCAT by March of their senior year represent about 11 percent of Broward seniors and 20 percent of Miami-Dade seniors. These percentages are about the same as in 2007.

Students have seven chances to pass the FCAT before graduation, but for more than 20,000 seniors statewide, that wasn't enough. Students can take the test as many times as they want, but the next chance isn't until mid-June, after most spring graduation ceremonies.

'They're thinking, `Graduation from high school is just around the corner,' '' Broward Associate Superintendent Katherine Blasik said. ``We want to get the message out: If you're one of our seniors, stick with it.''

The reading part of the test has been by far the bigger obstacle. Thousands more seniors statewide and in South Florida retook the reading test in March compared to the number repeating the math exam.

One school that had success with both tests: Western High in Davie. There, 39 percent of seniors retaking reading passed, as did 48 percent of seniors retaking math.

But success on either portion was cause for celebration. At South Miami Senior High, nearly half of seniors retaking math passed. Principal Gilberto Bonce said he urged his seniors to attend Saturday-morning tutoring sessions.

''Our kids worked really hard,'' Bonce said. ``They knew it was their last shot, and many of them really pulled through.''

Passing scores on the reading and math sections of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test have been required for a standard diploma since 2003. Students don't have to show they are working at a 10th-grade level -- passing scores are lower than that.

Students who keep falling short on the FCAT can still earn their diplomas by achieving a score of 15 on the verbal section of the ACT college entrance exam or a 410 on the critical reading section of the SAT, originally the scholastic aptitude test. A 15 on ACT math or 370 on SAT math can stand in for a passing FCAT math score.

There are students who would have graduated with the class of 2003 still trying to pass the test, state education officials said.

For a second year, schools had an incentive to help juniors and seniors pass. Schools can earn bonus points toward their school grades if at least 50 percent of 11th- and 12th-graders who take retakes pass. Grades come out in July.

Four Broward schools and eight in Miami-Dade earned the extra points last school year, as did about 160 schools statewide. Among those were Cooper City High and Coral Springs Charter High.

At the Coral Springs school, Principal Billie Miller said she believes the size of her school -- 850 students -- helps provide students who are having trouble with extra attention. Also, many who succeeded on the 10th-grade test this year enrolled in the extended-day program from October to January.

Some students who failed may still be learning English as a second language or have learning disabilities. Some disabled students can earn regular diplomas even if they don't pass the FCAT.

Students can also go back to school for another year to keep working on their math and reading skills, then take the FCAT again.

— Nirvi Shah and Kathleen McGrory
Miami Herald
2008-05-16


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