State of Florida Education

[engagedinattempting]

Here's the ABCActionNews headline 5/15/12: "Parents outraged after nearly 75 percent of students fail writing portion of 2012 FCAT".

The children have failed to flourish in spite of the obstacles placed in their path by the policies of reduce taxes and shrink government, for which the parents have reliably voted year after year, and the parents are outraged?

The admittedly beleaguered parents, facing stagnant wages, rising prices and an increasingly unstable and stress inducing job market, must have known at some level that there would be a price to pay for not paying the price; the parents work all day and the education of their children is a service that must be provided, and services cost money. Unless you believe in magic: The magic of "doing more with less" as trumpeted by the corporatists, first as a justification for workforce reduction to increase their profits and now, in government because we put them there, to dismantle the social services upon which so many depend.

The ABC story, in part: TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -

Nearly three-quarters of Florida's fourth graders have failed the writing FCAT exam for 2012, prompting parents and school districts to question how the test is scored.

Twenty-seven percent of fourth graders received the required score of four or better on a scale of one to six. Just 33 percent of eighth graders passed, while 38-percent of tenth graders got a four or higher. In 2011, more than 80 percent of students received passing grades."

The designer of this debacle helps us understand what's what:

Our students must know how to read and write," Governor Rick Scott said in a statement. "The significant contrast in this year's writing scores is an obvious indication the Department of Education needs to review the issue".[...]

So, parents, let your outrage subside, we will show you that we can do more with less: We will monkey with the scoring!

Education Department officials have planned an emergency meeting Tuesday to decide whether to lower the score required to pass from four to 3.5. Doing that would lower the 73 percent failure rate to 52 percent for fourth grade students."[...]

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/state/Parents-outraged-after-nearly-75-percent-of-students-fail-writing-portion-of-2012-FCAT-

19 score-certified fourth grade dummies per 100 students was accepted (apparently) as the new normal for Florida in 2011. The proposed score-monkeying for 2012 would have resulted in 52 score-certified non-writing fourth graders per 100 students, and this was eventually deemed unsuitable. From TheFloridaCurrent.com 5/15/12:

During an emergency meeting Tuesday, the State Board of Education voted unanimously to lower the standard score for the writing portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test from 4.0 to 3.0.

The standard for the writing section, which is graded on a scale of 0.0 at the lower end to 6.0 at the high end, was raised last year from 3.5. Subsequently, papers were graded much more rigorously this year, with reviewers no longer taking a lax view of spelling and grammatical errors.

The changes led to a steep drop in scores. For example, last year 81 percent of fourth graders earned a 4.0 but that fell to 27 percent this year.

Board members originally wanted to reduce the standard to 3.5, but even that standard would only have left only 48 percent of fourth graders with a passing score. Eighty-one percent of fourth graders received a 3.0 or better.

http://www.thefloridacurrent.com/article.cfm?id=27708726

The people of the State of Florida have half of what they bought into: The less half. From NPR 10/7/11:

Florida’s education budget cuts were the sixth-largest in the nation since 2008, according to a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report released Friday.

Florida spends 18.1 percent less per K-12 student in state money than when the recession began in 2008, once figures are adjusted for inflation, according to the report.That means Florida is spending $705 less per student this year than it was in 2008."[...]

http://stateimpact.npr.org/florida/2011/10/07/florida-ranks-sixth-for-k-12-education-cuts/

George Bauer writes for Salon.com on "Rick Scott's Toxic Legacy" 4/13/12:

[...]The Republican establishment in Tallahassee continues to cut the state’s commitment to education. “Rick Scott and the legislature don’t care about education,” says Susan Smith, president of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida. In 2011, Scott and his cronies removed $1.3 billion in funding for kindergarten through grade 12, resulting in hundreds of teacher layoffs.

“Just horrific,” is how Mario Piscatella of the group MPA Political describes the cuts. “They’re undermining our education system.” And Piscatella criticizes another Republican initiative. Rather than funding colleges adequately, he says the state voted to build a 14th state university, which seems to him an utter waste of tax dollars. “Scott talks about bringing in new jobs and companies to Florida, but that won’t happen with poorly educated kids,” Piscatella adds.[...]

http://www.salon.com/2012/04/13/rick_scotts_toxic_legacy/

Florida's parents can hope that the more half in the "do more with less" equation is right around the corner, awaiting their children in a brighter, happier future. They can hope all they want. Back to ABCAtionNews:

[...]The writing exam is widely regarded as the easiest of the FCAT tests, so many educators are worried that these low scores may be just the beginning of a series of disappointments when scores from reading and math are released later by the Department of Education."

Can this sort of official, policy-driven neglect of children, conducted openly and passing largely unremarked, really be occurring in a civilized society? Of course not. So, are we, collectively, civilized in the Sunshine State? Well, why don't we ask the kids for a written report on the subject?

 

[bngenoh]

Hi Patrick,

Here's the ABCActionNews headline 5/15/12: "Parents outraged after nearly 75 percent of students fail writing portion of 2012 FCAT".

The children have failed to flourish in spite of the obstacles placed in their path by the policies of reduce taxes and shrink government, for which the parents have reliably voted year after year, and the parents are outraged?

The above doesn't make sense because in spite of:

a malicious, usually petty, desire to harm, annoy, frustrate, or humiliate another person; bitter ill will; malice.

Maybe you meant to say that, children have failed to flourish because of the obstacles....

As for the rest of your post, it's basically what the EPA has done with hazardous radiation levels, osit.

 

[engagedinattempting]

Hi Patrick,

Here's the ABCActionNews headline 5/15/12: "Parents outraged after nearly 75 percent of students fail writing portion of 2012 FCAT".

The children have failed to flourish in spite of the obstacles placed in their path by the policies of reduce taxes and shrink government, for which the parents have reliably voted year after year, and the parents are outraged?

The above doesn't make sense because in spite of:

a malicious, usually petty, desire to harm, annoy, frustrate, or humiliate another person; bitter ill will; malice.

Maybe you meant to say that, children have failed to flourish because of the obstacles....

As for the rest of your post, it's basically what the EPA has done with hazardous radiation levels, osit.

Yes, bngenoh, your suggested use of "because" is much better. Thanks.