Well, maybe a few children left behind

The Dept. of Ed is looking into an oddly timed Pre-FCAT exodus of students. It's long been rumored that some schools have quietly pushed out problem kids out so they won't bring down the test averages at FCAT time. The state flagged 159 schools in 30 counties, including 10 schools in Palm Beach and one in Martin. At those schools, 5 percent or more of the students left during the 19 days between a statewide count of students in February and the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test in March. The state average during that period was 1 percent. Other kids get discouraged by the FCATs, drop out and go for GEDs instead of diplomas. Result: more dropouts in a state with an already alarming school dropout rate. Lane | 15.6.04 | Comments: I think the FCATs should be eliminated. No other state has anything like it, and school is no longer about learning; it's now about FCAT scores. The schools don't care if their students learn, they just want to increase their FCAT scores by cramming for the test without actually learning. # posted by Mike : 15.6.04   Mike - I don't know about most states, but I do know that Massachusetts has the MCAS, which seems to be very similar in both intent and execution as the FCAT. Of course, everything else you said is spot-on. # posted by Spencer : 16.6.04   Post a Comment

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