David trying to be helpful

sad

Or should we?

Just because something isn’t popular with everybody doesn’t mean it isn’t useful.

Some don’t like the FCAT because it makes it look like their children aren’t learning what they should. If they really aren’t learning, they should know about it. If they are, the test should show it.

Some don’t like it because it makes it look like they aren’t teaching what they should. If they really aren’t teaching in a way the students will learn, they should know about it. If they are, the test should show it.

Some don’t like it because it makes their school look bad. They are more interested in how their school looks than how its students are growing. Jesus spoke of whited sepulchers full of dead men’s bones.

In other words, looking good isn’t as important as being good.

Some don’t like it because they think they can and should teach to it. A proper test can only be taught to if it covers everything they are supposed to learn anyway.

Is it a proper test? Now, that’s an important question. If the answer’s NO, then the question is, “Should it be thrown out or simply made right?”

This leads us back to the question of why we ever came up with the idea in the first place.

The answer is that two different students from two different schools but identical academic records could apply for college or for a job and one not know half what the other did.

Somebody was inflating grades, claiming to have taught what they had not taught or at least that the student had learned what he had not learned. What’s more, the lower grade student from one school might still know twice what the higher grade student from the other school knew but not get the job or entrance into his favored college because of the school grades.

It wasn’t fair to the students who were missing out. It was costing them opportunities they deserved. Just think, if you could do well but didn’t get the chance because somebody else looked better who wasn’t–unfair. If you couldn’t do well but looked like you could, you will be discouraged when you fail or are fired rather than going into what you actually COULD do. Unfair both ways.

It wasn’t fair to the taxpayers who were paying to educate children, not entertain them. They were being robbed of their money and their children being underserved. That’s us, folks. We’re all taxpayers. We don’t mind paying for value, but we dislike being ripped off.

It wasn’t fair to the teachers who were being pressured to give grades the students didn’t deserve, just to make the school look better. Sometimes the best ones were pushed aside for failure to go-along-to-get-along.

Number One Wife says there are good tests out there which do a much better job of evaluating students, but Florida had its heart set on coming up with our own special test which these folks don’t seem able to handle.

Maybe we should call them the FCAT/Stanford 9 or the FCAT/ACT and then just use them as they already are.

David for fixing what’s broke
Not fixing what ain’t broke
Knowing the difference