Re: Grim news from Florida and Texas

["bob" <bob@wt.net>]

So Florida is using the third grade FCAT as a promotion standard??  The
Houston Independent School District from whence Rod Paige came and now under
his hand chosen **** successor Kaye Stripling -- uses the Third Grade,
Fourth Grade, Fifth Grade, Sixth Grade, Seventh Grade, and Eighth Grade TAKS
test (two separate parts) as independent promotion requirements.  And they
also use two separate parts of the Stanford Aptitude test as additional
promotion requirements  in all these grades.  Even though HISD TV had a
speaker on who stated unequivocally that the use of a norm referenced test
as a promotion requirement is educational malpractice.  Both tests are norm
referenced (even though they lie about TAKS and falsely call it criterion
referenced).  Don't bother calling Kaye Stripling.  She refuses to talk to
parents.  (I guess her quarter of a million salary from taxpayer mney isn't
enough for her to talk to taxpayers.)



> Today's MAHST update brings news from Florida-- where the NAACP is taking
up the fight against high stakes testing.  The Florida FCAT exams are
Florida's answer to the HSA's as high stakes make or break graduation
requirements.  The FCAT "broke" quite a few young lives last spring -- 
roughly 10,000 diplomas were lost to this high stakes test.  Florida is
doing Maryland one better -- it is using the third grade version of FCAT as
a high stakes promotion requirement -- fail the third grade FCAT and you are
retained.  I spoke with one Florida librarian who spoke of the stream of
parents who walk their children to school on FCAT days to try to calm there
nerves -- think of it -- eight year olds!  The librarian is a former teacher
who felt she could no longer be complicit in this kind of state sponsored
child abuse.  If we allow the state to roll over us on these high stakes
graduation exams -- can high stakes tests for third graders be far behind?
As you can see from the article ... high stakes testing can be a life or
death issue.  It's time to stand up for the children of Maryland.  Accountab
ility starts at the top - not on the backs of our children...
>