Here's a great site for reviewing FCAT skills.
http://www.testprepreview.com/fcat_practice.htm
I know, everyone hates the FCAT (and many of the people in this class aren't even in Florida.) But most of you know about standardized testing and how awful it is. I hate it. I really do. My poor students get so frustrated that they have to take a test containing all the math required in high school when they haven't even finished those courses yet.
But! That's beside the point. I am required to do FCAT prep. Perhaps letting the students get onto a site like this one where they can work out questions and then check their answers will make them a little more exited about it.
This is also a great resource for those that want extra practice. (I had several this year, especially my ESOL students, who wanted more work.) Just give the kid the website and they can practice as much or as little as they want.
The good news is, Texas (the founder of these standardized tests) has apparently gotten rid of their version of FCAT!!!! Oh, that gives me hope...
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FCAT in Florida, PSSA in Pennsylvania, SOL(I have another meaning for that one :)) in Virginia (I think)...the names change but the idea is the same. They give the students a number of questions, score the tests and determine whether schools and teachers have done their jobs. The NEA has a pretty good study on the topic of scores and why they appear to rise so quickly(maybe a blog topic soon).
Unfortunately, these tests seem here to stay. My district is piloting the new PSSA test in science this year. It's not supposed to count for our yearly progress calculation...yet. The Social Studies test is in the works too. The powers that be make decisions and do what they want.
Probably the most important aspect of these tests is student interest and reading ability. Each student must be a proficient reader to stand a chance against hours of testing in any subject. Think about how you got into this program. GREs base your intellect and ability to complete grad level work in 58 questions. Your entire educational career comes down to these questions. Right or wrong?
Maybe continually bombarding kids with these tests will help them with the ones that they may need after school. Maybe something good can come from them. I don't know, but for now I guess that we just keep doing the best we can to prepare our kids for the real world, for college and for the world of standardized tests that appear to be here to stay.
Good luck to all.
Testing used as a determiner of effective teaching is a good thing. Learning to disaggregate your results data gives a lot of insight into where a school's educational strengths and weaknesses lie.
Using test results to determine a school's academic fitness and gauge whether or not a student is to matriculate or advance is very short-sighted in my opinion. BUT...those in control have not determined a better method for either, so we are stuck with this testing quagmire nationally!
The worst by-product of the whole situation, to me, is that because so much emphasis is placed on the tests that we wind up teaching the test in many cases, thereby taking away from what could truly be viewed as more worthwhile (in the long run) educational opportunities. The following site has some sound information regarding testing and its place in education. It is a pretty easy read:
http://www.engines4ed.org/hyperbook/nodes/NODE-69-pg.html
We're all in the same boat, especially those 2-3 months leading up to FCAT when we start the prep courses (starting here at 3rd grade!). When I think of assessment, I think of how my students can apply the knowledge they learned throughout the year, not what was crammed down their throats (especially the math) in a few months.
Right now, since FCATs are over, I truly have some freedom and flexibility in my curriculum (instead of making sure I cover everything "by the book"). I especially have some time to do some meaningful class projects with technology. The software that we use consistently is drill & practice stuff, but they aren't terrible. The companies behind them strive to make them meaningful and interactive (FCAT Explorer, Destination Success/Riverdeep, and CCC for us). It's just frustrating, when I want to slow down if I sense that my students, or my entire class even, struggle with a concept and need more time, or would benefit from some enrichment.
I was talking to my principal this week about technology and our project-based/GLIDES program, and the topic of the chief complaint by teachers in our school improvement plan came up. It was that we didn't have time in the school day to teach. They are being tested on reading, math, writing, and science. Soon, social studies and health will come up. Now she wants me to take a trip to a local middle school and take notes on their block scheduling, and possibly model one of our own :). I could see the benefits of that, especially where I will have the extra time to integrate a new program into our school.
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