Florida spends less than one half of one percent of the total investment in public education on the testing program (FDE, 2012). That is $59 million out of $16.5 billion. Yet the norm-referenced requirement was pulled from the testing program due to the costs of implementing the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) (FDE, 2012). The implementation of an academic testing program can have substantive benefits for both students and educators. One of the most important benefits is the establishment of high expectations for student academic performance (FDE, 2012). In addition, because of the deliberate integration of tests across the curriculum, linkages are more likely to be established and the curriculum can be solidly integrated, which fosters deeper understanding (FDE, 2012). An ideal goal for Florida's public school assessment configuration would be one that capitalizes on the synergistic capabilities of high academic standards and to resist public pressure to modify standards when the progress slope is less than desirable (Roschewski, 2001).
FCAT Today (…and Tomorrow?)
FCAT History
The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) is Florida's response to the contemporary focus on increasing student achievement by establishing processes and platforms that promote the accomplishment of higher academic performance by students in public school systems. The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test measures students' learning in the basic academic areas of math, reading, science, and writing. Importantly, the test helps to hone in on areas where students are not making satisfactory progress ("FDE," 2012). The capability of the exam to help educators pinpoint areas of instructional focus is particularly important since the standards are designed to grow more rigorous over time, and to "catch up" to international students. For example, in places like Hong Kong and Singapore, students of mathematics are multiplying and dividing fractions in the fifth-grade. The U.S. History EOC Assessment -- Course Number 2100310, United States History, a high-school level course, is part of the state of Florida's comprehensive academic assessment plan ("FDE," 2012). This proposed test, along with the established statewide assessment are at the center of considerable controversy that threatens to undermine the integrity of the testing system.
All Roads Point to Accountability
A good portion of the controversy around the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is due to the fact that the evaluations of teachers and principals are tied to students' performance on the exams ("FASP," n.d.). Another healthy portion of controversy stems from the high stakes associated student performance on the exam: passing the exam in the tenth-grade is essential for graduation, and even third-graders may be held back if they score low on the reading test ("FASP," n.d.). But the fact of the matter is that the not enough students are achieving on the FCAT at acceptable levels; as a result, the scores required for passing the exams have been lowered.
The high stakes issue can be mediated by incorporating other sources of information about students and teachers into the mix ("FASP," n.d.). Specifically, considering students' grades and the outcome of teacher evaluations in tandem with the statewide assessment results can provide fair and useful insights into students' fundamental abilities and holistic learning achievement (Simon, 2010). And, too, a well-implemented testing program can ensure that teachers, administrators, and parents receive meaningful feedback about the quality of the job in which they are collectively engaged -- teaching the children under their aegis (Simon, 2010). The functioning of the educational system, the quality of the curriculum, and the effectiveness of teaching methods can all be better understood, tracked, and modified in response to effectively executed state-wide testing (Simon, 2010). Schools and districts that are struggling will be made more salient to policymakers, communities, and educators (Simon, 2010).
Test Validation Cannot Be Transferred
Academic performance tests like the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) are normed for students, not for schools ("FASP," n.d.). The Florida Association of School Psychologists takes issue with practices that use tests inappropriately and unethically -- for purposes they are not intended ("FASP," n.d.). If, for instance, a "test's scores were only validated as an accurate indication of individual students' strengths and weaknesses, it should not also be used to evaluate the educational quality of a school" ("APA," 2001). A set of principles -- the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing -- "designed to foster fairness in testing and to prevent unintended consequences" has been articulated by professional educational testing associations, including the American Psychological Association, the American Educational Research Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education ("APA," 2001). These principles, among others, include the following: When a test is used for multiple purposes, it is imperative that evidence of the technical quality of the test for each purpose be established; high stakes decisions resulting from test outcomes must ensure that opportunity to learn the tested skills and content have been adequately provided to students; when the overall validity of a high stakes decision will be strengthened by considering other relevant information about a student, decisions must not be made on the basis of a single test score ("APA," 2001).
The intention has been for the grades of students enrolled in Florida's public schools to be based on a composite of performance measures (FDE, 2012). For high school students, half of a student's grade is based on learning gains and the scores of statewide assessments, and the other half of the student's grade is based on measurements that lie outside the statewide assessment program (FDE, 2012).
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