A Case Of FCAT-itis

BROOKSVILLE - Has Florida created a monster?
Wednesday marks the second day of the writing portion of the most important, high-stakes test of the season: the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which began Tuesday.
Across the district, Hernando County public school officials have spent the past week hosting pep rallies with celebrity guests, cooking breakfast and stressing stringent test-taking guidelines for students.
But that was only to take some of the pressure off a year filled with Sunshine State Standards.
With the test increasing in importance each year, parents and officials statewide have been raising questions about whether the test is teaching children to think for themselves or just forcing them to memorize FCAT material.
It's overly stressful for young children, said Spring Hill resident Debbie George, who has two children in third grade and one in fifth grade at Suncoast Elementary School in Spring Hill.
"My children are honor roll students and they're freaking out," she said. "My fifth-grader woke up the other night crying hysterically and saying, 'Mommy, what am I going to do if I fail? I won't be able to make it out of fifth grade.'"
"Each year we go through it. Last year he made himself so sick that I had to go get him after the test," she continued. "So when I wrote his excuse note, I called it FCAT-itis. The school (officials) did not appreciate that."
The FCAT is the foundation of the statewide educational assessment and accountability program. Scores provide the basis for the state's school grading system and adequate yearly progress, or AYP, as determined by the Federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
Testing includes a writing test for students in grades 4, 8 and 10; reading and mathematics tests for students in grades 3-10 and a science test for students in grades 5, 8 and 11.
District testing specialist Linda Peirce said the pressure is highest for students in third and tenth grade, due to the fact that third-graders must pass the reading portion of the test to move on to fourth grade and tenth-graders must pass the writing portion to graduate.
"Third grade is very stressful," she said. "I think it's hard for (teachers) to get students to take the test seriously without getting them to be very worried about it."
J.D. Floyd guidance counselor Becky Jackson said that throughout the year, she speaks to students both individually and in groups about test-taking skills and staying calm in stressful situations.
"I teach breathing techniques and (how to) calm down," she said. "I tell them to repeat positive words to themselves, (such as) 'I'm cool, I'm calm,' as well as getting a good night's sleep and eating a good breakfast."
The teachers also teach strategies in classrooms to help children with anxiety, she added.
"We just continue (reinforcing) that this is something they've been practicing for all year, they have all the skills they need to know for this and that they're going to do their best," Jackson said. "We're a team here, and we really try to work together to create a positive atmosphere surrounding the tests."
George said her 8-year-old daughter now goes online once a week to take an FCAT practice test, in addition to her regular homework.
With questions based on the state's Sunshine State Standards, FCAT scores also often determine if a child can move to the next grade level or graduate.
Referring to the test as a "three-ring circus," George said she believes the original mission of the test has been lost.
"I realize it was created to judge the schools and make sure our students are getting a good education, but now it's not about the education - it's about the money," she said. "I know it's not the teachers' fault. They're under the gun, too."
Schools that earn an "A" or improve by a letter grade also earn a bonus of roughly $100 more per student.
Many previously mandatory skills have gotten pushed aside in favor of FCAT drills, such as handwriting, George added.
"If it's not on the FCAT, they don't teach it," she said. "I had to teach my older child (cursive) because the teacher said it wasn't necessary because it's not on the FCAT."
The writing and multiple choice language arts portion of the FCAT will continue Wednesday for grades 4, 8 and 10, with make-up testing held Thursday and Friday.
The remainder FCAT tests will be held March 11-20, including the reading and mathematics portion of the test for grades 3-10 and science for grades 5, 8 and 11.
While George said she realizes it's not the schools' fault, she said she hopes state officials will revisit the issue soon and revamp the process.
"The state has to pay attention, because our kids are losing out," she said. "There's no more asking, 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' Now it's just FCAT prep, from the time they're in first grade."