Number Two Pencils
...in the beginning of March and not at the end of the school year? Students learn many new things from March to June and are only tested knowing knowledge learned prior to March. This isn’t a very just act because students would probably do better if they were tested at the end of the year since they have more knowledge. The results won't make their way back to schools until June. That means parents may get calls at the end of the school year alerting them that their children, who received passing grades all year, won't be promoted to the next grade. Some may be able to attend summer school, but this is no guarantee that they will pass the grade. The FCAT should be given near the end of the school year and the results should be quickly delivered to the schools before the school year is over. In order to prepare for this examination, students are given huge amounts of workload. Many practice tests and essay prompts are given so that the students can practice their reading, writing, mathematics and science skills. However, with all this extra work, where will other important courses, like history, art and foreign languages be fitted into this busy schedule? Some schools either cram these courses along with the FCAT prep, or they just abandon these subjects since really there is not much time to teach them because of so much time spent preparing for the test. Unfortunately, some students need to cram all their subjects and the FCAT together, making them frustrated. Others won’t even be able to learn subjects other than those tested on the exam, therefore being deprived of much knowledge that would of otherwise been learned if it wasn’t for the FCAT. Why is there so much emphasis on this test? It's simple. If kids pass, they get to move on to the next grade and their schools will be rewarded with a better grade, more money for programs and a sense of pride. Teachers will want to teach at the schools and parents will want to send their kids to them. If they don't pass, their school could be labeled a failure and may not qualify for extra money from the state. Teachers, who don't want to be associated with a school that's been publicly labeled a failure, may flee, as will students who receive vouchers to schools that presumably can offer them a better education. It’s a grim picture and while educators are going to great lengths to make sure that scenario doesn't play out at their schools, there's a limit to what they can do because, ultimately, it's all riding on the backs of a bunch of students who are becoming slaves to a test. At some schools, students are enrolled in after-school writing and math camps where they work with teachers until 4:30p.m. Then, they get to go home and eat, before ripping into their homework. That leaves enough time for a bath before bed, and then they get to wake up to the same grueling schedule with more work and fewer breaks. It isn’t very fair, especially for those students who are in elementary and middle school and are wasting their childhood away constantly studying for an exam. It seems like it is always work and no room for play. It then becomes depressing for some when the results come in showing a failed exam after the many demanding practice time spent on studying for this test. Then, the child fails a grade even with excellent grades and all the time spent studying was a waste. It becomes apparent that some aren’t good test takers and once again, the FCAT shouldn’t be a determinant of the promotion of a grade. As the moment of confronting the mighty FCAT approaches, many students, especially those in low-performing schools, feel the pressure of longer days, fewer breaks, increasingly challenging homework and the threat of doing a grade all over again. For high school students, the matter at hand is even worse because they won’t even graduate without this exam. Some students take the FCAT 10 times in the duration of high school and still don’t pass. They have the grades and a good GPA, but don’t seem to pass the dreaded test. Students become nervous and anxious on test days. But who wouldn’t be if this one little test determines your future in school? The tension, frustration and nervousness build up, possibly causing many not to do well. Many become sick and throw up because of all this stress building up. This isn’t very healthy, especially for young students who shouldn't be going through all this pressure. It’s mentally hurting students and degrading for them to find out that they may be possible failures. “The FCAT was...