FCAR SPEAKOUT

What Else Is New?

2007-06-29T06:54:00.000-04:00

Educators shift focus: More drills, less play And the "school grades" are due out soon. And your property taxes will be cut. And the factory-style schooling continues. And more kids are lost in the shuffle. "Educators are trying to create a form to fit every child, and you just can't do that," said Stephen Rushton, a professor and researcher at the University of South Florida. "We have

Teacher a victim of a failed system

2007-06-22T11:01:00.000-04:00

I was savoring every line of this terrific letter in today's St. Pete Times so much that I didn't even glance at the writer's name until I got to the bottom, when I saw that it's by one of my personal heroines--FCAR director Judy Castillo. For those new to FCAR, in 2003 Judy and her husband sued the state for access to their son's graded FCATs. They didn't prevail, thanks to one of Jeb's

Commissioner Blomberg responds to our letter

2007-05-31T11:19:00.000-04:00

Below is the announcement from FCAR president Gloria Pipkin regarding Commissioner Blomberg's response to our open letter. _________________________________________________ I'm pleased to announce that FCAR will have a representative on the external advisory group that will assist the Department of Education in identifying an independent, external group of testing experts to review the data from

Open Letter To Gov. Crist, Comm. Blomberg

2007-05-29T11:57:00.000-04:00

Florida Coalition for Assessment Reform, Inc. for further information: Gloria Pipkin: 850 265-6438 cell: 850 866-9537 or Bob Schaeffer: 239 395-6773 for immediate release, Tuesday, May 28, 2007 ASSESSMENT REFORMERS SEEK "STRICT ACCOUNTABILITY" FOR FCAT; OPEN LETTER TO GOV. CRIST, COMM. BLOMBERG CALLS FOR COMPREHENSIVE, PUBLIC REVIEW OF STATE TESTS IN WAKE OF SCORING ERROR The Florida

Vital Questions

2007-05-29T10:10:00.000-04:00

In light of the recent revelations about last year's third grade FCAT scores [see our post from May 27], the questions asked by FCAR vice president Marion Brady are more urgent than ever. I'm (Mr.) Marion Brady, long-time Florida teacher, administrator, publisher consultant, teacher educator, policy analyst, author of texts and professional books, myriad journal articles, and six years of

FCAT bombshell

2007-05-27T22:57:00.000-04:00

Below is an excerpt from FCAR's email news digest, F-TREND. More information will follow soon. In the four years we've been publishing F-TREND, we've never seen FCAT news as explosive as what came to light this week. FCAT reading, math, and science scores in all grades in which they're administered were released this week, but they were overshadowed by the Florida Department of Education's

Educator Roundtable

2007-03-25T11:45:00.000-04:00

John included this link to the Educator Roundtable in his comments. Worth a visit! :) I'll add it to the links here too. http://www.educatorroundtable.org/ From the website: Action Teachers, parents, scholars, and policy analysts have convened this roundtable in hopes of repealing the CURRENT authorization of the ESEA (No Child Left Behind Act). While we recognize that many individuals

Teachers With "Chutzpah"

2007-03-20T10:00:00.000-04:00

Looking for inspiration? Read about some people putting their money where their mouth is -- or, more to the point, not selling out! A teaching moment Pinellas County educators recently rejected a state merit pay plan by a huge margin, saying no to millions. Here's what they want state legislators to learn from their vote. By DONNA WINCHESTER Published March 20, 2007 No governor has done more to change the way Florida students learn than Jeb Bush. Or created more controversy along the way. . . . But the governor is best known for using a single, high-stakes test to reward or punish schools and crack down on social

Vote Early, Vote Often!

2006-12-18T08:42:00.000-05:00

A poll at the FCAR Forum: Question Would you support a well-planned, well-organized statewide boycott of FCAT in 2008 by parents, students, teachers, and concerned citizens? Go here to vote!

Stress Management?

