Florida honor students can't graduate because of one test. FCAT determines it all.

[madfloridian]

I gripe a lot about the weight being put on one single test throughout the nation. It is part of the new education "reform"....forget the achievements and grade point averages. Make it all about one single test.

Under Arne Duncan there will be more testing, and more testing databases.

Daily, weekly, report period grades matter little. Student portfolios apparently don't matter much either. Teacher made tests to determine if a student has mastered lessons...won't count either.

The seniors who are written about in these op eds are not named. However I am fairly sure they are different. The op eds are from areas fairly distant.

How did education come to this, and why are we letting it happen?

Failing our kids and the taxpayers with FCAT

The author of this op ed is Loranne Ausley. She is a former state legislator and currently is a Democratic candidate for state chief financial officer. From the Ocala Banner:

During the past couple of weeks, I personally watched the struggle of a family whose honor-roll student did not graduate from high school, and they are not sure why.

This family learned - too late - that their hard-working child, who has maintained a strong GPA and has been an active leader in his community and church, will not walk with his graduating class. Not only is this devastating news to all of them, his plans for college are now in jeopardy as well. Indeed, his entire future hangs in the balance.

Why? They are not sure.

It appears that he did not pass the FCAT, after multiple tries - but they have no faith that this is the truth. Further, nobody can honestly explain to them or demonstrate to them how or why he "failed."

The FCAT scores are delayed by the company, NCS Pearson, with the multimillion dollar contract. They have put the students, parents, teachers, and school districts under great stress.

Here is another example from Bartow area in Central Florida.

Graduation Leaves Out 'School Pride'

This is the story of a smart kid - a member of the current crop of outgoing graduating seniors. For the purposes of protecting the student's identification, I'll refer to the student as School Pride (SP for short.) This week, SP will walk proudly down the aisle for graduation as a member of the class of 2010. Having had SP as a student, I have always enjoyed talking about the time the student has spent here in America and abroad. You see, SP is not from the United States originally. SP came here last year to begin the last two years of school while spending summers back home. The student is extremely fluent in English and upon meeting this youngster, you would think, "This kid is just another smart high school student with a great personality and a bright future ahead." Well, that's all true. SP has a 3.8 GPA and Tuesday night at the school's student awards ceremony, SP was honored several times with awards and scholarships offered, all for academic purposes. SP is on track to do some really great things in life.

There is one setback, however. When SP's name is called to receive a diploma, this enchanting student will walk up to the podium, smile, shake everyone's hand and tell them, "Thanks." Unfortunately, what SP will be thanking them for is not the high school diploma for which SP has worked so hard. Instead, SP will be given a "Certificate of Completion." To accept those scholarships to houses of higher learning, this honors student will now have to apply for, and receive, a GED. Why? SP was not able to overcome some difficulties when taking the dreaded FCAT, and has not achieved a sufficient enough score to garner the diploma most of SP's peers will be receiving.

A high grade average, awards and scholarships for academic achievement...not enough.

We should not have allowed this testing craze to get this far, and it is time to put a stop to it under this administration.

Arne has set up confrontations with teachers' unions because he wants a teacher judged by the test scores of the students.

Just think about these two students with high GPAs and high achievement. Think about how their teachers will be judged and evaluated.

It's nuts, to be blunt. These are not the only students with high GPAs who did not pass the FCAT, and I am sure the scenario plays out across the country.

[villager]

1. it is entirely nuts, and is a system that needs to be demolished, as soon as possible

...and parents, teachers, and students will need to resist, "civilly disobey," whatever it takes...

Teachers' unions need to support teachers who refuse to administer these "tests..."

[madfloridian]

2. No way for locals to intervene. The test is God.

"But, like many "solid" pieces of legislation, this one has not left local, county nor state authorities an "out" in dealing with matters like this. Trust me. I know a lot of the powers that be who have gone to bat for SP and all of them have been left scratching their heads."

http://www.theledger.com/article/20100609/COLUMNISTS/6095000?p=all&tc=pgall&tc=ar

Maybe, just maybe some of the local folks who cared enough to intervene....will wake up and see the harm being done.

[madrchsod]

3. children are not widgets

[RKP5637]

4. I've known top educators that have quit education they are so fed up with what

education has now become in this place loosely defined as a country.

[LeftyMom]

5. How are these students getting good grades if they can't pass a basic test with multiple tries?

The first clip seems to suggest there's some screw-up at the testing company, but I find that a bit hard to believe, since the test was administered multiple times. The second seems to suggest that the student has learning difficulties, which leads me to wonder if the grades were legitimate or if the test was a more accurate assessment of the student's abilities.

I'm not a fan of high stakes testing, but generally these tests involve skills well below grade level, and years of opportunities to pass, so I'm suspicious that supposedly qualified students are failing them.

[madfloridian]

14. Oh, these honor students are just plain dumb. Right?

And they don't achieve things like all the good little FCAT passers do.

I am stunned lately at how closely we toe the line of this administration. Whatever it does, it is okay. Some will defend to the end the power of one test to judge a whole person.

I have given these tests, seen the questions, seen the tears from students who did not understand the question.

The questions were often so misleading that we teachers could not "guesstimate" what answer they desired.

All the superior FCAT passers....go to the front of the line. You are more important and special than any honors student.

I swear I give up. BYE.

[enlightenment]

23. As the poster below said - taking a test proves you can

take a test.

Tests are notoriously difficult to design well and far too easy to design poorly. Add to that problem the very simple fact that everyone learns differently - some people are visual learners, some auditory, etc, etc.

A decent teacher in a classroom environment will offer a variety of paths to the same goal - for instance (yes, I consider myself a decent teacher) - in a given class 'period' I offer lecture along with visual presentation (key points/images/maps/etc); those are accompanied by questioning and discussion, to give me a better feel for their comprehension and give them a chance to work out concepts that are puzzling. Watching is key as well - it's pretty easy to spot a student who isn't 'getting it' and adjust for that - use a different analogy or approach the topic from a different angle.

It's second nature in a classroom to do those things and students generally respond in positive ways - their discussion questions are cogent and their papers are well researched and well reasoned (assuming they have been making an effort to learn).

That said - I can drop a multiple choice/fill in the blank/matching test on them and I'm never surprised that a percentage of the 'brightest' bomb in their attempt.

Their ability to learn - and their accumulation of knowledge - does not necessarily translate to successfully taking a standardized test. Part of it is that those kinds of test suck. Part of it seems to be that students are developing more and more test anxiety - probably because they are forced to take so many of the damn things, for such incredibly high stakes, in high school. By the time I get them, some of them seem positively warped by the experience.

But mostly it is just that one does not equal the other.

I hated maths in school. Struggled to get through the most basic courses. Despised every second of the little study I applied to them - scraped through them. In my junior year of high school they gave us the ACT and SAT. I scored so high on the maths portion (in the 90th percentile) that they thought I had cheated, even though I sat in the front row with the teacher staring at me. When I enlisted in the Air Force in my early 20s and took the entry assessment test, the same thing happened. The 90th percentile on every category except mechanics (silhouettes of tools? Really??)

I don't know maths - but I take tests very well.

Be suspicious if you like; that's your choice of course . . . but those stories ring very true to me.
:)

[proud2BlibKansan]

43. It's not at all uncommon for students to have trouble passing standardized tests

There's nothing wrong with it either.

