The GED is a difficult test to pass, and frankly, many of the seniors walking with diplomas today would have a difficult time passing it without some study. A GED is just as good as a standard high school diploma. You can join the military and enroll in college with a GED.

The student who could not pass the FCAT but could pass the GED doesn’t make sense to me – if they can pass the GED, they should be able to pass the FCAT. ????

From:
http://fcat.fldoe.org/pdf/fcatfaq1.pdf

“25. Do students with disabilities receive accommodations on the FCAT?
Yes, every effort is made to provide a level playing field for students with disabilities taking the FCAT and seeking a standard high school diploma. Section 1007.02 (2), F.S., permits testing accommodations for a student who:
• has been assigned to a special program, according to State Board Rule 6A-6.0331, FAC, and
• has a current Individual Educational Plan (IEP).
Federal law (the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1997) requires the inclusion of ESE students in regular assessment programs. The school, district, and state FCAT score averages represent all students taking the test, including students with disabilities. Exemption from the graduation test requirement for students with disabilities seeking a high school diploma is described in Section 1003.43 (11) (b), F.S.”

Which says:
“(11) (b) A student with a disability, as defined in s. 1007.02(2), for whom the individual educational plan (IEP) committee determines that the FCAT cannot accurately measure the student’s abilities taking into consideration all allowable accommodations, shall have the FCAT requirement of paragraph (5)(a) waived for the purpose of receiving a standard high school diploma, if the student:
1. Completes the minimum number of credits and other requirements prescribed by subsections (1) and (4).
2. Does not meet the requirements of paragraph (5)(a) after one opportunity in 10th grade and one opportunity in 11th grade.”

i.e. It don’t affect them if they can otherwise pass or aren’t seeking regular diplomas

David ever helpful

David for elementary teachers

“he has a bachelor of science degree in education and two masters degrees: in education and educational psychology. He has trained over 18,000 educators in classroom management and course delivery skills in six eastern states over the last 25 years.”

Interesting that he didn’t know how to do a single math question on the FCAT. I”ve seen FCAT questions before and some special ed students can handle some of them (not all, but some).

So we’re back to the question: is the FCAT that flawed or is there something wrong with this person not being able to understand and answer even a single question by any process other than guessing?

David for having all prospective legislators
and governors take the test and publish the results
prior to next election

So a person part of those involved in making certain reasonable tests were used was uncertain who actually set the criteria.

Quite possibly New York has bad tests. Florida may or may not have bad tests; you can’t tell just based on how they do things in New York unless they’re the same tests.

It is possible the person with his PhD shouldn’t have had one — not likely, but possible. That’s part of the reason for the push for standardized tests: to avoid just becoming diploma mills, handing out degrees whether or not the students learned anything.

His point is certainly correct, though. The test should reflect what we actually want out of every graduate. That needs to be decided and clearly laid out.

David for good decisions

In a perfect world parents send their children to school so they can learn and thrive in their lives afterward, their lives enriched by all the experiences they enjoyed.
In this world people have a number of other reasons, often more important to them than the primary reasons.

David for a better world

The American workforce already has enough underachievers. We don’t need to raise anymore.