Standardized testing gone wild!!

[ldmck]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Florida

Hello.

I am interested in challenging the legality of the use of FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) in our schools on any level - local, state and/or federal.

I am a mother of four - my oldest son is a high school senior and has made it through unscathed by FCAT - he is an above-average student who scores well on standardized tests. My 8th grade daughter, a straight-A student, member of the Beta Club, narrowly escaped a mandated remedial-reading class this year after a low FCAT score. Her reading coach indicated that the state may establish a mandatory retention policy based on the Middle School Reform Act (which I believe is related to NCLB - it gets so confusing trying to determine what dumb idea comes from where!) and that despite her grades, if she doesn't make the cut on the test, we may have no recourse.

My younger son, a sixth-grader, is now a homeschool student after several years of tortuous testing, tutoring and labelling by the "experts", despite an above-average IQ. He was diagnosed with a learning disability relating to visual processing and given an IEP in the middle of first grade, they attempted to retain him in third grade, offered us some useless voucher options to religious-based private schools. . . we have been in a crazy spin looking for answers and finally saw homeschooling as our only option.

For my youngest child, aged three, the future of public education looks grim. (I'd REALLY like to send her to school, too!!)

I find the intrusion of FCAT consequences on my family's time (and their physical and emotional health!), the refusal of access for parents to see their child's actual test (especially when the test carries such weight), the discrepancy in the results of FCAT and children's classroom and "outside world" performance to merit review by someone in a position to call it's use as a be-all, end-all educational tool into question.

I have written to my legislators, school board members, the DOE, the Governor, the editor of my local paper, even the ACLU - anyone and everyone who could or might make a difference - only to be shrugged off, condescended to or told, "the Governor is committed to his Education plan" ad naseum. The refusal by these folks to investigate the negative consequences of the use of this test is silly to me - and frustrating beyond belief.

If you are aware of any legal activists pursing this cause, please let me know. I feel stretched to my limits in my efforts to be a good mother - but I am committed to seeing an end to the insanity of the current use of standardized testing as a sole measure of a child's ability.

Thank you for your time.

Regards,


Lara McKnight

 

[rmet4nzkx]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Florida

Hello.

I am interested in challenging the legality of the use of FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) in our schools on any level - local, state and/or federal.

I am a mother of four - my oldest son is a high school senior and has made it through unscathed by FCAT - he is an above-average student who scores well on standardized tests. My 8th grade daughter, a straight-A student, member of the Beta Club, narrowly escaped a mandated remedial-reading class this year after a low FCAT score. Her reading coach indicated that the state may establish a mandatory retention policy based on the Middle School Reform Act (which I believe is related to NCLB - it gets so confusing trying to determine what dumb idea comes from where!) and that despite her grades, if she doesn't make the cut on the test, we may have no recourse.

My younger son, a sixth-grader, is now a homeschool student after several years of tortuous testing, tutoring and labelling by the "experts", despite an above-average IQ. He was diagnosed with a learning disability relating to visual processing and given an IEP in the middle of first grade, they attempted to retain him in third grade, offered us some useless voucher options to religious-based private schools. . . we have been in a crazy spin looking for answers and finally saw homeschooling as our only option.

For my youngest child, aged three, the future of public education looks grim. (I'd REALLY like to send her to school, too!!)

I find the intrusion of FCAT consequences on my family's time (and their physical and emotional health!), the refusal of access for parents to see their child's actual test (especially when the test carries such weight), the discrepancy in the results of FCAT and children's classroom and "outside world" performance to merit review by someone in a position to call it's use as a be-all, end-all educational tool into question.

I have written to my legislators, school board members, the DOE, the Governor, the editor of my local paper, even the ACLU - anyone and everyone who could or might make a difference - only to be shrugged off, condescended to or told, "the Governor is committed to his Education plan" ad naseum. The refusal by these folks to investigate the negative consequences of the use of this test is silly to me - and frustrating beyond belief.

If you are aware of any legal activists pursing this cause, please let me know. I feel stretched to my limits in my efforts to be a good mother - but I am committed to seeing an end to the insanity of the current use of standardized testing as a sole measure of a child's ability.

Thank you for your time.

Regards,


Lara McKnight

You have at least one child with a confiormed learning disorder often found amongst intelligent people, it's not the testing, that's the problem, the testing is bringing to your attention that your children have a learning disability, this may affect more than one in a family, that they require more attention so that they can learn how to function in society. Goto
http://www.faaas.org/factsheet.html
There are more and more resources available for this misunderstood disorder.

