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Blog: FCAR
Speakout
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FCAT WARNING! Tell them "Enough is Enough!" Call, write and email today!
The FCAT may soon become THE TOOL used to determine retention and promotion of
all students in ALL grade levels in Florida.
In January, the Florida Board of Education (BOE) and the Department of Education
(DOE) announced their plans to use FCAT scores to make PROMOTION decisions AT
ALL GRADE LEVELS. The DOE wants the BOE to have the power to make retention
mandatory for all children who do not pass the FCAT for their grade level.
Right now they are pushing for the legislature to approve a broad mandate to
give the Board of Education (BOE) this power. The BOE could then proceed to make
decisions without having to get everything approved by elected officials.
As you know, every district has a state-mandated Student Progression Plan, which
spells out what's required for promotion at the state level. The plan has to
include mandatory third grade retention for kids who score low on the reading
FCAT, but the state also ENCOURAGES districts to tie FCAT scores to promotion
requirements at other grade levels.
CALL, WRITE AND EMAIL your local state representatives and senators and stop the
use of the FCAT for the retention (and promotion) of all students.
Tell them that one test taken on one day can not give an accurate picture of any
child. Therefore, using a single test to determine retention (or promotion) is
ludicrous.
Tell them that the stress this potentially "life altering" test puts on
students, parents, teachers and superintendents (due to concurrent "grading" of
schools and faculty), forces educators to "teach to the tests", skewing,
narrowing and distorting our children's education. The amount of time required
to prepare for the FCAt requires sacrificing invaluable educational and
developmental experiences that would truly prepare our children for the future.
Tell them to get their perspective back. As one tool among many used to
make decisions about a child's future a test like the FCAT may be valuable. As
the tool used to make retention decisions it is an easy way out that can
leave a lot of destruction and undesirable fall out in it's wake. Our children
are all individuals with diversely varied aptitudes and abilities. They deserve
to be evaluated as individuals.
Tell them this cookie cutter test is not the answer because we do not have
cookie cutter children.
Tell them we do not trust the BOE to make decisions in the best interest of
our children, if it means using the FCAT to determine retention and
promotion of our children.
FCAT WARNING! Tell them "Enough is Enough!" Call, write and email today!
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