I had the opposite problem. I always did well on tests and my teachers and parents expected me to be an A student because of my test scores. It sucked.

We need to stop this testing insanity.

[ecstatic]

72. Sometimes grades are based on how much a teacher likes you

compared to the other students.

[knitter4democracy]

73. I've seen it happen several times.

I had many kids in Ohio fail the writing section of the 9th grade proficiency test because they had the audacity to answer it creatively. You have to look at the testing company: who grades those writing sections? Trust me, it's not English teachers. Years ago, when I was in Ohio, the Plain Dealer tracked it back and found that it was people with just a two year degree who were given a minute or less to grade an essay. No wonder my students were failing--if they didn't toe the line and write the standard pablum, then they failed because the grader didn't have enough time to read it through carefully and make sure it was well-written.

I see you're not asking who's writing the test questions, what those questions actually test, how those skills are tested, or whether the tests are accurate reflections of what they say they are. When you have a lot of great, smart kids failing a test that a lot of great, not-as-smart kids have been failing for awhile, it's time to look at the test and who's grading it.

[Gormy Cuss]

76. Some students have brain freezes when confronted with standardized testing.

Some others think outside of the box and find that their response isn't one of the options listed. I went to school with an absolutely brilliant kid who couldn't score above a 500 on the SAT even after copious amounts of coaching.

It's just one reason why one-size-fits-all assessment tools are deficient.

[johnaries]

6. As a college professor once told me, "tests only prove

that you can take tests."

[bluestateguy]

7. It almost makes you wonder why even bother with grades anymore

At a bare minimum, students with a GPA above (I don't know) 3.00 should be exempted from the test.

I also can't help but think that maybe much of the standardized testing demands come because local property values can actually be affected by them.

[Angry Dragon]

8. It has been reported that Arne Duncan

has appeared on the show, "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader", and it was found that he was not.
The White House has been notified and they said that Mr. Duncan would not be able to keep his job.
It seems that he lied on his intelligence.

It appears that Mr. Duncan will have to go back to 4th grade, and pass all tests before he will be
able to work for the government again.

[madfloridian]

39. Now that is funny.

:hi:

[Taitertots]

9. This reeks of grade puffery

If they expect to go to college they better get over "not testing well". It is going to be a series of tests about increasingly difficult material. Maybe college is not for them.

They need to get a different testing company. One that will be able to tell students why they failed a test.

[Ken Burch]

11. Oh c'mon...nobody's going to be an Honor Student solely on grade puffery,

And why are you assuming we can TRUST standardized tests? They're graded by computers...the same devices Republicans want to use to tabulate election results.

[Taitertots]

13. There can be both puffery and the need for accountability in the testing

They are not mutually exclusive concepts.

C'mon what honor student can't answer rudimentary questions when given multiple attempts. If you can't answer rudimentary questions why should you get the certification the other students earned by being able to answer rudimentary questions?

[Ken Burch]

16. You're assuming there's nothing weird with the tests.

And for puffery to be the culprit in the case of an Honor Student, you'd have to have ALL the teachers colluding in grade inflation on this one particular kid. Do you really see that as a credible possibility?

[madfloridian]

17. When you argue with one using the words "grade puffery"....you waste your time.

I don't even intend to try it anymore.

Arrogant beyond belief that statement...but good luck to you. :hi:

[Ken Burch]

19. Yeah, that person is clearly a victim of "thought puffery".

n/t.

[madfloridian]

21. Interesting turn of the phrase.

:)

[erodriguez]

100. Good one.

[Taitertots]

24. Your assuming something is weird with the test when the student failed multiple times

You should be assuming something is weird with their systemic processes after honor students consistently fail to demonstrate rudimentary skills.

[Ken Burch]

27. You haven't SEEN the FCAT.

You don't know what's on it.

You're insulting these kids out of complete ignorance of the situation.

Why are you going to the mat for the notion of the infallibility of The Test. Why do you just assume that the test can be trusted and the grades of ALL this kid's teachers' can't?

Do you own stock in a testing company?

[Taitertots]

35. Every other person in the graduating class managed to pass it

How would the testing company make more money by failing students who put down the correct answers? Do you really think their game is to select students and fail them multiple times to make money?

Someone can do the homework, try hard, get extra credit, score mediocre of tests, retain very little material, and have a high GPA.

[Ken Burch]

36. You are WAY too invested in proving this kid didn't deserve good grades.

It's a sick attitude to take towards a young man who did nothing to you.

There's no reason to assume the tests are the last word on actual achievement. It could be there was computer error, it could be that the kid panics solely at standardized tests(this happens a lot among even very smart kids), it could be he had a vision problem that was exacerbated by the small size of the print on the test page.

It's really getting creepy that you are so certain the test got it right and ALL the kid's teachers got it wrong. It's just not plausible that you'd have that kind of group teacher collusion on one kid's grades.

[Taitertots]

60. So invested that I won't do anything other than post on a message board about it

The student was given multiple chances and failed. I'm not going to weave a web of fantasy to explain away the failure. He could have had to poop really bad every time they tried.

Teacher give better grades to students who try hard, do their work, participate in class, and put forth the extra effort. It is not collusion for one student. Why are you so convinced they got it right, when the student repeatedly fails to demonstrate the ability to recall and apply the material?

[proud2BlibKansan]

67. How do you know that every other student passed?

Did I miss that in the OP?

[Taitertots]

84. Everyone who got a diploma passed it n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

88. But is that everyone else in the class?

[Taitertots]

94. Do you consider people who didn't get diplomas part of the graduating class? n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

107. I consider everyone enrolled in the class to be part of the class

[snooper2]

77. No, everyone can know what's on it, just use the Intertubes..

The Intertubes are your friend...

You can click on the linky

Or you can read through the jibberish from my cut and paste as it's a PDF and figures/pictures tend not to copy well :)


Linky to testies
http://www.edinformatics.com/testing/fla.htm


Grade 10 Math Test
http://fcat.fldoe.org/pdf/releasepdf/06/FL06_Rel_G10M_TB_Cwf001.pdf