 

[ldmck]

Thank you for the info on Asperger's - it does not apply to our situation.

The system was more interested in helping our son to pass the test than helping him learn. Does that clarify my problem better?

Despite our daughter being an exceptional student, she suffers extreme anxiety during test time - whether it is cause or effect, the schools base all decisions solely on test outcome and do not use any other criteria for placement. She does not have a learning disability.

 

[rmet4nzkx]

Thank you for the info on Asperger's - it does not apply to our situation.

The system was more interested in helping our son to pass the test than helping him learn. Does that clarify my problem better?

Despite our daughter being an exceptional student, she suffers extreme anxiety during test time - whether it is cause or effect, the schools base all decisions solely on test outcome and do not use any other criteria for placement. She does not have a learning disability.

Please read and learn about Asperger's one way it presents is as a non verbal learning disorder and as anxiety during test taking because they cannot process the information or have problems with abstract reasoning. Things must be learned by rote if they cannot process the information, that is why they are trying to help your son to learn how to pass the test, but it is more than that and life will be very difficult for your children without assessment and intervention, one of the things that comes from the testing. It has nothing to do with low IQ, often high IQ.

 

[notsmartmark]

Please check to see if there are going to be any requirements to receive a diploma for students graduating by 2008. Plus, there is talk in some states regarding accessing state colleges and passing state (federally) mandated tests.

The courts have consistently found against individuals with disabilities and graduation required testing. I don't know of any states that do not allow for some level of accommodation on the tests for individuals with an IEP.

Something has to happen regarding this madness. Here in the state of Washington 56% of 10th grade students didn't pass all sections of the test, and only 1/3 of the students passed the science section. If the trends don't change Washington will have 2/3 of their students not graduating in 2008. The Washington test, yes, each state can develop a different test, was not developed for graduation. It was developed to raise the bar, to shoot for the stars and improve education. The feds came in, and we were over committed financially to the test.

This year, students with disabilities will have a new consideration, off grade testing. This means a 10th grade student performing at the 4th grade level will be able to take the 4th grade test. Your state might be adding some options. In 2008, a student not passing the 10th grade test but who passes the test in a different way will receive a different diploma. And just so you know if your state has off grade testing, IEP teams make the decision if the student will take a different than standard test, but the feds will only allow 3% of the students to take a different test. So, if we have 10% of the student take modified testing, 7% of the students will be counted as receiving a 0 for our Leave No Child Behind reporting and will help place schools in failure. It is insane. Remember, the states are getting their arms twisted by the feds. In your republican controlled state, they aren’t going to talk openly about their concern; here in Washington, it’s a much more open dialogue about the benefits and problems.

The good news is states and the federal government cannot have over half of the students not graduate. There is hope for a 11th hour compromise, states giving up more rights to the feds as it implements a national standards’ test or a national voucher program with the feds relenting on testing requirements.

I am stunned more families aren’t sounding the alarm as you are doing. Good Luck.


Regarding rmet4nzkx’s post; wow. I continue to be amazed by your single-minded outcome for any education concern raised. You are able to see shadows during a moonless night.

 

[rmet4nzkx]

Regarding rmet4nzkx’s post; wow. I continue to be amazed by your single-minded outcome for any education concern raised. You are able to see shadows during a moonless night.

Look in a mirror and see who is single minded. I pity your students.

 

[ldmck]

Mark, I have found that the folks who were rolling their eyes at me a few years back are now finding their own children beginning to suffer due to the use of this test and coming to me for answers - who do I talk to? where do we turn?? how do we get out of this???

Dave Barry, a syndicated columnist with the Miami Herald, lamented his own daughter's early return to school at the behest of the need to hash and re-hash FCAT practice. University professors across the country are writing books, performing studies searching for information. Teacher's unions across the state of Florida have established platforms opposing the use of this test and the weight it carries. . .politicians carefully sidestep the issue, blaming teachers for test-anxiety and parents for demanding accountability - I'm a tired old housewife and I have soaked up more information about all of this than I care to!!! The "duh" factor does not sway those who support this cult of standardization - like an Orwell or Bradbury Novel gone reality show!

