Hold the FCAT accountable
A good, pre-election clear-eyed look at the FCAT in the PalmBeach Post:
The FCAT isn't going away, and it shouldn't. The test is part of an effort that began a decade ago to set standards and hold schools accountable for achieving them. With those goals in mind, the test's shortcomings are obvious...Parents, teachers and students also need relevant, timely FCAT results. Now, schools giving the test in February and March get results at the very end of the school year -- or later. That's too late to help students who are behind, and too dated to help the next year's teachers gauge the students' abilities.
...As the FCAT becomes more important, the state must hold the test accountable.
Amen. Most of the complaints that I receive from parents are not about the existence of the tests, but that the scores are not returned quickly enough to give their children the feedback they need.