Directions for Completing the Response Grid
1.�Work the problem and find an answer.
2.�Write your answer in the answer boxes at the top of the grid.
•
Print your answer with the first digit in the left answer box, OR with the last digit in the right answer box.
•
Print only one digit or symbol in each answer box. Do NOT leave a blank answer box in the middle of an answer.
•
Be sure to write a decimal point or fraction bar in the answer box if it is part of
the answer. 3.�Fill in a bubble under each box in which you wrote your answer.
•
Fill in one and ONLY one bubble for each answer box. Do NOT fill in a bubble under an unused answer box.
•
Fill in each bubble by making a solid black mark that completely fills the circle.
•
You MUST fill in the bubbles accurately to receive credit for your answer.
Parts of a Response Grid
Response grids have these parts:
/ / / . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 answer boxes fraction bar decimal point number bubbles
Page 3
FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education
andFCATonSSSFCATGrades 9–10 FCAT Mathematics Reference Sheet
Area Triangle A = 1 2 bh Rectangle A = l w Trapezoid A = 1 2 h (b1 + b2) KEY b = base d = diameter h = height r = radius l = length A = area w = width C = circumference = slant height V = volume S.A. = surface area Use 3.14 or 22 7 for π. Parallelogram Circle A = bh A = π r2 Circumference C = πd or C = 2πr Right Cone Circular Volume/Capacity V = 3 1 πr2 h Total Surface Area + πr2 or S.A. = πrS.A. = 1 2 (2πr) + πr2 Right Square Pyramid Sphere V = V = 3 1 lwh 4 3 πr3 S.A. = 4( 1 l2 S.A. = 4πr2 )+ l2 or S.A. = 2l + l2 Cylinder Right Circular V = πr2 h S.A. = 2πrh +2πr2 Rectangular Prism V = lwh S.A. = 2(lw)+ 2(hw) + 2(lh) In the following formulas, n represents the number of sides. • In a polygon, the sum of the measures of the interior angles is equal to 180(n − 2). • In a regular polygon, the measure of an interior angle is equal to 180(n − 2) .
n
Fold and Tear Carefully Along Dotted Line.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... This FCAT Mathematics Reference Sheet is for use only on the SSS FCAT MathematicsTest.
Page 4
FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education
andFCATonSSSFCATFold and Tear Carefully Along Dotted Line....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................This FCAT Mathematics Reference Sheet is for use only on the SSS FCAT Mathematics Test. Grades 9–10 FCAT Mathematics Reference Sheet
Pythagorean theorem: a2 +b2 =c2c a Distance between two points P1 (x1, y1) and P2 (x2, y2): (x2 -x1)2 + (y2 -y1)2 b Midpoint between two points P1 (x1, y1) and P2 (x2, y2): x2 + x1 2 , y2 + y1 2 )(Slope-intercept form of an equation of a line: where m = slope and b = the y-intercept. y = mx + b I = prt where p = principal, r = rate, t = time. Simple interest formula: d = rt Distance, rate, time formula: where d = distance, r = rate, t = time. Conversions 1 yard = 3 feet = 36 inches 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces 1 mile = 1760 yards = 5280 feet 1 pint = 2 cups 1 acre = 43,560 square feet 1 quart = 2 pints 1 hour = 60 minutes 1 gallon = 4 quarts 1 minute = 60 seconds 1 liter = 1000 milliliters = 1000 cubic centimeters 1 pound = 16 ounces 1 meter = 100 centimeters = 1000 millimeters 1 ton = 2000 pounds 1 kilometer = 1000 meters 1 gram = 1000 milligrams 1 kilogram = 1000 grams Metric numbers with four digits are presented without a comma (e.g., 9960 kilometers). For metric numbers greater than four digits, a space is used instead of a comma (e.g., 12 500 liters).
Page 5
FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education
This is a picture of a generic calculator and its parts.
•–
GENERIC MODEL
0 =+ 123% 456 – 789 ✕ MRC CE M + M – ÷+ ON/C OFF ME Solar Cell Memory Indication Display Negative Sign Error Indication Memory Keys On/Clear Off Sign Change Division Percent Multiplication Square Root Subtraction Clear Entry Addition Equal Sign Decimal Point HELPFUL HINTS FOR TAKING THE FCAT MATHEMATICS SSS TEST
1.
Read the problem very carefully. Then decide whether or not you need the calculator to help you solve the problem.
2.
When starting a new problem, always clear your calculator by pressing the clear key.
3.
If you see an E in the display, clear the error before you begin.
4.
If you see an M in the display, clear the memory and the calculator before you begin.
5.
If the number in the display is not one of the answer choices, check your work. Remember that when computing with certain types of fractions, you may have to round the number in the display.
6.
Remember, your calculator will NOT automatically perform the algebraic order of operations.
7.
Calculators might display an incorrect answer if you press the keys too quickly. When working with calculators, use careful and deliberate keystrokes, and always remember to check your answer to make sure that it is reasonable.
8.
The negative sign may appear either to the left or to the right of the number.
9.
Always check your answer to make sure that you have completed all of the necessary steps.
Page 6
FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education
4
FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book
Use the space in the Test Book to do your work. If you change your answer, be sure to erase completely.

1
Tonja and Edward are participating in a jog-a-thon to raise money for charity. Tonja will raise $20, plus $2 for each lap she jogs. Edward will raise $30, plus $1.50 for each lap he jogs. The total amount of money each will raise can be calculated using the following expressions where n represents the number of laps run:
Tonja: 20
2n Edward: 30
1.50n
After how many laps will Tonja and Edward have raised the same amount of money?
A. 3
B. 6.5
C. 14.5
D. 20
Page 7
FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education
FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book

2
Stan weighs 150 pounds (lbs) and would like to gain between 0.5 and 1.0 pound (lb)
per week over the next 10 weeks. He plans to record his progress on the graph below. On the graph, the dotted line represents a weight-gain rate of exactly
0.5
pound per week, and the solid line represents a weight-gain rate of exactly
1.0
pound per week.
STAN’S WEIGHT-GAIN PROGRESS 1.0 lb per week weight gain 0.5 lb per week weight gain Weight (in lbs) 160 159 158 157 156 155 154 153 152 151 150 KEY C B A 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Week
If Stan gains between 0.5 and 1.0 pound per week, which region on the graph will contain all possible points that could represent Stan’s weight-gain progress?
F. region A G. region B H. region C I. regions A and B combined
Page 8
FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education
FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book

3
Tom used the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the direct distance from his house to the park. He found the distance to be
miles.
50 not to scale
Which of the following is equivalent to
50? A. 52
B. 10
C. 25
D. 252
Page 9
FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education

FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book

4
Highlands Park is located between two parallel streets: Walker Street and James Avenue. The park faces Walker Street and is bordered by two brick walls that intersect James Avenue at point C, as shown below.
A Walker St. B Highlands Parkbrick wall brick wall 36° 60°
James Ave. C
What is the measure of
∠ACB,
the angle formed by the park’s two brick walls?
F. 96 G. 84 H. 60 I. 36
5
In 1995, there was a total of 7.2 million acres of pine forests in Florida. All of the
forests were either natural or planted by people. Given that 4.4 million acres of these pine forests were planted by people, how many millions of acres of these pine forests were natural?
/ / / . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9          
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FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education
FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book

6
To determine the mean width of Lake Okeechobee, 7 line segments were drawn at even intervals across the map below.
LAKE OKEECHOBEE 15 km 24 km 42 km 49 km 42 km 32 km 20 km
Using the lengths of these 7 line segments, what is the mean width, in kilometers, of Lake Okeechobee?
/ / / . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9          
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FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education
FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book

7
Abdul plans schedules for several biologists who are researching the manatee. One biologist must travel from Newport to Russell Key. Later the biologist has a meeting in Islamorada. Abdul must use the map below to find the distance from Russell Key to Islamorada to determine how much time the biologist can spend on Russell Key.
Russell Key 13.2 mi. Newport Islamorada 15.5 mi.
What is the distance in miles (mi.) from Russell Key to Islamorada?
FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education
/ / / . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9          
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FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book

8
In 1790, the United States had a population of approximately 4,000,000 people, as shown on the graph below.
U.S. POPULATION
10 5 20 15 25 0 Number of People (in millions) 1790 1800 1810 1820 1830 1840 1850
Year
According to the graph, in what year had the population grown to approximately twice that number?
A. 1797
B. 1808
C. 1813
D. 1822
Page 13
FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education
FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book

