I went onto Florida Department of Education website to find test data at state, and local level about the FCAT. I liked this site because you can compare different states like Florida and New York or districts like Broward and Lee. The search can be as specific as you desire, the subject(s), year(s)and/or, grade level(s). I wanted to know what people felt about a test called the FCAT. Does FCAT Pass The Test?,By Jay P. Greene and Marcus A. Winters discusses the FACT. FCAT stands for Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. There is a debate about the FCAT, many teachers believe they "teach to the test" which forces teachers to cram information teachers know will be on the test to students instead of teaching to the curriculum. The other side believes that "teaching to the test" is not a bad thing if teachers teach the general knowledge that is expected of students to know while in school, for example learning to read and do math.
I grew up in Florida so I know about the FCAT. Many of my friends were in danger of not graduating high school because of the test. Although my friends were passing their reading and math classes they did not pass one or both parts of the test. I was told by one of my past teachers that some parts of the FACT won't be covered in the curriculum until after the FACT will be taken. It is my understanding that the FACT is an assessment of what knowledge is expected of that year. How is it possible to be tested on material that will be learned in April, May, or June if the test is in March?
http://fcat.fldoe.org/
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/_tampatrib-does_fcat.htm
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I really like this web site also... Because you can compare like you said in your summary. it is really easy to compare and i could not find other websites that were like similar to this one. It is one i will use in the future.
ReplyDeleteI remember when FCAT time came around, the whole class had to stop in the middle of their normal lessons, and work on practice booklets. There were also FCAT reading and math classes, where that was all you did when you could've been learning what you were supposed to. I think there should be some way to tie in skills from the FCAT into the curriculum so no one falls behind.
ReplyDeleteI chose the Florida Department of Education website too. I posted my summary of the site before realizing we were going to use that same site for the slide show. I really liked the site as well; it was very organized and easy to find what you were looking for.
ReplyDeleteAnd I know exactly what you are talking about when it comes to the FCAT coming around in March. I think it is ridiculous since there is still two full months of school left. I also grew up in Florida and I always hated when FCAT time would come around. Everyone, including the teachers, would begin to stress. And then teachers would have to rush lessons and combine lessons just to get the students prepared. I have never been a fan of these types of tests just because I don't think one test should determine if a student passes the grade or not.
Great job on your blog work! I can't believe we are already half way there! Keep up the great work!