Re: Running out of arguments in FL

["Roberts, John - Vanguard High School" <robertsj1@marion.k12.fl.us>]

This "Herald" writer is not walking in the world of reality. It does take a
racket to play tennis and FCAT is certainly a political "racket". It's a
game, being played at the expense of children. Mr. Putney has certainly
twisted the facts to fit his mindset. I would find it risky to portray
Bishop Curry as the "leading voice" of FCAT opposition. The reporter
obviously is unaware of the history of FCAT and its evolving nature. The
tennis star doesn't have to play a game with constantly changing rules.
Scores aren't changed in the middle of the match by the capricious whims of
the umpire. Contestants, through no fault of their own, aren't forced to
compete with their arms tied behind their backs or sneakers tied together.
Has the fact been established that the FCAT is culturally unbiased and
race-neutral? Has it been proven that a multi-variant test, delivered in
varying formats, to a changing and diverse population is indeed reliable and
valid? Mr. Putney needs to remove his word processor from his mouth and do
some thinking.	Mike R.

-----Original Message-----
From: Sue Allison [mailto:sueallison@comcast.net]
Sent: Friday, May 30, 2003 11:30 AM
To: "Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@interversity.net
Subject: [arn-l] Running out of arguments in FL


      This is too much - now it's OK to torment kids with high stakes tests
because Annika Sorenstam played in a men's golf tournament!   I think
they're running out of arguments in Florida.  And this argument is even more
ridiculous -- "The point is to make an underfunded education system work and
do so fairly with the FCAT."   Hello?! 
        

 
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/columnists/michael_putney/5956024.
htm 
     Posted on Wed, May. 28, 2003  
      Miami Herald 
      MICHAEL PUTNEY

      Expect more, not less, from kids




      As I watched pro golfer Annika Sorenstam play with skill, grace and
guts at the Colonial Open, I thought about the FCAT and kids who are having
trouble passing it. Some of their most passionate defenders -- and the ones
calling for the FCAT to be suspended -- argue that kids shouldn't be put
under such pressure to pass a test.

      ''Third graders are having to get counseling,'' says Bishop Victor T.
Curry, the leading voice in the FCAT Protest Coalition. ``I went to the home
of one little girl who said she was going to commit suicide if she didn't
pass. What are we doing to our kids?''

      We are expecting them do better, demanding that they do better and, we
hope, giving them the tools, direction and help to do better. We want to get
them to the point where, like Sorenstam, they say to themselves as they,
metaphorically, tee up on test day: ''I know I can do this.'' And if, like
Sorenstam, they don't do well enough the first time, we want a system in
place to pick them up and encourage them to try again -- try until they
succeed.

      To hear FCAT opponents tell it, simply trying should be enough for
black and Hispanic kids. ''I'm hoping the governor will realize,'' State
Sen. Frederica Wilson says, ''that it's hard enough being black in America
today.'' Hard enough so that black kids or recently arrived immigrants
shouldn't have to take a race-neutral, culturally unbiased test to see if
they learned what every other kid in the class was supposed to learn?

      Sounds to me like Wilson, a former teacher and principal, is invoking
the old double standard that was thrown out in Brown v. the Board of
Education. That one says that there's no such thing as ''separate but
equal'' when it comes to public schools. Brown seems to be one of the few
court decisions that Gov. Jeb Bush not only accepts but embraces. Ever since
he introduced his A+ Plan in 1999, Bush has made it clear that he believes
that all Florida students should be held to one standard of achievement and
prove it by passing the FCAT.

      Allowing less from minority students, the governor has consistently
said, amounts to giving in to the ''soft bigotry of low expectations.'' When
FCAT results were announced May 16, they showed steady improvement by
students at nearly every grade level and impressive improvement by minority
students. According to the state Department of Education, 41 percent of
African-American fourth graders are now reading at or above grade level
versus 23 percent in 1998; and 51 percent of Hispanic fourth graders are
reading at or above grade level versus 38 percent five years ago. ''Instead
of boycotting,'' said the governor, ``people should be celebrating.''

      It's too early for that, considering that the FCAT results show that
more than half of Florida's black fourth graders and slightly less than half
of their Hispanic classmates still are not reading at grade level. The
Miami-Dade numbers, while showing some improvement overall, are pretty
dismal, especially for schools in poor neighborhoods with mostly minority
students.

      But neither is it time for the FCAT to be suspended. It's pointless to
demand it, as Curry did at a rally last week in language that was harsh and
hyperbolic. Raising the specter, as he did, of some dark conspiracy that
wants black and Hispanic children to fail is cruel. To imply that the
governor is one of the conspirators and is making money off the FCAT is
vicious.

      Further, reminding FCAT opponents of the 2000 election fiasco in
Florida and the need to beat George W. in 2004 gives Jeb the ammunition he
needs to dismiss the FCAT Coalition as politically motivated. Curry's
supposed coup de grace -- the boycott of Florida citrus, theme parks and
sugar -- is utterly pointless. The point is to make an underfunded education
system work and do so fairly with the FCAT.

      There have been improvements: Half a dozen ways to prove proficiency
are in place for third graders who fail the FCAT. As this column is written,
the Legislature is about to pass a bill that would let high school seniors
who fail the FCAT still get their diplomas by passing other standardized
tests.

      For everyone else, it's FCAT or bust. So the message is simple: Buckle
down and study. Read 'til midnight. Practice with flash cards. Sweat if
necessary, bite your nails if it relieves tension. Just do it. Remember that
champions like Annika Sorenstam don't succeed because somebody told them
they could quit early, slack off or go home because the pressure was too
great.

      Life is a test, one long FCAT. We all have to take it. No exceptions.


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      mputney@click 10.com  




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