9
An environmental group needed to determine the number of palmetto palms in a nature preserve. The group used a map of the preserve and counted the number of palmetto palms within a square section.
NATURE PRESERVE KEY 4 Palmetto Palms










Square Section
Assuming that the number of palmetto palms within the square section is representative of the entire nature preserve, which is closest to the number of palmetto palms within the entire nature preserve?
F. 40
G. 150
H. 650
I. 1000
Page 14
FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education

FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book
10
Robert is making a landscape drawing for his backyard on the coordinate grid below. He is drawing a path. One side of the path represented by
←→ ST
is already drawn. He wants to draw the other side of the path through point R and point Q so that
QR
will be parallel to
←→ ST .
Which of the following coordinates for point Q would make
QR
parallel to
←→ ST ? A. (-6, 2) B. (-7, 0) C. (6, 2) D. (7, 0)
Page 15
FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education
FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book

11
An artist sells earrings from a booth at a fair. Rent for the booth is $250. The artist makes $6 from each pair of earrings sold. The profit in dollars, P, can be found using the following equation, where n is the number of pairs of earrings sold.
P  6n  250
How many pairs of earrings must the artist sell to earn a profit of $500 ?
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FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education

12
FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book
A jeweler made earrings by cutting wedges from silver disks. Each wedge cut from a
disk made a
40
angle at the center of the disk.
40˚
If the weight of each uncut disk was 2.7 grams, how many grams did each wedge weigh?
FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education
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Page 17

13
FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book
Byron is painting a mural showing a series of equilateral triangles. The first
triangle will have sides 1000 centimeters (cm) long. The sides of each subsequent triangle will be 20% smaller than the triangle before. Byron’s sketch of the mural is shown below.
1000 cm
What will be the length, in centimeters, of one side of the fourth triangle?
/ / / . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9          
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FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education

14
FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book
Julio’s music appreciation class is studying examples of classical music used in films. Each student is randomly assigned to report on 2 of the selections listed in the table.
CLASSICAL MUSIC IN FILMS
Film Title
Composer
Selection
A Clockwork Orange
Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 “Choral”
A Room with a View
Puccini
Gianni Schicchi
Amadeus
Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 20
Apocalypse Now
Wagner
Ride of the Valkyries
Au Revoir les Enfants
Schubert
Moment Musical No. 2
From the music selections above, how many combinations of 2 are possible?
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FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education


FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book
15� In music a certain “A note” has a frequency of 440 hertz (vibrations per second).
This is called the first harmonic. The second harmonic of that “A note” is 880 hertz, and the third harmonic is 1,320 hertz. According to this pattern, what is the frequency of the fifth harmonic?
F. 880 hertz
G. 1,760 hertz
H. 2,200 hertz
I. 2,640 hertz
16�
In a survey, people were asked to choose a favorite art activity. The information in the table below shows some of the results of the survey.
FAVORITE ART ACTIVITIES OF SOME PEOPLE (in millions)
Age
Pottery
Needlework
Photography
Painting
Creative Writing
18–24
2.2
4.3
2.7
4.6
3.4
25–34
4.2
10.2
6.2
4.2
3.0
35–44
4.0
10.0
5.2
4.0
3.2
45–54
2.5
7.2
3.6
2.2
1.9
Total
12.9
31.7
17.7
15.0
11.5
According to the information in the table, which of the following statements is true?
A. More people aged 25 to 34 chose needlework than the total number of people who chose creative writing.
B. Two times as many people aged 45 to 54 chose photography as chose needlework.
C. Less than sixteen percent of the people represented in the table chose pottery.
D. Fifteen percent of the people represented in the table chose painting.
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FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education
FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book


17
The number of shoppers at a Fort Myers flea market ranges from an average of
55,000 per weekend during the tourist season to an average of 18,000 on a summer weekend.
What is the percent of decrease, to the nearest whole number, in the number of shoppers at the flea market from the tourist season to a summer weekend?
F. 18%
G. 33%
H. 55%
I. 67%
18
A local bakery is baking cakes for a restaurant owner. The bakery sells one kind
of cake for $16 and another kind of cake for $12. The restaurant owner will pay $1,000 all together for 70 cakes. This information can be represented by the following equations, where x represents the number of $16 cakes and y represents the number of $12 cakes.
16x
12y  1,000 x
y  70
How many $16 cakes should the bakery bake for the restaurant owner?
/ / / . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9          
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FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education

19
FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book
Brian works for a caterer who prepares and serves barbecued beef. The amount of
beef is prepared according to the following table.
BARBECUED BEEF PLANNING CHART
Number of Guests
Pounds of Beef
10
8
20
16
30
24
40
32
Based on the pattern in the table, how many pounds of beef should be prepared for 225 guests?
/ / / . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9          
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FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education
FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book

20
The manager of a computer help center made a table to track customer calls. The table below shows the number of telephone calls and the duration of the calls in minutes, t.
DURATION OF CUSTOMER CALLS
Call Duration (t minutes) Number of Calls t  4 120 4
t  8 225 8
t  12 210 12
t  16 150 16
t  20 30 20
t  24 15
What percent of the telephone calls received during this one-day period lasted less than 16 minutes?
/ / / . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9          
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FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education


21
FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book
A toy company manufactured 12,000 model racecars. Alisha, who works in the
quality control group, chose 250 of the model racecars at random and had them checked for defects. Of the 250 racecars, 212 were found to have NO defects. Assuming this ratio held true for all 12,000 model racecars, how many of the racecars had defects?
/ / / .... . 0123456789  0123456789  0123456789  0123456789  0123456789 
10MAA343G4278
013725
Left SESSION: 366 PAGE: 24 7/6/106 8:20 LOGIN IS-pam PATH: @
sun2/xydisk2/CLS_psycorp/GRP_florida/JOB_07g6-10/DIV_g10math-rel
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FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test  2006 Florida Department of Education
FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book

22
FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education
An automobile testing organization is verifying the acceleration characteristics of a car. The car will accelerate at a rate of 3 miles per hour per second from 0 miles per hour (mph) to 45 mph. The graph below shows the beginning of the ideal acceleration plot.
CAR ACCELERATION Speed (in miles per hour) 48 45 42 39 36 33 30 27 24 21 18 15 12 9 6 3 0 1 23 4 56 7 8 9 10 111213 1415 1617181920 Time (in seconds)
If the rate of acceleration remains constant, how many seconds will it take the car to reach its final test speed?
/ / / . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9           0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9          
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FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book
23
Three families are traveling west on the Overland Trail. They are taking the same path the pioneer families did in the 1850s. The families started together 360 miles from their final destination. The graph below shows the line of best fit for the distance each family has left to travel at the end of the first 11 days.
OVERLAND TRAIL TRIP
Distance Left to Travel (in miles) 400
300 200 100 x x x x 5 10 15 20 25 300 KEY Jones family Powers family Smith family x Number of Days Traveled
If each family continues to travel at the same rate, approximately what total number of miles will the Jones family have left to travel at the end of the fifteenth day?
A. 115 miles
B. 140 miles
C. 150 miles
D. 170 miles
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FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
2006 Florida Department of Education

FCAT Mathematics Released Test Book
24
The Venn diagram below shows the types of novels the literature club members read during their summer break.
LITERATURE CLUB SUMMER READING Adventure Romance 36 2 28 14 7 3 43 Mystery
Which of the following is NOT supported by the information in the Venn diagram?
F. 21 members read both an adventure novel and a romance novel
G. 64 members read only an adventure novel or a mystery novel
H. 26 members read all three types of novels
I. 67 members read a romance novel
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FCAT 2006 Mathematics Released Test
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[haele]

25. I know lots of people who have problems with harder multiple choice tests - because they overthink

the test rather than not know the subject. That's the reason I can tend to screw up on them, unless I check myself. Easy ones are a breeze, it's when you go over and over a question that you psyche yourself out.
I was damn lucky of two things when I went through high school: 1) multiple choice questions were never really a big part of the finals, and 2) my dad let me help him grade undergrad papers (while he was getting his master's in FE history) so that I was able to figure out where I was going wrong when asking him why these smart university students were getting simple questions wrong.