I would just like to find one attorney who is willing to challenge the legality of NCLB - in the interest of saving one child, they are torturing others, subjecting children with responsible parents who have a vested interest in their educations to remedial reading classes and grade retention based on ONE TEST given in an environment conducive to anxitey, emotional duress

- I have to get back to a crazy toddler who needs my attention, but, believe me, I can go on and on and on if given the opportunity to present my case to someone with the ability to foster change.

There is no such thing as a "standard" child!

 

[notsmartmark]

Lara,

The longer I have been involved with state standards and NCLB, the more I am amazed.

The one thing that seems to come clearer as time drags on, these are very political decisions at the federal level. The bedrock of politics is power, and the desire for power is to control, to control the money and to a lesser extent the decision-making.

There is something that some group wants at the federal level, and they are using our child as hostages. I continue to believe that state testing and especially NCLB is about vouchers. I believe they are chips to get a national voucher system. I know there are people in Washington who are willing to have a few people killed over ideology. I think this is very similar. They know that there will be a number of children destroyed by these decisions, but believe it is for the greater good. I have seen in my state a desire to keep the wounded at what is believed acceptable levels. Reduce the number of students injured to keep the masses in check.

Coming up in a few years a student who is a talented musician, artist, mathematician, or a human being has a great chance of not graduating if his or her reading scores do not measure up to federal standards place on unique state’s tests or if they have test anxiety. The smartest person I have ever known most likely would not graduate with the new standards because of his severe reading disability. And, this isn’t talking about the enormous number of students who have borderline IQs. The moment they step onto a school, they are doomed to not graduate after 2008.

Get the number of students who will not meet standards and keep placing the information you collect before the school board and media. Get involved at the state level. Here’s a website regarding information and groups listed by state - http://www.fairtest.org/arn/parents.html. Use the information generated by NCLB to track dropout and on-time graduation rates. I also think we need to track the suicide rates for children. I am very concerned that our rates are going to start rising as we increase the stress on our children.

One final thought. There is some good in all of this madness. More students with disabilities are gaining access to general education classrooms. Test results for students with disabilities have risen, just as overall scores have risen. There needs to be a continued discussion about the desired outcomes outside the “politicalness” that seems to have invaded everything at the expense of our children.

Good luck with your cause; it's a good one.

Mark

 

[DRTDEVL]

The problem is not the FCAT, it's the school systems in Florida.

Since the advent of the FCAT, classrooms have shifted from requiring students to learn the curriculum, and they now teach "pass the FCAT 101." It is a very disturbing trend, and the only way to combat it right now is to teach your children what they SHOULD have been learning in school, rather than teaching them how to pass the FCAT. I see it every day at work (Army Recruiter). Kids graduating with 3.5+ GPA, passing the FCAT... Take the ASVAB (entrance exam for military), and score between 9 and 15 (1-99 scale, 31 required for basic enlistment, 50 for bonuses and large college funds). These kids can pass the FCAT only because they have been drilled on it for 12 years... But they can't read, write, speak, add, subtract, divide, etc. They cannot think outside the box. They lack all critical thinking skills.

Take charge of the situation, and hold "night school" in your house! The test is just a test... Actual knowledge is more important. If they learn the curriculum instead, the test will come naturally.

 

[rmet4nzkx]

The problem is not the FCAT, it's the school systems in Florida.

Since the advent of the FCAT, classrooms have shifted from requiring students to learn the curriculum, and they now teach "pass the FCAT 101." It is a very disturbing trend, and the only way to combat it right now is to teach your children what they SHOULD have been learning in school, rather than teaching them how to pass the FCAT. I see it every day at work (Army Recruiter). Kids graduating with 3.5+ GPA, passing the FCAT... Take the ASVAB (entrance exam for military), and score between 9 and 15 (1-99 scale, 31 required for basic enlistment, 50 for bonuses and large college funds). These kids can pass the FCAT only because they have been drilled on it for 12 years... But they can't read, write, speak, add, subtract, divide, etc. They cannot think outside the box. They lack all critical thinking skills.

Take charge of the situation, and hold "night school" in your house! The test is just a test... Actual knowledge is more important. If they learn the curriculum instead, the test will come naturally.

Some children who are very intelligent, can't think outside the box or have poor critical critical thinking (abstract reasoning) skills. This is a learning disability which would also be identified by means of other neuropsychological testing not just standard testing. They have to learn these skills by rote, these students have difficulity in the military and often wash out for failure to adapt or being immature, if they make it they do very well while in the military but often fall apart once they are out in the real world because they require the structure and supportive environment the military offers. Because they don't have to think for themselves, they fail to adapt in MOS where they have to think for themselves. No test or educaiton is perfect, tests identify weaknesses in part in the individual's learning style and in some instances in the subgective opionion of the person grading the essay sections so it is a valuable skill to learn how to pass a test with subjective measurements because they learn to communicate more effectively.

