|
Blog: FCAR
Speakout
|
Support open, broad-based assessment of learning --
contribute to FCAR.
|
| |
State Education Data Indicate
Florida’s FCAT Based Grade Retention Policy Is A Failure
By Robert R. Lange
September 20, 2006
LAKE MARY, FL - - September 20, 2006 - - A 2002 Florida law mandates that third
grade students with low FCAT reading scores (scores at level 1) be required to
repeat grade three. The one-year and two-year follow-up achievement data
collected by the Florida Department of Education were reported by Greene and
Winters of the Manhattan Institute For Policy Research.
Similar to the one-year impact data (December, 2004), the two-year impact data
(September, 2006) demonstrated that the reading achievement of retained students
showed trivial or very small improvements. Retained students’ FCAT reading test
scores remained notably below the average score of their younger grade peers.
Recently those who control the Florida legislature and Governor Bush claimed
that holding kids back would allow slower learning students to catch-up with
their grade peers. As was predicted by those who have studied the long-term
impact of such unfounded beliefs, fairy-tails don’t come true.
The findings in Florida are in close agreement with the many previous studies of
the impact of grade-level retention. There were very small initial achievement
improvements one to two years after a child’s grade “failure”. Most often, the
improvements were short-lived. By grade 5,6, and 7 children who were one or two
years older then their classmates tended to remain at the lower end of the
learning achievement scale and most often dropped-out of school by the end of
grade 10.
The Florida FCAT reading cut-off score for Level 1 was near the 23rd percentile.
That means that approximately 77% of third grade students passed the test and
qualified for promotion. Although only about half of students who had level 1
scores were actually retained, the outcome for most of the retained students has
not been good. Compared to nearly similar promoted students, retained students
had a one-year achievement gain of only 1 to 2 percentile points and 5
percentile points after two years.
Researchers use effect-size to evaluate the impact of new actions. The
effect-size for the Florida law was small, no more then .15 at the very best and
much smaller in most comparisons.
Most all measurement and data analysis experts have classified the percentile
and effect-size comparisons found in the Florida data as trivial or very small.
Small enough to be classified as indicators of a failed school intervention.
Contrary to widely accepted standard interpretations of data, the report from
the Manhattan Institute claimed that the results support the use of grade
retention for improving student achievement.
Wise readers will note that the Manhattan Institute’s stated goal is to support
the conservative political agenda and to influence public policy in a direction
desired by big business and the wealthy. At the same time, this writer has a
long reputation as a supporter of liberal child-centered strategies for
improving student achievement.
Research data are always meaningless until interpreted. Researchers with
different agendas can always see divergent meanings when reviewing data.
Florida’s A+ plan for education has experienced other failures. Florida now has
the highest or nearly the highest school dropout rate in the nation. Each year
approximately 1,000 Students are being required to stay in grade three for a
third time. Higher and higher percentages of students at every grade level are
two or more years older then their grade-level school-mates. School-level
grading formulas are secret and have changed from year to year but continue to
reflect average household incomes. Art, music, physical education and non-tested
content are reduced or eliminated for much of the school year. More and more
teachers have become discouraged and leave the field.
Sure, FCAT test scores have shown some improvement. But measurement experts have
noted that average scores on standardized tests such as the FCAT most always
increase over time. The gradual increase reflects natural test corruption as
teachers become more familiar with non-changing test items and test formats.
In Florida, the test corruption and higher scores were likely caused by such
natural test corruption and by Florida Department of Education tweaking of the
test scoring process. Such tweaking was suggested in comments made by Education
Commissioner John L. Winn.
Bush’s A+ plan for education seems to be designed to ensure that the rich get
richer and the poor get poorer. Perhaps, the plan was put together by persons
who enjoy kicking those who are down or have fallen behind.
Robert R. Lange
Retired Professor of Educational Research
e-mail qida@bellsouth.net
phone: 407 322-6234
|