Haele

[madfloridian]

28. I have a son that read too much into questions.

Very bright, two masters, high level job.

He never took that single test as well as he could. He assumed they were trying to trick him.

I feel very sorry if the people arguing "grade puffery" have kids. They will be putting undue pressure on their kids to achieve the one test and forget their daily grades and work.

[Taitertots]

42. Two masters degrees, he must have passed a lot of multiple choice tests

How would he feel if they gave masters degrees to people who failed all those tests after given multiple tries?

The "daily grades and work" are how you build the knowledge base so that you can pass tests.

[Ken Burch]

44. There are NO FCAT-type tests after high school

That type of test is strictly used in secondary and primary education.

[Taitertots]

61. MCAT, LSAT, GRE, GMAT n/t

[onpatrol98]

63. GMAT drove me nuts...

Yeah! I was wondering about that...there are plenty of tests after high school depending on what you choose to do with your life. Even basic competency tests for some jobs.

[snooper2]

79. Shit, try taking a CCIE in voice or routing

:)

[enlightenment]

110. All tests that are designed to assess ABILITY -

not standardized levels of knowledge. There is no presumption that a person entering law school knows the law - the test is designed to determine if that person has the capacity to learn the law.

SAT and ACT do the same thing. None of these tests are perfect - far from it - but no one who knows anything about them would compare them to the 'prove what you know' crap like the FCAT.

[Taitertots]

32. A lot of people say that but didn't know the material well enough

Seems to me that smart college students were getting some questions wrong was because knowing the answer to 50 or more questions and being able to quicky recall that information is difficult.

[Ken Burch]

46. And you can't see that that could have been the case with THIS kid?

You think THAT is LESS likely than your absurd notion that he made it into the HONOR SOCIETY solely through "grade puffery"?

Again...why are you so invested in defending these tests?

[Taitertots]

49. He didn't know the material well enough and the test was not easy?

When kids can't demonstrate rudimentary skills but are getting high marks something absurd is going on.

Invested? I've been chilling listening to music and posting on a message board. I don't really think that is very invested at all.

[Ken Burch]

50. What I meant is, it seems to be really, REALLY important to you to defend the test

WHY? Standardized tests are a reactionary concept.

[Taitertots]

53. It is so important that if my computer were across the room I would be doing nothing about it

Is your best response opposing standardized tests to make wild political accusations, accuse me of working for testing companies, and accuse the companies of screwing up this student's multiple attempts?

[Ken Burch]

55. It's just hard to credit your loyalty to the testing corporations.

And your assumption that ALL the kid's teacher's would collude in inflating his grades to Honor Roll levels. Have you ever actually heard of that happening anywhere?

Grade inflation is teachers pushing a linebacker's grade's just high enough to let him suit up for the big game, because if they didn't they'd be run out of town by the alumni. Not THIS, for God's sake.

[Taitertots]

57. That is collusion, not grade puffery

Grade puffery is systemic. Grade puffery is giving students who don't retain the material higher grades than they deserve for doing homework, participation, or extra credit. It is not teachers getting to together to inflate grades like your example. This is the systemic disconnect between results and grades.

[haele]

54. Two years ago, I got to look over the kidlet's CSAT Standardized test

for advancement to 10th grade.
5% of the social studies/civics, and reading comprehension questions were vague enough that the question had two possible correct answers out of the four, depending on what "learning level" you read the question at. Someone with a higher level education, or who read a different textbook series or even just read voraciously, could answer the question a different way Only one of the correct answers would be scored correctly, so if she picked the "wrong right answer", she'd get it wrong.
Guess that was meant to be tricky, to see which teachers and schools were teaching the proper curriculum, or which ones were being too, well, independent.
Out of the grammar and reading/writing comprehension questions, there were at least 2% that had no right answer.
A couple science questions looked as if they were being asked on the wrong level. Also, if the kid was taking a different science sequence, he or she could have easily not had a course that some of the questions were being asked about, and just have to rely on guesswork.
The math questions were pretty standard, not much you could mess up on those.
Overall test typos - about 2%.
Throw in a glitchy computer or an incorrect keycode for the test, and you can easily fail an honor student who was just having a bad test day - a 80% pass can easily become a 70% fail with a subjectively developed standardized test that has a full 10% development error built in.
And yes, they allow a certain percentage of test answer errors in these tests - even higher level tests like the ASVAB, SAT, and LSAT are allowed some version errors in their current incarnations. Especially since more and more developers depend on "Spellcheck" rather than pay a subject matter expert to go over the final draft in detail.
As for taking an important test several times and getting progressively worse? Well, we're getting into the area where it's not a matter of mental smarts but emotional smarts. Teenagers are notoriously "sensitive" - even the good ones that struggle with the dreaded esteem issues or with a higher functioning mental illness like some forms of OCD or autism spectrum can succumb to a failure loop reaction when they hit a nasty surprise like failing when they were expecting to at least pass. If you've never watched someone hit an emotional wall where they just can't pass that one multiple choice test that doesn't allow them to explore the edges of the question or give them any feedback, but could easily write seven 10-page essays on each of the subjects, then it's probably very easy to say "they don't know the course material well enough".
Standardized tests don't really measure anything but a rudimentary awareness of the subject under test and the ability to take a multiple choice test.

Haele

[Mariana]

59. Of course, they make the kids go over and over the questions

until the kids psych themselves out. "Go check your answers again" is what they're told if they finish before the (long) test period is over. I've always wondered how many right answers get changed to wrong ones as a result.

[BadgerKid]

66. Which is also why it's said

when it comes down to two choices, go with your first answer unless when you go back you have specific reasons against it.

[madfloridian]

12. I so disagree. Grades and actions during the years are vital...

One test is ridiculous.

"grade puffery"....what the hell kind of talking point is that?

What a student accomplishes in real life, daily life, work in portfolios....is so much more indicative.

Yeh, right...tell the honor students not to go to college...it is not for them. :sarcasm:

I try very hard not to be rude even at ludicrous responses, but I am think I am failing on this one. So I will back off from you. Too easy to get in trouble here if we argue.

[Ken Burch]

18. If the kid was AA, this could be the State of Florida doing unto the kid

as the young Malcolm X's grade school teacher did unto him when he said he wanted to be a lawyer.

I won't quote what the teacher said on DU, because it would violate board rules. But it's there in the AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X
(and in Spike Lee's very accurate Malcolm biopic).

