Volusia Teacher's Response
to DOE Form Letter
By Stephanie Parnell
The mother of one of my students
wrote a letter to Tallahassee. The parent
forwarded the response to me. I wrote back to Ms. Morris [FDOE] and referenced
her insulting remarks!
March 29, 2005
Dear Ms. Morris,
I am at a loss for words on this whole FCAT thing and your standard reply to
Mrs. Coleman. I am Mrs. Coleman's son's third grade varying exceptionalities,
self-contained teacher. I have spent from August to March preparing them in math
and reading for the FCAT. I have neglected social studies, science, and hands-on
learning activities. We needed every bit of time to get ready for the test. I
didn't want them to see anything on the test that we hadn't covered.
I am still wondering what we have IEPs for anymore. I wonder why we have
ESE anymore. If I had a student with a math goal of "Will recognize coins and
add change to a dollar", how am I supposed to prepare her in that amount of
time for lengthy multi-step word problems dealing with money? I spent most of
the year skipping the basics, and trying to get them to perform like everyone
else in the state. It seems we are all meant to be cookie cutter people with the
same talents and abilities.
Everyone will read by the third grade? Are you kidding me? Every one of my
students can read, they can even tell the who, what, when, where, why, and how.
They have all doubled or even tripled in fluency. It's the sequencing, the
theme, the author's purpose, the inferences, the fact/opinion, the supporting
details, etc. that still create problems for them. I call them "functional
readers" and I believe that, with time, they will grasp those deeper literary
objectives, but not from additional years of third grade.
You are creating big problems! We
won't see it for several years to come. But do you think you would sit in an
eighth grade classroom as a sixteen year old? Do the middle schools in our state
have space for student parking? You are creating the exact situation you are
trying to prevent. Students will be dropping out of school, going on welfare,
becoming a nuisance with the law, and not to mention their self-esteem issues.
My husband and I are trying to crunch some numbers so that I can leave my 12
year stint with teaching. I am so torn because I love teaching. I get such a
thrill watching a child finally grasp something. But I am tired of stressing
out, and stressing out my students over a stupid 3 day test! We wasted 8 months
of precious learning time to prepare for your high-stakes, make you or break you
test. Shame on all of you who had anything to do with passing this through as a
viable solution to Florida's educational problems. The ultimate goal is
privatization of the schools, and it's just befuddling to me. No one can explain
it so that it makes sense. It just doesn't!
I would love for one of those people in Tallahassee to come to my classroom in
South Daytona. He or she would see how wonderful my students are. They try so
hard, and I have enjoyed teaching them this year. But they would also see a
sadder side. They would see struggles that can't just be overcome with some
additional materials, teaching methods, and extra years of schooling. They would
see two ADHD kids who are on meds, but can barely focus for 5 minutes. They
would see 3 ADD students who stare at me as I teach, but I know they aren't with
me. Two students would go unnoticed by you until you see their academic
performance. After reading their cum, you will understand the trauma, abuse, and
neglect that would make any child a "low performer". There are 3 with below
average IQs who just aren't going to get it on the first, second, third, or even
fourth try! Yet our math program (Harcourt Brace) teaches a new concept every
day. Then at 2:05, you would see their caring parents outside our portable who
work with me on the behaviors and learning problems. They want their child to
succeed, but above all, they want their child to BELIEVE that they can succeed.
Do you have ANY idea how my students will feel in May if they did not do well on
the FCAT?
To deal with the possibility of 1's I
have a plan for them. I can show them how their fluency has increased, I can
show them how their lexile test of comprehension has increased, I can show them
their IEP goals and how we can
check most of them off, I can show them their "Reading Progress Indicators" card
and how much they know now that they didn't know in August, but that's not what
we look for anymore. We look at one test called the FCAT. That one test
determines how my teaching is, how our principal runs the school, and how
"smart" our students are compared to the rest of the state and our nation. That
is nothing short of nauseating. It just sickens me that one test determines so
much. Hopefully there were not any divorces or deaths in the family the week
before students took the test.
Now to address your form letter specifically: you wrote, "Both the Governor's A+
Plan and the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act create high expectations
for all students, including students with disabilities." Do you understand that
there is a significant difference between students with disabilities and
students without disabilities? That just doesn't seem to be getting through to
anyone. If a child is disabled, then how can he perform on grade level at the
magic third grade level? Creating high expectations for learning disabled
students is incredibly important, but the determiner cannot be at the same level
as the general education student or, as I said earlier, we just need to say that
Florida is a non-disabled state and call them stupid.
Why not have different levels of the
FCAT? If you all are really that eager to keep this test, then why can't we
offer FCAT-R (remedial), FCAT, and FCAT-A (advanced). There will be record of
which test each student took and hopefully by tenth grade, they will pass the
FCAT for a regular diploma. Most third grade students have pretty much the same
IEP goals and objectives so the FCAT-R would address those. It may sound stupid,
but not anymore stupid than what we have.
