Sensible ideas about the FCAT. . . hmmm. . .

Beyond FCAT

Jim Davis has some sensible ideas for evaluating Florida's schools.

A Times Editorial
Published October 4, 2006

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In his "Achieve Florida" education plan, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jim Davis doesn't aim to end standardized testing or abandon rating schools. Instead, he makes a reasonable call for better feedback to students and a more thorough way to hold schools accountable.

That such modest improvements are viewed as anathema to the Department of Education shows just how deeply politicized school reform has become. Gov. Jeb Bush, as if on cue, responded with extravagant umbrage: "Congressman Davis would prefer not to hold our schools accountable for student achievement and would rather sugarcoat their performance."

That isn't close to the truth. What Davis is actually seeking is to bring some precision to a system that uses the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test as though it can provide all the answers. The FCAT is valuable in determining how well students are progressing in math, reading and writing. But it alone can't identify which principals and teachers should be fired, which schools need to be shut down, which teachers deserve raises, and which third-graders should be promoted to fourth grade.

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