Update: Let's score this
I just discovered that Florida's DoEd has included an answer key with the percent of students that answered each question correctly. Let's look at our questions below:
#8 (moderate difficulty) -- 82% correct
#9 (m) -- 64% correct (so, over a third of 10th graders can't put together "rain" and "can't swim")
#10 (m) -- 80% correct
#11 (m) -- 77% correct
#12 (low difficulty) -- 91% correct
#13 (m) -- 82% correct
#14 (l) -- 78% correct
#15 (l) -- 73% correct
Before you say "75 or 80% isn't bad," let me just say that when a quarter or more of a state's 15-year-olds can't answer exceptionally basic reading questions, "bad" is the only word for it.
In terms of scoring, a student needs to get at least about 31 of the 56 multiple-choice questions, or 55 percent, of the reading questions correct in order to pass. Again, 32% of 10th graders (and 13% of blacks, 22% of latinos) did so on the first go-around in 2005. On math, a student only needs to get about 16 of the 60 of the multiple-choice and constructed-response questions, or 27%, correct in order to pass. Again, 63% of 10th graders (and 40% of blacks, 56% of latinos) did so on the first go-around in '05.
There's a reason passing the FCAT with a minimum of 300 equates to a 780 composite SAT, and I think there's a reason why Florida fought releasing these details about the FCAT.
Anyway you try to spin it, this is bad.
#8 (moderate difficulty) -- 82% correct
#9 (m) -- 64% correct (so, over a third of 10th graders can't put together "rain" and "can't swim")
#10 (m) -- 80% correct
#11 (m) -- 77% correct
#12 (low difficulty) -- 91% correct
#13 (m) -- 82% correct
#14 (l) -- 78% correct
#15 (l) -- 73% correct
Before you say "75 or 80% isn't bad," let me just say that when a quarter or more of a state's 15-year-olds can't answer exceptionally basic reading questions, "bad" is the only word for it.
In terms of scoring, a student needs to get at least about 31 of the 56 multiple-choice questions, or 55 percent, of the reading questions correct in order to pass. Again, 32% of 10th graders (and 13% of blacks, 22% of latinos) did so on the first go-around in 2005. On math, a student only needs to get about 16 of the 60 of the multiple-choice and constructed-response questions, or 27%, correct in order to pass. Again, 63% of 10th graders (and 40% of blacks, 56% of latinos) did so on the first go-around in '05.
There's a reason passing the FCAT with a minimum of 300 equates to a 780 composite SAT, and I think there's a reason why Florida fought releasing these details about the FCAT.
Anyway you try to spin it, this is bad.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, September 22, 2005 at 9:59 AM.
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