You also said, "The FCAT measures students' knowledge of the Sunshine State
Standards (SSS) and provides expectations for student achievement in Florida."
Again, my students would not be in my class if they could master the Sunshine
State Standards for third grade! Tallahassee just isn't getting it, are they? My
students have a disability (dyslexic, low IQ, ADD, ADHD, autistic tendencies,
etc.) They are real, documented disabilities. You all are turning your backs on
them. It's sink or swim for them, and it's pathetic and heartless. Do any of you
have children? How about children with a disability? Next, will you be telling
wheelchair-bound children that they need to be walking before March? What's the
difference between a physical and a mental disability? It's just the fact that
you all see children who appear to be normal so you expect the same thing from
them as you do from their peers.
Then you wrote, "Florida law (Section 1008.22(6), Florida Statutes), which
requires the mandatory participation of all students in the statewide testing
program." That's great, let disabled students take it. I am all for them
experiencing it and being exposed to it. However, to fail them, the school, or
the teacher for their inevitable poor performance is my concern. Again, they are
in my room for a reason. During an IEP meeting, a parent can decide if he/she
wants their child to take the FCAT and all of the ramifications if they do or do
not take it.
You went on to say that students whose demonstrated cognitive ability prevents
them from completing the required coursework and achieving the SSS and who
require extensive direct instruction to accomplish and transfer skills and
competencies needed for domestic, community living, leisure, and vocational
activities may be excluded from taking the FCAT. Most of my students have
processing disorders. That IS a cognitive disability. It's very significant
problem. They take so much longer to grasp new concepts and assignments. Some of
my students have parents who realize that their child is probably not going to
go to college. There are a lot of blue collar workers out in the real world. We
need them just as much as the more highly educated adults.
You also wrote that if a student
meets the requirements described above and the individual educational plan (IEP)
team that includes you as a parent, determines that it is not appropriate for
the student to take the FCAT, the student would still be required to take an
alternate assessment. You know that counts against the school, right? It's very
hard to use that option, and frowned upon.
It's funny that you wrote that you all understand Mrs. Coleman's concern about
her son's stress related to taking the FCAT as it is tied to promotion to the
next grade level. If that were true, this wouldn't be happening. You cannot
possibly know how he, specifically, felt during and after that test. He was
jittery when he walked in, took extra time to complete each section, and
baby-talked in the afternoon things like, "I want my mommy." So don't tell me or
any parent that you understand it because I honestly don't think you do. You
haven't walked through the halls of a school just before, during, and right
after FCAT. You could cut the stress with a knife. Teachers are worried about
which teachers will have the best performing students, will it be me? The
principal wants learning gains, and what will other principals in the county
think if he gets a NO? Most importantly, the students! Like I said, if you had
any idea, then we wouldn't even be e-mailing. I would love to
have the name of one Tallahassee FCAT proponent who has a child with a learning
disability in the third grade in a public school and took the FCAT. Is that
possible?
This really gets me when Tallahassee responds this way, "The goal of the
Legislature is that every student read at or above grade level. The purpose of
retention is to give students who have substantial reading deficiencies the
additional intensive remedial instruction they need to learn to read
proficiently." I don't understand why we think that every child can read by
third grade. That just sounds utopian. I cannot figure out how to get everyone
in third grade at the same level or above that level. I may have a future
successful artist in my room, I may have a future mathematician or scientist.
You know there are many famous inventors, scientists, actors, and other
professionals who had significant learning problems. I am glad we didn't shut
them out in the third grade!
You also said, "Reading deficiencies, regardless of the cause, must be addressed
before the student can be expected to move on to the more difficult work of the
higher grades. If students are promoted without learning to read, then we are
failing them." Regardless of the cause? Can you help me, the parents, and my
students get rid of their causes? We are all kind of tired of trying, but if you
all have an idea, please pass it on. You make causes sound so trivial and easily
remedied. You need to pay attention to the causes and examine what we can do
besides knocking them down. If they can't read at the third grade level, they
already feel ostracized so I am not sure how retaining them would help? There
are many studies out there which show that retention is very detrimental and
does nothing positive for the child (academically or emotionally). You are right
when you say that students will be facing more difficult work as the years go
on. However, it should be on their level according to their Individualized
Education Plan. I have been on the FCAT plan for 8 months, I hope the parents
don't mind. In 8 months we have to cover the FCAT and the IEP. That is A LOT for
a student with a documented disability, or two, to swallow!
You also wrote, "If students are
promoted without learning to read, then we
are failing them." The state of Florida is failing our students, not the
teachers, not the parents, not the children, not the principal! This is a bad
plan, and didn't
make sense from day 1! I will not sit back and just watch this happen to ESE
students. It's wrong and nothing short of corrupt and heartless!
Stephanie Parnell
Florida Coalition for Assessment Reform
