Study sparks more debate over Florida tests for students
Florida’s new standardized tests for students administered last year were fair.
Or were they?
An independent review of the Florida Standards Assessment, released Tuesday, has done little to quiet questions about whether the exams are valid.
The answers to those questions are critically important, since so much rides on these test scores — from student promotion to school grades.
State education officials say the new study proves the tests are an accurate way to measure student performance. Among the findings: that the state followed best practices to create its tests and individual exam questions were error-free.
As a result, scores will be baked into state-issued grades for schools and teacher evaluations.
“I believe it is in the best interest of our students that we move forward based on the results of this year’s FSA,” said Florida Education Commissioner Pam Stewart.
But local education leaders point to the very same study to confirm concerns about the exams.
“...Superintendents stand firm behind their initial position that the results of the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) cannot fairly be used in teacher evaluations or to calculate A-F grades for public schools,” John Ruis, president of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents said in a statement.
Lawmakers ordered the analysis of the FSAs after a rough debut last school year. Technical woes and even a cyber attack prevented students from logging on to the computerized exams; others were booted off mid-test.
In May, the education department awarded an almost $600,000 contract to study whetherStudy sparks more debate over Florida tests for students | Miami Herald: