FCAT - right or wrong?

I would like to share a couple of recent editorials in the PB Post. One was written under Jac Versteeg's byline and the other I am sure was also written by him, although it came out as a general Post opinion. I like his often quirky take on Palm Beach County and his insightful comments about the FCAT. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2007/12/13/m10a_versteegcol_1213.html
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2007/12/16/a2e_fcat_edit_1216.html
It turns out that the "anchor questions" in the 2006 FCAT skewed the final result because they were given earlier in the test when the kids weren't tired. What this means is that a two hour test is too long to accurately measure what 3rd graders know. Duh. Any third grade teacher could have explained that to the state legislature. Also I have heard anecdotal evidense of students so terrified of the test that they had accidents or had to be sent home in tears due to nerves.
The FCAT was never intended as a way to make value judgments on the effectiveness of individual schools. Rathefr it was supposed to identify high-needs schools and students at risk so that resources could be directed efficiently. However, Jeb when he came into office created the system of school grades so that he could justify vouchers to allow his cronies with private school access to state money.
For anyone who is interested, here is a link to the report. http://fcat.fldoe.org/fcatadvisory/pdf/FLAfirstrep-final.pdf It doesn't really say anything that any educator doesn't already know - that diagnostic testing is fundamentally different from measuring what students know, which is what the FCAT does.
Another important factor that makes school grades hard to use as measure of school progress is that the legislature plays with the test and how school grades are calculated every year. When school grades first came out, there were 3 areas - writing, math, and reading. Now the writing includes a "structure" portion which makes it a completely different test that measures a different "skill set" than it did in 1999. Now the school includes "progress" by the lower 25% of the students tested. Also, the results of the science test given to 8th and 11th graders are figured in. This is in spite of the fact that the science does not impact student grades in any way. This means they must be motivated to do well simply by loyalty to the school and desire to please the teacher??!! This works for upper class and middle class students but doesn't work for at risk students who do not see themselves as having a stake in the school and its teachers' success.
The state has also backed off on the requirement to refuse a diploma to any student who has not passed the FCAT. Now they allow students to use a minimum score on the ACT or the SAT. They must, however, continue to take the FCAT until the last time a retake is offered in their senior year. This means that any student who has acheived that score on the other tests has no motivation to do well on the FCAT.
While I am 100% in favor of improving school quality, I don't think either the federal government nor the state government is going about it in the right fashion. In the end, teachers are punished for situations that are outside their control.

Catherine