The FCAT film about when Florida lowered the passing scores because only 26% passed Writing section

[madfloridian]

Florida decided to lower the passing score on the 2012 FCAT tests. This video criticizes the Florida Board of Education and the decisions they’ve made regarding the FCAT. It was created by Education Revolution, a group of High School students led by Tea’a Taylor. The project was supported and funded by Nutmeg Education.
Save Our Schools

That really happened.

More about this incident from 2012:

FCAT Scores Lower For Third Graders, State Drops Standards For More Students To Pass

The portion of Florida third graders who could be held back jumped to 18 percent this year as a result of low scores on the state's rigorous new standardized reading exam.

That figure represents 36,577 students who face possible retention -- up from 32,429 last year, according to the Associated Press. Students must score a 2 or better on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which is graded on a 1 to 5 scale, to be promoted to the fourth grade. Students who fail have an opportunity for redemption on an alternative skills assessment, which could include a student work portfolio or summer courses.

...But for those who must take the state's writing exam, state officials lowered the passing score last week after realizing that 73 percent of its fourth graders and 67 percent of its eighth graders failed this year's FCAT. Moving the passing grade to a 3.0 from a 4.0 on a scale of six allowed 80 percent of fourth graders to pass, compared with a previous 27 percent, WTSP reports.

Also a result of this more generous curve, the percentage of eighth graders who passed leapt from 33 percent to 77 percent and the portion of tenth graders who passed rose from 38 percent to 84 percent.

This policy of retaining 3rd graders until they pass the state test is not just happening in Florida

The idea behind a new state law called the Third Grade Reading Guarantee was supposed to be simple: All third graders — except for those with disabilities or who are still learning English — must pass the state third grade reading test in order to advance to fourth grade.

But as written, the law allows third graders who don’t actually take the reading test to be promoted anyway, whether or not they can actually read.

That means that parents who are concerned that their third graders won’t pass the test — or parents who oppose “high-stakes” testing — could keep their children home on test days and skirt the law’s intent.

[reteachinwi]

1. Who will watch the watchers?

[madfloridian]

2. No one is watching.

Good point.

[freedom fighter jh]

3. Changing the standards may have the best option.

Because teachers' and principals' careers depend on testing results (in accordance with the No Child Left Behind law), testing drives the curriculum. The result of this pressure is that everything known about teaching gets shoved aside for test prep -- drilling. Drilling is not a good way to learn. It's not good for the kids. It doesn't teach them anything that lasts.

The high-pressure testing does far more harm than good.

What other way is there to relieve the pressure, except to make it easier for the kids to pass? Yes, it sounds like a cop-out. But it may be the best way out of a bad situation.

[madfloridian]

4. Yes, that was the best option because of all the reform screw-ups...

and because of the huge amount of pressure about high test scores. I agree about that.

We need someone with the courage to say they messed up real learning so corporations could profit from test making, test scoring.