2006-12-11T08:56:00.000-05:00

Does your child need stress management? They're 8 years old and they need this garbage? Or, maybe it's not about your kids. It's about keeping teachers healthy. So the insurance companies save money. Experts tell overstressed teachers: Laugh now or pay laterBy Douane D. James South Florida Sun-Sentinel December 11, 2006 For the sake of their health, Broward County teachers are urged to add

"It's a mess. Really."

2006-11-30T09:40:00.000-05:00

Posted on Wed, Nov. 29, 2006 State links some teacher bonuses to final exams BY HANNAH SAMPSON hsampson@MiamiHerald.com The Florida Department of Education is trying to make it less complicated for school districts to participate in a program that rewards teachers for student performance. Since the Special Teachers Are Rewarded program was introduced, instructors have wondered how those who

This Is News?

2006-11-28T08:17:00.000-05:00

****NEWS RELEASE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**** UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF HIGH-STAKES ASSESSMENT UNDERMINE EDUCATION REFORM, REPORT FINDS CONTACT: Dan Laitsch 778-782-7589 (email) dlaitsch@sfu.ca or Alex Molnar (480) 965-1886 (email) epsl@asu.edu TEMPE, Ariz. (Monday, Nov. 27, 2006) - High-stakes assessment systems for schools have a number of unintended consequences that undermine their goal of

Quality Time

2006-11-24T09:07:00.000-05:00

What do you think of when you want to spend "quality time" with your child? Of course, you: Study the FCAT at Home JACKSONVILLE, FL -- If you're looking to spend a little quality time with your children over their studies, you can now give them the FCAT at home. The Florida Department of Education has placed another batch of questions from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test online.

Petition!

2006-11-23T08:05:00.000-05:00

A Petition Calling For the Dismantling of the No Child Left Behind Act To: U.S. Congress We, the educators, parents, and concerned citizens whose names appear below, reject the misnamed No Child Left Behind Act and call for legislators to vote against its reauthorization. We do so not because we resist accountability, but because the law's simplistic approach to education reform wastes

An Open Letter to Margaret Spellings and Congress

2006-11-19T10:45:00.000-05:00

Some tough questions from Marion Brady -- An Open Letter to Margaret Spellings and Congress "Human history," said H. G. Wells, is "a race between education and catastrophe."If we stay the course with No Child Left Behind, catastrophe is a sure bet. You'll soon be deciding the fate of this well-meant but appallingly simplistic piece of legislation. Continued failure to answer the legitimate

Some Legacy! :(

2006-11-14T08:16:00.000-05:00

Jeb Bush wrote about his "legacy" and drew this response: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:FCAT Abuse: The Real Jeb Bush Legacy to Florida and Its Schools Lake Mary, Florida 11-13-2006 Because of inappropriate and abusive use of student FCAT scores, Jeb Bush and his associates have left a pungent legacy to Florida and its schools. The legacy is: a climate of punishment, fear and public

One Choice -- Davis

2006-11-05T08:35:00.000-05:00

Published - November, 5, 2006 For governor, two good candidates, one choice The best news about the race for governor in Florida is the two good candidates. These are not divisive, polarizing politicians; both come across as thoughtful on the issues and closer to the center than either ideological extreme. But voters have to choose, and so do we for an endorsement. Our pick: Jim Davis. The

MacLeish Unleashed on Monster

2006-11-04T08:42:00.000-05:00

Orlando Sentinel -------------------- FCAT monster by Laurin MacLeish -------------------- November 2, 2006 Mike Thomas was off base in his Sunday column, "Davis wrong on desire to dilute FCAT." "Diluting" the FCAT is simply not what gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis is proposing to do. What Davis does propose is to utilize the FCAT as an open and positive measure that would allow both

The Question

2006-10-31T10:02:00.000-05:00

High Stakes Test By MARILYN BROWN The Tampa Tribune Published: Oct 30, 2006 TAMPA - Florida's soaring insurance rates and property taxes all but blotted out an education agenda this election season save for one issue. The future of the FCAT. Republican Charlie Crist is defending it and Democrat Jim Davis is trying to revamp it as they race to Nov. 7 to replace Jeb Bush as governor. The big