Gerard Robinson’s Evolving Talking Points
So Gerard Robinson’s FCAT Listening-Apology-It’s Here to Stay Tour continued yesterday in Orlando. And the “Emergency Meeting” arranged by Sen Gary Siplin (D-Orlando) provided a tidbit of information that shows Robinson – and his bosses – are retreating in a disingenuous manner. WFTV reports that Robinson said this to parents at Evans High School last night:
The test is strong. It is valid,” Robinson said. “It prepares and predicts where we want our students to go. It is not a tool for punishment; it is a tool for assessment.”The WFTV story indicates that whopper didn’t pass the smell test with parents there. Worse for Robinson, is that it represents significant backpedaling from what he was telling the media at the beginning of the month. This from an interview he gave to editors of the Orlando Sun Sentinel before the FCAT Writes bombshell:
What I think we need to do a better job of is to explain to students why we have testing. The