NEA President Salutes Florida Educators For Focusing on the Whole Child
By Brenda Álvarez
NEA President Lily Eskelsen García traveled to Florida this past week (Sep. 4-5) as part of the Association’s Back-to-School tour, where she visited schools in Miami and Osceola County. The journey took a telescopic look at public education, showcasing the herculean efforts of dedicated educators who focus on the needs of the whole student. They have also created school-community partnerships that enhance learning experiences despite existing challenges, such as Florida’s Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT).Toxic Testing At is Worst
“No one has it tougher than Florida,” said Eskelsen García during a meeting with local Association members. “When you have your teacher of the year being judged by students she never taught, it becomes us versus stupid,” referring to how standardized tests measure the “wrong things in the wrong way.”
Take Ethan Rediske. At age three, he entered the Orange County Public School system in Florida. By the time he hit the equivalency of third grade, he was required to take an adaptive version of the FCAT, which is used to test disabled students.
“Ethan suffered brain damage at birth,” says his mom, Andrea. “He was cortically blind, didn’t make any purposeful movement, had to be fed through a G-tube, had epilepsy, and a host of other medical issues.”
When she discovered her son had to take the standardized test she thought it was a joke, questioning the school district’s decision to test a child who couldn’t speak, see, or move.
For two years, Rediske was obligated to take the adaptive test. Questions on the test asked the boy, who had to be fed through a tube, about eating food. It asked the wheelchair-bound student about walking and playing outside. His teachers had thought he would respond well to color, light, and touch. Instead, he was asked to look at black and white line pictures, which he could not see or process.
“The questions were entirely inappropriate for his level of ability,” says Andrea, who jumped through district hurdles to get a waiver that she expected would apply this school year.
Seven months ago, Rediske died. Before his death, school officials were asking his family to show proof that he was too sick to take the standardized test. Andrea didn’t take it well, saying they were more concerned about their paperwork and policy then the needs of a dying child and his family. She decided to go public and share her family’s story.Jennifer Rose, the boy’s teacher, believes something has NEA President Salutes Florida Educators For Focusing on the Whole Child | NEA Today: