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Retaking the FCAT
Nearly 70 percent of Palm Beach County's high school seniors who still needed to pass the FCAT to graduate failed the reading portion of the retake exam in October -- despite what some say is a new watered down version of the original test.
The seniors, totaling 1,227 in Palm Beach County, 263 on the Treasure Coast and 19,000 statewide, have two more chances to pass the reading test or face the possibility of not earning their high school diplomas.
Both the reading and mathematics test must be passed to graduate.
Last year was the first time failing the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test barred seniors from graduating with a regular diploma.
Faced with 13,000 seniors statewide who couldn't pass the test, legislators caved to mounting pressure and allowed passing rates on comparable exams to meet the graduation requirement.
But that was a one-time acquiescence, and although lawmakers are again expected to review FCAT graduation requirements during the 2004 session, there's no guarantee another reprieve will be granted. It's possible, however, election year concessions will be made.
Already, some people are critical of how politics has affected the FCAT and the new format for the retake exam, which eliminated long answer and essay-style questions.
Those questions, heralded as what set the FCAT apart from other standardized tests, were replaced in the retake exams with multiple choice questions and math answers that have to be transferred to graphs or grids.
The test given to students taking it for the first time follows the traditional format, including essay-style questions.
"I think they've done a lot of things to dumb this test down," said Florida Board of Education member Charles Garcia. He has been critical of the state and his own board for not raising FCAT passing scores. "The standard should not have changed. Kids need to be able to write."
The new format of the retake exam allows it to be graded faster and by computer, enabling school districts to get the scores a full month earlier than in the past. Last year, retake scores weren't released until late December, giving teachers and administrators less time to identify students in need of help before the next administration of the test in March.
Cornelia Orr, administrator of the state education department's Assessment & Evaluation Services Section, said the FCAT's integrity was not diminished by taking away the long-answer questions.
"There is a perception that those questions are harder but that is not true," Orr said. "The content that is tested is exactly the same."
FCAT retake results, sent to school districts late Friday afternoon, broke down reading and math scores by grade level. The scores of disabled students, and students whose native language is not English, were not broken out of the overall scores available Monday.
Statewide, 42 percent of seniors who took the math exam in October failed to pass the test. In Palm Beach County, 51 percent of seniors who took the test failed the math portion of it.
Students must pass both the reading and math portions of the test, which they first take for graduation in grade 10. If they fail it then, they have six more chances to retake the exam.
About 2,235 Palm Beach County sophomores retook the reading FCAT last month, with 25 percent passing it. Thirty-four percent of the 1,770 sophomores who took the retake of the math exam passed.
St. Lucie County saw about 87 more seniors pass the math test and about 100 -- a third of those who took the test -- passed reading. The seniors who have not passed either section must have two more shots at the FCAT.
About 500 St. Lucie County 11th-graders who retook the exam in the fall passed the reading portion, and around 275 passed the math section in their first chance to retake the FCAT after failing in the spring.
"It really doesn't matter when they master the Sunshine State Standards, just as long as they master them," St. Lucie schools Superintendent Michael Lannon said Monday.
Martin County's top priority are the 90 high school seniors who have to pass the test in March to graduate with a diploma.
All of the students who failed already are in FCAT preparation classes, said Frank Raffone, the district's executive director for instructional services. Between now and March, they will receive intensive instruction in their problem areas.
Fred Lundeen, Martin County's math curriculum coordinator, said the district is encouraged that its pass rates are higher than the state's in many areas.
Martin County's 11th-grade reading pass rate of 50 percent is the state's highest, he said.
— Kimberly Miller
1,227 seniors fail FCAT reading retake
Palm Beach Post
2003-11-25
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/auto/epaper/editions/tuesday/news_f32c7e5201f3e0ab0063.html
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
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