The Answer Sheet: FCAT


Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 10/21/2010

English teacher: Data can drive us down wrong road
By Valerie Strauss
An English teacher writes: "Strict adherence to data-driven instruction can lead schools to push aside science and social studies to drill students on isolated reading benchmarks.... It is difficult to teach kids to read well if they don’t learn to enjoy reading. It is impossible to teach kids to read well while denying them the knowledge they need to make sense of complex material. Following the data often forces teachers to do just that."

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 10/21/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Learning, Learning, Learning | Tags:  compare and contrast, fcat, florida comprehensive assessment test, standardized tests, teachers, teaching, test questions

Posted at 11:59 AM ET, 07/19/2010

New test scoring problems for Pearson
By Valerie Strauss
On the heels of a fiasco in Florida with scoring the state achievement tests, NCS Pearson has a new scoring problem, this time in Minnesota. Here's a list of similar problems, underscoring why using standardized test scores for high-stakes decisions is wrong.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:59 AM ET, 07/19/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests | Tags:  FCAT results delayed, FCAT scores delayed, FairTEST, fairtest, minnesota test scores delayed, ncs pearson, pearson and FCAT, pearson and minnesota tests, pearson and scoring tests, standardized tests, test results delayed

Posted at 11:02 AM ET, 07/15/2010

Florida's FCAT scandal -- the next chapter
By Valerie Strauss
Let’s go to Florida for the latest entry in the category of “you can’t make up this stuff.” Here's the latest twist in the scandal over the state's 2010 standardized test scores.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:02 AM ET, 07/15/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests | Tags:  FCAT, eric smith, florida comprehensive assessment test, florida education department, ncs pearson, pearson and fcats, problems with fcats, standardized tests

Posted at 03:02 PM ET, 07/13/2010

Florida standardized test results challenged
By Valerie Strauss
Six of Florida's largest counties formally protest the results of the state's 2010 standardized test.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:02 PM ET, 07/13/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests | Tags:  FCAT, FCAT scores and anomalies, challenge to FCAT scores, problems with FCAT, standardized tests in florida

Posted at 11:12 AM ET, 06/11/2010

Florida education chief ‘outraged’ at Pearson
By Valerie Strauss
Florida’s Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith has blasted NCS Pearson for a big delay in the reporting of the results of the 2010 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, saying that he is “outraged” and calling it “absolutely unacceptable.”

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:12 AM ET, 06/11/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests | Tags:  delay in test scores, fcat, florida comprehensive assessment test, pearson and florida

Posted at 03:15 PM ET, 06/07/2010

Standardized testing follies in Florida
By Valerie Strauss
A major testing company is having myriad problems scoring the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests, just one more reason that standardized tests should not be used for high-stakes decisions.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:15 PM ET, 06/07/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Standardized Tests | Tags:  FCAT problems, florida comprehensive assessment tests, pearson and FCAT, pearson and testing, problems scoring FCAT, standardized testing, standardized tests and florida, the miami herald and testing

Posted at 05:04 PM ET, 03/24/2010

Florida Senate approves disastrous teachers bill
By Valerie Strauss
On Wednesday, the Florida Senate passed a bill that would end job security for teachers in the state and require school districts to evaluate and pay them primarily on the basis of student test scores.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:04 PM ET, 03/24/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  No Child Left Behind, No Child Left Behind, No Child Left Behind | Tags:  FCAT and bush, Florida Senate Bill 6, NCLB, standardized tests, teachers