 

[DRTDEVL]

The problem I see is not the testing, but the education they recieve... Unless 75% of students in this county are "learning disabled." That's right... A full 75% of Florida's students can't pass the ASVAB, and that's not a learning disability... That's an EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM disability.

 

[ldmck]

My point is that, disability or not, the answer to helping kids is not to teach them how to take the test and then test them. We ignore classroom grades, teacher intuition, varied learning styles, and fostering love of learning and interest in the world around us for the sake of a number on a test that is given once during the school year.

Parents cannot see the test their child took to guage whether the results are accurate, grades and classroom performance are not taken into account. We've got kids still living in FEMA trailers, piles of debris and devastation all around - and we're putting the pressure on kids from kindergarten on to ignore all around them and just produce the desired results. How can this test be a "fair measure" of anything???

Certainly there are kids who are falling through the cracks, who don't have the support system of parents & teachers that my children are fortunate enough to have. And yes, there should be some method of determining who those kids are and how to help them. The test should be a tool, but not the ONLY tool.

 

[rmet4nzkx]

Living in a FEMA trailer doesn't predispose one to failure in education and test taking. Learning to focus on a task and to problem solve, even if that task is test taking is very important success in this chaotic world no matter the learning style of the student. Other states have had tests required for years for graduation from high school, this is nothing new. Students who have difficulity with these tests are not always the one you expect.

 

[StickyFingers]

Rmet, I respect and agree with most of your opinions...However...I do not agree with you, re:Aspergers.

This is an issue in Florida that is extremely controversial and has little to do with learning disabilities or any other mental/learning disorder. Granted, she admitted that one of her children has a learning disability, however, her issue is with the educational process of the state of Florida... Specifically, the FCAT.

Although I understand that you are trained in forensic psychology, and that your main thought process rests on a premise of a disorder relating to your training......In this specific case I beg to differ.

Unfortunately, I have 2 children going through Florida public schools currently...

I Do have to agree with DRTDEVL, when he said:

The problem I see is not the testing, but the education they recieve... Unless 75% of students in this county are "learning disabled." That's right... A full 75% of Florida's students can't pass the ASVAB, and that's not a learning disability... That's an EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM disability

Once you have a child go through this system....no matter their IQ...Or performance .....You will see the undeniable difference.

Just to provide Dave Barry's article....(from the Miami Herald) http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/12297791.htm

"School on Aug. 8? Are they insane?

BY DAVE BARRY


Here's a multiple-choice test:

When should the school year start?

A. Sometime around Sept. 1, when most of the United States of America has started school for many decades.

B. On Aug. 8 -- also known as ''smack dab in the middle of summer'' -- when the average Florida classroom is roughly the same temperature as a pizza oven.

If you answered ''A,'' you are correct. If you answered ''B,'' you are an official of Miami-Dade or Broward public schools. These officials have decided that our children need to start school on Monday, when children from normal places are vacationing with their families, or attending summer camp, or lying on the sofa picking their noses and playing video games, which is what God clearly intended early August to be used for.

Among the children who will be trudging into Miami-Dade schools on Monday is my 5-year-old daughter, who enters kindergarten this year. When my wife told me the date our daughter would start school, my fifth question was: ``Why?''

(My first four questions, in order, were: ''Aug. 8?'' ''Did you say Aug. 8?'' ''You mean, like, the eighth day of AUGUST?'' ``Are they INSANE??'')

I found out that the reason for the extremely early start of the school year is -- as you veteran parents already know -- the FCATs. FCAT is an acronym standing for ``(Very bad word) Comprehensive Assessment Test.''

These are standardized tests that are administered to all public-school students in Florida to confirm the sneaking suspicion among us older people that these kids today are just not as sharp as we were, dadgummit.

The FCATs have come to dominate public education in Florida. At one time, the purpose of the public schools, at least theoretically, was to educate children; now it is to produce higher FCAT scores, by whatever means necessary. If school officials believed that ingesting lizard meat improved FCAT performance, the cafeterias would be serving gecko nuggets.

So what they've been doing is starting school earlier and earlier, to give teachers more time to drill the kids for the FCATs, which are given in February and March.