[Taitertots]

20. Grades and actions don't matter if they didn't learn the material

If you go through the motions but don't retain the material then you shouldn't get the certification that the other students earned for being able to do that.

Grade puffery is giving high marks to students who try hard but are unable to meet performance expectations.

They shouldn't go to college because they can't apply rudimentary concepts. They are going to be faced with a series of increasingly difficult tests.

[Ken Burch]

30. Again, why are you ASSUMING here that the FCAT results

(Which haven't been shared with the student OR his parents)can be trusted but none of the kid's grades can?

Do you honestly believe ALL the kids teachers would give him exemplary grades if he wasn't mastering the material?

One inflated grade in ONE class...possible...two...maybe...three...getting iffy...but ALL of them?

Why would you even THINK that?

It seems unpleasantly important to you to believe that this kid didn't deserve to graduate, for some reason.

[Taitertots]

40. They failed multiple chances

Why are you assuming foul play after multiple failed attempts?

What was their core GPA? Multiple years getting A's in gym, band, and auto while just getting by in core classes can inflate a GPA quite well on it's own. At that point grade puffery is giving C's and B's to a student who tries hard (homework, participation) but deserves D's and F's(Little retained knowledge).

[Ken Burch]

41. You are just convinced the kid is stupid, and nothing will change your narrow view.

You want him to settle for being a carpenter, like Malcolm X's teacher did. That's the only conclusion I can draw from your attitude.

There is NO reason for you to be such an unyielding defender of the right-wing Republican concept of standardized tests.

[Taitertots]

47. Produce the tiniest shred of evidence for discrimination before comparing them to Malcolm X

Malcolm X was able but deprived, these people had every chance and failed.

[Ken Burch]

48. The only possible reason I can come up with for your intransigence here

is that you MUST own tons of stock in testing companies. Otherwise, there's no way you'd be this adamant about insisting "it had to be the kid's own fault".

And proof of discrimination?

This is Florida. 'Nuff said.

[Taitertots]

51. As far as I know they have not even released their race

How many times does he have to fail before you would accept the results?

[Ken Burch]

52. Why do you assume the tests prove anything at all?

The tests are just dots fed into a computer.

[Taitertots]

58. They prove the ability to recall and apply what they have learned

Now you are going to fall back onto the existential argument. If tests are dots fed into a computer, then grades are just letters written on paper.

[Ken Burch]

64. No. Because grades are assigned by actual human beings

Who are actually capable of ascertaining learning.

[Taitertots]

83. Tests were created and administered by human beings

Obviously the teachers in this case were not able to do it very well, which is why a standardized test is important. When teachers are giving high marks to students that consistently fail to demonstrate rudimentary concepts then there is obviously something flawed in their assignment of grades.

[notesdev]

62. "...but ALL of them?" - yep

Well known phenomenon called "grade inflation". There are many motivations for doing it, and it often happens in clusters. The purpose of a standardized test is that it eliminates the variations in grading styles between schools.

Here are the released tests, apparently the ones this student failed are the 10th grade ones:

http://fcat.fldoe.org/fcatrelease.asp

Of these tests, which do you find to be unreasonable to ask a student to pass? I took a few minutes to look through the questions, and what I saw seemed not to be particularly challenging.

[proud2BlibKansan]

38. Grade puffery?

:rofl:

[Odin2005]

69. This poster is a perfect example of the Cult of Test Objectivity.

Members of this cult believe that test results are king and teachers are all liars.

[Taitertots]

86. Thank you for telling me what I believe, instead of asking me

I believe that vast majority of teachers are going the a great job. There are a tiny fraction that don't do very well. Standardized tests should be used to determine if students are falling through the cracks, getting high grades while consistently failing to apply basic concepts.

I don't believe standardized tests should be used to determine teacher pay, school funding, or act as the foundation to bemoan public education.

[LanternWaste]

97. Precisely what leads you to that conclusion?

"This reeks of grade puffery..."

Precisely what leads you to that conclusion?

[Ken Burch]

10. The whole "the test is what matters" thing is based on the ludicrous belief

that teachers can't be trusted to give their own students grades based on actual achievement.

And, most especially, it's based(often)on the racist assumption that no student of color could actually EARN good grades on the merits.

We need to call the Educational/Industrial complex out on this shit, and now!

[madfloridian]

15. Tonight I learned that pride in good work and grades is "grade puffery."

Ain't it damn amazing?

Toe the line, never question, put down the honor students.

:sarcasm:

[madfloridian]

22. To clarify to those who love the words "grade puffery"....honor students

with high GPAs must have mastered the class room material.

The FCAT is made in secret without oversight....it sets an agenda of its own.

It does not indicate who has mastered anything else but what is on its test.

We are destroying public education and the futures of students with those tests.

Yet because a Democratic administration is doing it....it is just fine and dandy.

[Ken Burch]

26. It's all about the Obama administration taking it out on students and teachers everywhere

just because there were some bad teachers in Chicago.

Wicked inappropriate of the prez and Arne, really.

[minavasht]

29. OK,

If the School Pride have "some" difficulties with the test, then maybe college is not for him?
I assume he took tests over the same material and supposedly he passed them before ( with high grades too).
Now he suddenly he can't.

College is all about learning and taking tests to show it.
Then it will be college's fault that College Pride, a.k.a School Pride cannot take those dreaded tests.

[madfloridian]

31. Oh, yeh, buddy. Keep all those honor students out of college.

:rofl:

It is getting very deep in here.

:eyes:

[Ken Burch]

34. Why are so many posters part of the "Cult of The Test"?

You'd think THEY were the ones who created the FCAT.

[minavasht]

95. Here

is the 2006 10th grade released math test .
http://fcat.fldoe.org/pdf/releasepdf/06/FL06_Rel_G10M_AK_Cwf001.pdf
Do me a favor and go trough the questions and tell me which ones a honor student should be excused from answering?
Get real.

[madfloridian]

99. Get real?

[minavasht]

101. These are the problems

that School Pride could not solve after 10th grade?

No surprise that the blowout preventer did not prevent anything. Probably another school's Pride designed the thing.

[madfloridian]

108. Stunning...

[Ken Burch]

33. Most of the time in college, you don't take STANDARDIZED tests.

They are usually essay exams or multiple-choice, and not constructed in the same way as tests like the FCAT. Standardized tests are essentially irrelevant to post-secondary education.

[madfloridian]

37. Good point.

[pitohui]

87. much of the time you DO take standardized or group tests if it's important

such things as SAT, ACT will be required to even get into college, GRE, LSAT, etc. if you want to continue

for IMPORTANT subjects you will likely be asked to pass a group exam, for example, for calculus, all students at my university had to pass the same exam, because calculus is so core that it cannot be left up to individual profs, some of whom are let's face it flakey and will drift along and not get so far as another prof...knowing you will be asked to take a group exam in competition with ALL in yr subject area motivates you to make sure you get all the knowledge

this ain't theoretical for me, one of my calculus profs lost his wife and son in an accident and was absent for almost the entire semester, which did not excuse me or anyone else in my class for learning the material, we just had to seek out ways to get the information on our own (i contacted the math lab for a tutor since i was low income that year and i did fine, got an A actually, if anybody cares)

at the end of the day, life WILL test you, and if you are the type of person who chokes, that is really sad, but you are going to have a terrible life unless you get therapy or whatever is needed to stop choking because LIFE WILL TEST YOU

failing a simple standardized test multiple times because you freak out or self sabotage should be a lesson that you need to get help NOW to figure out why you're screwing yourself up, because it won't get any better in later life unless you fix the self sabotage

[jp11]

45. I recall the 'test teaching sessions' when we were all forced to stop learning

and do 'lessons' on how to take standardized tests. I have no idea how messed up the FCAT might be but seems like there is a problem when students who have done very well aren't passing it.

