[Soup Not See]

When schools don't meet the state standards, the solution is a very simple ... lower the standards. What a freaking joke ...

FCAT writing score change: Florida will hold public schools harmless from this year's dramatic drop in FCAT writing scores - Orlando Sentinel

[lcole07]

Leftee, I would normally agree with you until I saw what the essay part of the test for the 4th graders was:
FCAT Writes asked 9 year olds to compose in 45 minutes an on-the-spot "interesting essay" (actual rubric) with perfect organization, spelling, punctuation and grammar, with no aids and no time to re-write their draft. The prompt was "riding on a camel". A camel? What a crock. Don't blame the kids. This fiasco is FLDOE's doing.
I wonder how many kids of that age even know you can ride camels. The one student that had an answer wrote about going to the grocery store.When asked about the essay she told them about how the only camels she knew about were the cigarettes that her mother got her dad at the store. Maybe there is something wrong with the test

[Soup Not See]

Originally Posted by lcole07

Leftee, I would normally agree with you until I saw what the essay part of the test for the 4th graders was:
FCAT Writes asked 9 year olds to compose in 45 minutes an on-the-spot "interesting essay" (actual rubric) with perfect organization, spelling, punctuation and grammar, with no aids and no time to re-write their draft. The prompt was "riding on a camel". A camel? What a crock. Don't blame the kids. This fiasco is FLDOE's doing.
I wonder how many kids of that age even know you can ride camels. The one student that had an answer wrote about going to the grocery store.When asked about the essay she told them about how the only camels she knew about were the cigarettes that her mother got her dad at the store. Maybe there is something wrong with the test

So last summer, the state announced tougher standards in grading the written essay and then reduces the minimum acceptable score this year AFTER they see that students can't spell, use correct grammar, or organize their thoughts ? C'mon ...

And I highly doubt that most kids don't know that camels can be ridden, especially with the number of channels available on TV and the ever-present internet. I just asked my 8-year-old and her (2) friends that question and was met with incredulous stares ... Dad, you didn't know that people rode camels ???? They don't have cars in the desert you know ...

[HarryWho?]

Heck, when I was a kid, we would have had 30 minutes, done incursive,with a fountain pen.

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by lcole07

Leftee, I would normally agree with you until I saw what the essay part of the test for the 4th graders was:
FCAT Writes asked 9 year olds to compose in 45 minutes an on-the-spot "interesting essay" (actual rubric) with perfect organization, spelling, punctuation and grammar, with no aids and no time to re-write their draft. The prompt was "riding on a camel". A camel? What a crock. Don't blame the kids. This fiasco is FLDOE's doing.
I wonder how many kids of that age even know you can ride camels. The one student that had an answer wrote about going to the grocery store.When asked about the essay she told them about how the only camels she knew about were the cigarettes that her mother got her dad at the store. Maybe there is something wrong with the test

It wasn't just the 4th grade. They said on the news this is the first year that spelling, grammar, and punctuation were graded.

This is a big problem and not just for FL, but for the United States.

It is a writing exam. You should be graded on grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

There are children now in this country who can't write in cursive and can't tell time unless the clock is digitial.

[Sheepie2000]

I think you're being a little harsh. I'm impressed with my children's grammar, spelling, punctuation and overall schoolwork. They think they're getting an excellent education here. Look at this simple graph FCAT Scores Plummet Statewide, Sending Education Officials in a Panic | FlaglerLive - Your News Service for Flagler County News Palm Coast News Bunnell Flagler Beach Beverly Beach and Marineland Obviously, the children didn't suddenly know less this year. I read that teachers were not well advised how the testing and grading was going to change. Also, there were changes regarding special ed students and students just learning English. We all know they teach to the test and if they're teaching to a different test, well, you can expect poor results. Certainly, it's not fair to change the test and then make the grading harder at the same time, especially before the teacher themselves have a good understanding of the test. It was a set up for disaster from the beginning.

[Swimmom32]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

It wasn't just the 4th grade. They said on the news this is the first year that spelling, grammar, and punctuation were graded.

This is a big problem and not just for FL, but for the United States.

It is a writing exam. You should be graded on grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

There are children now in this country who can't write in cursive and can't tell time unless the clock is digitial.

Great Post I was actually on the conference call today which was quite interesting and they are NOT lowering the Standards....The bottom line is they just need to do away with these FCAT's all together and just actually teach these subjects so these children actually are learning something..My sister lives in NYC and they are having the same issues there as here with these kind of tests and kids failing and that they just don't work..Sad thing is Sean neither of my kids can write in Cursive and in all 3 different states they went to school in, they didn't teach it...My oldest is 17 and my daughter is 13

[tiddles]

Originally Posted by Swimmom32

Great Post I was actually on the conference call today which was quite interesting and they are NOT lowering the Standards....The bottom line is they just need to do away with these FCAT's all together and just actually teach these subjects so these children actually are learning something..My sister lives in NYC and they are having the same issues there as here with these kind of tests and kids failing and that they just don't work..Sad thing is Sean neither of my kids can write in Cursive and in all 3 different states they went to school in, they didn't teach it...My oldest is 17 and my daughter is 13

That is sad about the cursive - I guess it's considered unnecessary for these times. My kids go to a Christian school and are taught cursive. They also have frequent spelling tests and have to get every word correct or do the whole test again. The tuition is inexpensive, but there is an awful lot of tedious fundraisers, and parents are expected to volunteer 30 hours per year. However, it's a load off my mind knowing they're getting a quality education.

[anya3]

The crazy part is that everything relies on a test that is looked at for two minutes or less by two different people. (Up to four minutes total.)

[fsquid]

What is the point of cursive? I can't say I've used it since 6th grade.