Last year, school started in the third week in August; this year it's the second week. If this keeps up it's only a matter of time before we're starting the school year around Memorial Day, which means parents will have to go on their family vacations without taking their actual families, keeping in touch with their children by postcard. (''Dear Dylan -- Disney World is great! Wish you were here! How do you like second grade?'') Yes, it would pretty much destroy childhood. But think of the FCAT scores!

Some other ways we might improve our FCAT performance are:

1. Expel students who are expected to do poorly on the FCATs. The school could send the parents of these students a letter that said: ``We're sorry, but we do not believe your child is capable of producing the kind of FCAT scores that we need to maintain our average here at Coral Snail Elementary.''

2. Import students to Florida from places that tend to produce high standardized-test scores, such as Japan.

3. Cheat. Hey, this is Miami-Dade County! If we can't cheat, what's the point of living here?

4. Instead of starting the school year insanely early, give the tests later.

Ha ha! I'm just kidding with that last one, of course. What a crazy idea! But I sure wish we could find a way to avoid the gradual elimination of our children's summers. I suspect many of you parents out there feel the same way.

In fact, that gives me an idea: Why don't we all write letters to our school board members telling them how we feel? We could collect all these letters and put them in a big box, and then, on the day of the next school board meeting, we could throw the box into a Dumpster. Because I seriously doubt that the school board cares what we parents think about this; if it did, it would never have decided to send our kids back to school on Aug. 8.

No, probably all we can do is shut up, pay our taxes and take our kids to school on whatever day works best for FCAT purposes. On Aug. 8, I'll be dropping my daughter off, with her little lunchbox in her little hand. We prefer to pack her lunch; she's allergic to gecko."


The whole educational system in Florida is revolving around FCAT....NOT the actual education of our children.

It is actually quite saddening.

EDIT: Just to add....Rmet your comment below:

Living in a FEMA trailer doesn't predispose one to failure in education and test taking. Learning to focus on a task and to problem solve, even if that task is test taking is very important success in this chaotic world no matter the learning style of the student

I have to absolutely agree! It makes no difference the environment one individual grew up in.......One can succeed!..

Goes back to the saying.....'If there is a will.....There is a way'

 

[ldmck]

Sorry, folks, this was much clearer in my own mind -

The FEMA trailers are a result of Hurricane Ivan. It bothers me that no accomodations were made for kids who had been displaced from their homes only a few months before, missed a month of school but were still required to meet a criteria based (supposedly) on a year's worth of learning. It has nothing to do with stereotyping those who live in mobile homes.

Currently the schools use FCAT as the ONLY determining factor for a child's progress to the next grade at certain levels (3rd, possibly 8th and 10th grade are the benchmarks.) That one test can produce different results when outside influences are thrown in the mix on any given day. And who exactly is determining how the questions are worded - and then offering students "right" and "more right" answers? Is it fair to use it as the ONLY measure? (Remember the old "analogy" section on the SAT - maybe what is right for one is wrong for another. . .)

We've got the media spewing out school's "grades" like they mean something. My child's high school is a "D" school this year, it was a "B" last year. He's not suffering any adverse effects, he is just there to learn.

A close family friend has been diagnosed with Asperger's - so I am familiar with the symptoms, etc. Our situation may be some far-removed variation - but after a while we've just decided to work with whatever he has instead of against it. I have found that teaching my son at home is working well - instead of writing a paper and turning it in for a grade, we write a paper, go through it, correct it, add to it - we discuss each step while expanding on his ideas and let him answer his own questions. - as opposed the the "four-square" writing they do in public school. A teacher with 25 students does not have the time to do that. And I don't want him to have an "alternate" diploma, he can converse and think on an adult level, we just need to transfer that to writing and reading comprehension.

Whether you agree with me or not, I am still concerned that my daughter will experience such test anxiety with the next FCAT (she breaks out in hives, usually) that she will not make the score with the consequences being automatic retention to 8th grade - for an A student with an above-average IQ who is extremely mature and perfectly capable. Is there any legal recourse to challenge this?

I belong to a group of teachers, administrators and parents interested in fostering change in the current system (www.fcar.info) - they posted Dave Barry's article the other day. We are also having a rally in Tampa on Oct. 8th if anyone would care to attend.

I am not used to forum etiquette, but I thank all who have contributed their opinions here - the links have proven useful for information gathering - and their desire to make things better for our kids.