Half of Florida high school students fail reading test

[Rockntractor]

MIAMI (Reuters) - Nearly half of Florida high school students failed the reading portion of the state's new toughened standardized test, education officials said on Friday.

Results this year from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test showed 52 percent of freshman students and 50 percent of sophomores scored at their grade levels.

Students in the 10th grade must pass the exam in order to eventually graduate but can retake it if they fail.

The results came days after the Florida State Board of Education voted to lower the standards needed to pass the writing part of the test, known as FCAT. The test is administered in public elementary, middle and high schools.

The board took the action in an emergency meeting when preliminary results indicated only about one-third of Florida students would have passed this year.

"We are asking more from our students and teachers than we ever have, and I am proud of their hard work," Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson said in a statement.

"As Florida transitions to higher standards and higher expectations, we can expect our assessment results to reflect those changes."
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/half-florid...232516894.html

[Janice]

The results came days after the Florida State Board of Education voted to lower the standards needed to pass the writing part of the test, known as FCAT. >>>

>>> I am proud of their hard work," Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson said in a statement.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/half-florid...232516894.html

It figures theyd be "proud" of themselves after lowering the standards ... yet again.

[Starbuck]

As long as The Department of Education exists in its present form, this will continue.

Department of Revenue must be downsized and get its boot off the neck of state administrators so that they can solve their problems at the state level.

[SaintLouieWoman]

It figures theyd be "proud" of themselves after lowering the standards ... yet again.

The standards aren't too high here for either the students or the teachers. There's a teacher here who lives in my neighborhood with a masters. It figures she got it from a Florida school. She can't reason, talk, or write better than a 4th grader. To say she's dull is an overstatement. No wonder the students aren't doing well.

When a teacher or administrator is obviously not capable or has done something really wrong, they give them a job filing or some menial work AT FULL PAY. The system is a mess here.

[SarasotaRepub]

The standards aren't too high here for either the students or the teachers. There's a teacher here who lives in my neighborhood with a masters. It figures she got it from a Florida school. She can't reason, talk, or write better than a 4th grader. To say she's dull is an overstatement. No wonder the students aren't doing well.

When a teacher or administrator is obviously not capable or has done something really wrong, they give them a job filing or some menial work AT FULL PAY. The system is a mess here.

It is a mess and that's a shame especially when you look at your tax bill and see where the majority of the $$$ are going.

Let's face it, you come to Florida AFTER you're all grown up and done with skool. I say throw all the little bastards out of the state and tell em to come back to go to Disney, visit grandma, or buy a retirement condo.

[RobJohnson]

It's a huge drop from last year's scores. It's my understanding the test is on it's way out.

Florida in some areas has also started paying teachers by merits rather then senority...

I went to a private school, our scores on the "tests" always blew away the public schools..and our teachers made less money. The teachers were teachers because they wanted kids to learn...not just for a paycheck.

[noonwitch]

I went to good public schools, and our district usually had among the higher scores in West Michigan. Kentwood Public Schools still are an excellent public school system. I like to hold it up as an example here, because Kentwood's racial dynamics have changed drastically in the 30 years since I graduated, but they have maintained their high standards and achievement.


When I went to WMU, I realized how excellent my education was compared to some of my peers. My best friend, who graduated from Westland Schools, could read, but couldn't write a decent report. A roommate of mine, who was on an athletic scholarship, couldn't read and had dyslexia, which had never been diagnosed in the 13 years of her pre-college education. She learned to read in college, and that just is wrong.

[NJCardFan]

This is what happens when you focus more on a student's feelings than on actually helping them learn something. Failing grades were never about degrading a student. They were meant to be motivation to work harder. But now we don't want to hurt the little crumb snatchers feelings so they get pushed along with grades that are confusing symbols instead of A's and B's. A trip through the internet will show you how kids can't spell anymore.

[SaintLouieWoman]

I went to good public schools, and our district usually had among the higher scores in West Michigan. Kentwood Public Schools still are an excellent public school system. I like to hold it up as an example here, because Kentwood's racial dynamics have changed drastically in the 30 years since I graduated, but they have maintained their high standards and achievement.


When I went to WMU, I realized how excellent my education was compared to some of my peers. My best friend, who graduated from Westland Schools, could read, but couldn't write a decent report. A roommate of mine, who was on an athletic scholarship, couldn't read and had dyslexia, which had never been diagnosed in the 13 years of her pre-college education. She learned to read in college, and that just is wrong.

It sounds as if we went to similar type schools. My school was excellent back in the day. I had honors and accelerated classes in my public school. When I went to a good private university, I was bored my freshman year. Everything had been covered better at the public high school.

The demographics of the school has changed drastically over the years, but it's still fairly decent, but a shadow of what it had been. Some of the administrators of my old school founded the University of Missouri--St Louis, which started next to the campus of my old junior high.

I was proud of my old school, which was in a mixed neighborhood----doctors' kids as well as middle class with some lower middle class thrown into the mix. The country club kids weren't too obnoxious, well, maybe a little.

In college I held my own with the private school kids. I have this old-fashioned idea that the drive and will of the student, with support from the parents, determines success, not necessarily a fancy school, although the more elite school might help when out in the world for the snob factor. Some large companies promote not on merit, but on the pedigree.

[Undies]

It sounds as if we went to similar type schools. My school was excellent back in the day. I had honors and accelerated classes in my public school. When I went to a good private university, I was bored my freshman year. Everything had been covered better at the public high school.

The demographics of the school has changed drastically over the years, but it's still fairly decent, but a shadow of what it had been. Some of the administrators of my old school founded the University of Missouri--St Louis, which started next to the campus of my old junior high.

I was proud of my old school, which was in a mixed neighborhood----doctors' kids as well as middle class with some lower middle class thrown into the mix. The country club kids weren't too obnoxious, well, maybe a little.

In college I held my own with the private school kids. I have this old-fashioned idea that the drive and will of the student, with support from the parents, determines success, not necessarily a fancy school, although the more elite school might help when out in the world for the snob factor. Some large companies promote not on merit, but on the pedigree.

I went to Dallas public schools (Oak Cliff area) along side Stevie Ray Vaughn and Stephen Tobolowsky (see: "Groundhog Day"). The DISD was steered by Dr. W. T. White. Back then, the child was going to be educated or they were going to find out the reason why.

The greatest influence on my desire to learn was my third grade teacher, Mrs. Goldsmith. She started every class with a delightful Bible story read from a big book she kept on her desk.

Mrs. Goldsmith was young and beautiful. I could have looked at her and listen to her all day. And her Bible story stayed with me all day.