[rucky]

56. Yep. We had to quit teaching Science and Social Studies in January

because they weren't on the May test for that grade. I ended up sneaking SS into the reading drills. Science was tougher, because they wouldn't let us check out the lab materials.

I quit teaching after that year.

[mfcorey1]

65. I taught in that FCAT madness.

I witnessed students threatening suicide, becoming depressed, and quitting school because of failure to pass the required state monster. Some of the breakdown in education in Florida began with Jeb Bush and this pseudo educational tool. Principals prepare at for the beginning of the year with focus on remedial curriculum and placing the best teachers in those classes. The end line is that at the end of the school year when school's are graded based on the performance of their students on the test, no one wants an "F" grade. If you do receive one you are placed in hell and displayed for the entire state to see. Critical thinking and advanced classes suffer as every student is thrown in one pot. Low performing schools are stripped of their excellent students when the state mandates that they can transfer because of the school's grade. That leaves only at risk students in the school creating a vicious cycle of low performers. This is especially in Miami Dade. I believe in assessments, however the use of it in Florida does more harm to students than good. Every thing that they do for twelve years is based on that test.

[Statistical]

68. Last time I checked getting into college requires scoring well on another standardized test : SAT.

http://fcat.fldoe.org/fcatitem.asp

I took a look at some of the sample questions for FCAT. While challenging they are no more difficult than SAT.

[Johonny]

82. some people hate standardized testing

although they generally confuse hating what people use them for, with the tests and testing themselves.

[Bill McBlueState]

70. I hope none of the teachers defending these kids teach statistics.

Standardized test scores and other academic indicators must correlate pretty well. Otherwise, kids who do well in school by all measures except the standardized tests wouldn't be presented as outliers deserving of news coverage; they'd be typical.

When you find an outlier in your data, you investigate it. People need to do the work to figure out why a few kids are failing the standardized tests and succeeding by every other measure. Just assuming it's because something is wrong with the test is intellectually lazy.

[ecstatic]

74. S/he may be horrible with taking tests... or s/he may not know the material

Or the grades may have been inflated in some way BUT... my conclusion is that the student did demonstrate an interest in making good grades and that student deserves to graduate and to move on to college. Most of my friends are excellent test takers but the few who aren't have done exceptionally well (gone on to get Masters etc) due to their drive and work ethic. On the other hand, three of the smartest people I've ever met (with 1400+ old SAT scores) didn't even get their undergraduate degree.

[knitter4democracy]

75. There are many things wrong with the test.

You get kids who earn low grades who can barely read and write who get high test scores and vice versa. You have students who are known good writers failing the writing sections on the tests. You have a test company keeping everything secret, including who is grading the written sections of the test. Why are you arguing in favor of the test?

The reality is, they mess with the scores to make sure they fit into a standard, they mess with the questions and grading of the written sections, they mess with the scores and even admit on their own score sheets that the numbers really don't mean anything and shouldn't be used for much, but hey, let's trust the test, right?

[Bill McBlueState]

78. see, that's the misconception I knew people would have

I'm not arguing in favor of the test. I'm taking a neutral stance until more information is available about why the test gave a result that's out of line with the other indicators.

You know what would be great to see? A plot of (high school GPA) versus (college GPA) right next to (test score) versus (college GPA) for a thousand kids around the state. If the test scores don't correlate as well as the high school GPAs, then the tests are a monumental waste of money.

[Taitertots]

90. Your sample would be biased

Someone who gets consistently low scores on standardized tests is highly unlikely to be accepted into a university. So your sample has already removed the lowest scoring students. This effect is only going to be made worse if there is a strong correlation between test scores and high school GPA.

Your sample should assign a college GPA of 0.0 for all the people who didn't go to college.

[knitter4democracy]

103. It depends on the test--the ACT does well in that comparison.

Then again, it does best for what it was designed for: testing college-prep students. Here in Michigan, that's now the test that all 11th grade students have to take, even the non-college-bound students. I teach in an alternative high school (the one all the local districts try to dump their low-scoring students in), and we have to meet AYP and get our students to do well on the ACT, even though it's an entirely wrong test for the vast majority of them.

Most colleges aren't taking GPA seriously anymore, from what I'm hearing, preferring their own entrance tests or the ACT/SAT scores (whichever they use), but from what we're seeing in the high schools, too many kids are getting left out because of not testing well when the skills are there and obviously so if tested differently.

[Tailormyst]

71. How are they honor students if they can't pass this test?

This is really confusing. I hate testing and would like to see it gone, but still, if the smartest in the school can't pass it, someone needs to find out why. What the heck is on the test?

[snooper2]

80. Check my post 77...everything is one the intertubes...

Even FCAT tests from a couple years back...

The Intertubes are your friend :P

[Tailormyst]

93. Thank you so much for posting that.

I could have done without the unnecessary snark though. It's tough to say thank you to someone for pointing you towards information you can learn from if they end that help with what amounts to as " here is the information, dumbass"

Why is basic civility lost on the "intertubes"?

[LanternWaste]

98. I think it's because...

"Why is basic civility lost on the "intertubes"?

I think it's because, while behind a computer screen a lot of people are heavy-weight boxers in their own minds.

[madfloridian]

81. To conclude...too many in this thread discount a student's school career

to give credence to one test developed secretly with no regulation. A test graded the same way...no outside oversight.

A test not based on the curriculum of the schools, based on unknown criteria.

I have an idea....just don't bother with all the essays, the homework, the classes. Stay home and take the FCAT when the time comes.

Because testing culture mindset is complete now....the test is God. The teachers and students and their efforts mean nothing.

I felt sad and a little sick after reading this thread this morning. Like Arne's won, Gingrich has won...the transition to a single test criterium is complete.

Actually big business has won.

[pitohui]

89. the young man didn't bother w. all the essays, homework, classes in the first case

c'mon, we have all attended school, and we all know that taking a standardized multiple choice test w. questions you just check off is the VERY EASIEST thing you ever get to do in school, other than eat lunch

hell, eating lunch is tougher at some schools, where there's a bully culture

i don't believe this kid did his own homework, there simply isn't way it's possible that a kid who can't check off an a, b, c, d answer can write ESSAYS

i know several functional illiterates, the white ones all had decent grades -- one of them has a college degree and certifications, for that matter, we know in our soul that dubya is a functional illiterate, barely able to read the goat story, and he attended freakin' yale!!!! there are too many work arounds and too many teachers who will let the work arounds work

that, sadly, is one of the reasons these tests became popular in the first place

"homework" is done by others for pay or for favors or threats, bad results on classroom tests are explained away with a cute smile and a "i'm a white middle class kid so i'm auto-entitled to a B" and so on

if you've ever been involved in teaching, you would know how it works if you're honest with yourself

[madfloridian]

92. How pathetic this discussion board has become so dismissive...

of education.

