Pensacola News Journal: Is FCAT the Way?
In an op-ed titled “A Worrisome Plunge,” the editors of the Pensacola News Journal ask the big question: Is FCAT in general and standardized testing in particular the proper focus for our schools?
Reports on the rankings noted an interesting paradox: Florida gets high marks for standards, assessment and accountability practices. But weakening student performance reminds us that there’s more to education than that.
We wonder if Florida’s increasing focus on the FCAT — driving teachers to “teach to the test” — could be hurting how our students compare in a world that doesn’t bow before our state’s test. If so, the increasingly stringent adherence to the FCAT could have the perverse effect of rewarding