I can't even see arguing such a simplistic summary. Not worth it.

[knitter4democracy]

105. I am a teacher, and I call b.s.

I have taught several students with high abilities who don't test well. One from this last year is a real poet, a true writer who writes poetry on a graduate level (when she's still in high school), and her ACT score was in the basement. Ask her to explain, and you can tell she gets it. Ask her to sit in a pressure situation and figure out which of two similar answers is correct, and she freezes.

I've taught those who don't do their own work, and trust me, they usually get a teacher like me, the one who knows and grades accordingly (we're not that popular, btw). They either learn and figure it out or flunk, and I'm fine with them flunking.

Some people have the brain/thinking style that the test tests, so they do well no matter what. Some don't and never will. The test isn't the be-all answer, just a tool in the toolbox. Unfortunately, everyone these days gets all impressed with the numbers when the numbers are bogus.

Did you know that several years back the ACT had to bump up everyone's scores by two points to keep their numbers in the right boxes? So, my 30 on the ACT would be a 32. Then, they did it again a couple of years back. So, my 30 would be a 34 these days. How can we trust a test that has to keep messing with their product like that? My students aren't dumber than I was in high school; in fact, with the math levels that they're reaching that make my Calculus class my senior year look like a cakewalk, I'd argue that their skillset is more broad and their abilities more complex by the time they graduate.

[pitohui]

85. "honor" students who can't pass a simple multiple choice test --educational fraud

why are you blaming the test? it sounds like there is widespread grade inflation, tantamount to fraud, to going on at some of these high schools

an "honor" student who has a 3.8 GPA yet can't pass a simple multiple choice test...you don't see the problem here? you're blaming the test?

i've heard of and observed "social promotion" but there's a limit, and a student who can't even pass a simple multiple choice test should NOT be receiving a high school diploma, no matter how many teacher you-know-whats he or she went down on to get the grade or no matter how charming his or her personality or no matter how influential his or her dad etc

the kid should have never been kidded along and told he/she was an "honor" student when he couldn't do the smallest, easier part of learning

the child who can't even pass such a test can't do anything advanced and is almost certainly a functional illiterate

this is why testing became so widespread in the first place, the widespread educational fraud, teachers didn't want to deal, so they gave students better and un-earned grades to save an argument, and the kid keeps passed up and up until suddenly it's graduation time and a high school degree has become worthless, not just for THAT kid, but for every kid that attended that school

how many functionally illiterate high school graduates have you had to deal with? because there's a lot of them? how many mathematically illiterates have you had to deal with? i had to tutor some, for extra money, when i was myself a college student, EVEN THOUGH I WAS A DROP-OUT/GED STUDENT MYSELF but i was motivated to learn, these kids knew...well...it was shocking...they basically knew NOTHING and it was difficult to understand how these illiterates were B students!!!

a simple multiple choice test, the kind of thing we have to all do even to get a driver's license...if you CAN'T do that, you CAN'T function as an adult in america, it's that simple and it's cruel to lie and tell that kid he's an "honor" student

i don't like the GOP getting all the $ they get from the testing industry, but it's lazy teachers and social promotions, and teachers grading on "aw, what a nice kid, i'll give him a b anyway" who have fucked it up for everybody else

there has to be some kind of test that is given to all, just as there is in other countries, because other wise there is too much corruption...too many teachers giving kids un-earned grades -- giving a failure an "honor student" record is just fraud, i don't care how sweet the kid or how soft hearted the teacher, IT'S DISHONEST, IT'S CHEATING

grades and diplomas should have some relationship to achievement, and where we can't trust that there is any such relationship, we need objective tests that are the SAME tests everybody else has to pass

[knitter4democracy]

104. It's not a simple test. Take a look at one.

In Michigan, we use the ACT for 11th graders. For all students. Regardless of track, ability, or future plans. Think about that: a test purely and solely designed to show college aptitude is now being used to test all students, even kids with 504s and IEPs (special needs) and low IQs, and used to determine AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) and therefore funding. Does that sound right and fair to you? I teach in an alternative high school, and we have to meet AYP, just like everyone else, only our students are the low-scoring ones the other districts dumped to make their AYP numbers look better.

Look at the tests, and then start asking yourself what they're testing, how they're testing it, and if that will work for all students. It's far more complicated than it sounds.

[zipplewrath]

91. Not new

This story repeats each year in Florida. Some number of kids do fine in their classes, and can't pass the FCAT. The usual explanation is something about a test taking weakness.

If you want some real outrage, here's one of the "solution" paths that popped up a few years back.

The FCAT is only required in public schools.

Private schools don't give the test generally.

There was a kid here that was well on his way to not getting a degree. So the parents pulled him from the public school, weeks from the end of the senior year. They "enrolled" him in a private school, which issued him a graduation diploma based upon his school work and grades at the public school. Off to college he goes.

Neat system huh?

[hapkidogal]

96. Education for profit

Just as everything else in America it's profit that matters. I remember years ago if a child vomited on the FCAT it was to be bagged and sent away as proof the child was there. Why would a child vomit aside from normal reasons? The pressure of this test. This was a Bush family in for their buddies to make money on consulting. Too many times lessons are now missed to teach this test. Teachers are under the gun to teach a test.
The reality is if the serfs are too busy with stupid test. Yes I think the FCAT is stupid.It is a tool to dumb down our society.
Texas has now started their own dumb down with a mixture of theocracy and the Civil War taught through text books. The children of the future are screwed unless their families do the extra work. I see this as another right wing Reagan type coo. It is scary:(

[Dappleganger]

102. The biggest problem which I have as a FL parent

with four children in the system (one having just graduated two weeks ago) is that the FCAT plays too heavy a role in guiding which classes a student should be in (how advanced or remedial) or whether or not a student shall receive a diploma. Not enough credit is given to seasoned teachers and principals in making these decisions when not every student falls within the expected norm. Our oldest daughter received nearly straight-A's in English and literature classes all through middle and high school, yet because she didn't 'test well' on one section of her FCAT was forced to take a remedial reading class in 9th grade, which of course ended up being a complete waste of time. We fought it as high as we could go, but neither the teachers nor the dept. head could change the state's absolute requirement that any child not testing above a certain percentage in that section was forced to take a remedial class. Our daughter was the only student enrolled in a remedial reading class as well as honors English in that grade--absolutely ridiculous! Just one small example of how assinine the state is in making the FCAT the 'be all, end all' in judging student ability, progress and mastery. BTW, that was four years ago and I can only imagine that it's that much worse now. There isn't a seasoned public school teacher I know in our area who likes anything about the FCAT's.

[KamaAina]

106. Well, it's not like the FCAT is culturally biased or anything

like the SATs or IQ tests or... oh never mind. :sarcasm:

[Jkid]

109. The United States is increasinly getting into a exam-focused country.

What is the point of assignments, homework, and portfolios if they mean nothing? For all intents and purposes, he might as well tell high schoolers that they should not waste their time, should go to a GED course if they really want to prepare for a college education and everyone else should go into the workforce.

Not only getting into the teach-for-the-test mentality in Japan, but I fear it will get into the the testing mentality of South Korea. If this keeps up, students will have no social lives at all and we will be having the American equivalent of cram schools. (Oh wait, we already have them.)