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Schools hone tactics for surviving FCAT
By DONNA WINCHESTER, Times Staff Writer
Assistant principal Rosemary Hanes was relieved when the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test arrived safely at St. Petersburg High School on Feb. 20. She followed the custodians as they trundled 75 cardboard boxes to the guidance office. She watched as they stacked the cartons from floor to ceiling. But as she locked the door on three-quarters of a ton of paperwork, she knew her work was just beginning. It occurred to her that getting her school ready for the state-mandated test would be no less daunting than a military general's task of readying his troops. "This is like the war room at the White House," Hanes said Friday as she surveyed the guidance office. "This is logistics central." The FCAT experience gets under way for Pinellas County third- through 10th-graders in 24 hours, but administrators such as Hanes already know the test intimately. They have spent hours unpacking boxes, checking class rolls and attending to details to ensure the test goes off without a hitch. There are numerous ways in which the process can become derailed, and different schools have different challenges. One of the most difficult things for high schools, Hanes said, is that there are no "pure" ninth- or 10th-grade classes. The younger students, who are required to take the FCAT, can be in the same classes as 11th- and 12th-graders, who do not have to take the test unless they have not passed the math or reading portions. "The major challenge is identifying those kids and knowing where they are," she said. "The other major challenge is scheduling the remainder of the students so they're not losing instructional time while everybody else is testing." All the test-takers will be isolated in one building, while the other students will occupy the rest of the school, the portable classrooms and the gymnasium, Hanes said. She has compiled lists for the teachers so they can help route students. Those who have to take a test will receive a personal note in their first-period classes on Monday reminding them where they need to report. At Lakewood High School, guidance counselor and testing coordinator Barbara Stambaugh is facing many of the same challenges as Hanes. "Everything is out of the ordinary," she said. "I call it 'fruit basket upset.' " Stambaugh figures she has spent the equivalent of three workdays preparing for the test. She unpacked the materials, checked the district's list of students against teachers' rolls and affixed labels to blank tests for students who have arrived at the school since the district compiled its list. One of Stambaugh's biggest responsibilities lies ahead. After the tests are completed, she will have to compare the names of students who took them against class lists to find out which students will need to take makeup tests. "You put in a lot of extra time, and it's gotten bigger every year," she said. "The addition of the science FCAT this year necessitates even more planning." For the first time, students in grades 5, 8 and 10 will be tested in science. The scores will be used as benchmarks rather than to calculate the school's state letter grade, but space still must be allocated for the students who take it. Space allocation is among the biggest challenges schools face in administering the FCAT. The addition of homeschooled students, who are eligible to take the test at their zoned schools, can sometimes upset a school's delicate test balance. "We have to provide the testing materials to them, and of course find a place for them to be tested," said Meadowlawn Middle School curriculum coordinator Linda Hatley. "This year, we only had a few at each grade level. It wasn't a lot, but it was one more thing to accommodate." Finding space becomes particularly tricky in schools with large special education populations, such as Tyrone Elementary. "Some special education students must be exempted," said assistant principal Shannon McCutcheon. "They couldn't take the test even with accommodations. For those who can, we have to provide a modified testing setting." Most often, this means a room with fewer children. But students with physical disabilities sometimes need additional modifications. Twenty-seven students at Tyrone need a teacher to record their answers because they are either unable to write their own responses or because they are visually impaired and cannot line their answers up correctly on their answer sheet. Finding enough teachers and teacher assistants to cover the extra needs becomes another challenge. "We've really had to stretch, said Skyview Elementary principal Doug Cowley. "We've called in our media specialist, our guidance counselor, our speech teacher and our Title 1 coordinator. They're all helping out." Like Rosemary Hanes at St. Petersburg High, their first priority is to keep things running smoothly during the two-week test period. "The line officers are unpaid, and the soldiers all have other jobs to do," Hanes said. "But a good officer is not unwilling to get his hands dirty. We've all had to pull together to get this done." Pinellas County students in grades 3-10 are required to take the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test beginning Monday. Additionally, students in grades 11 and 12 who have not passed the reading or math portions of the test must participate. The March test schedule: March 3 Grade 3 reading, Grade 4 reading and Grade 5 mathematics March 4 Grades 3-10 reading and Grade 5 mathematics; grades 11 and 12 reading March 5 Grades 3-10 mathematics, Grade 5 reading, grades 11 and 12 mathematics March 6-7 Makeup tests March 10 Grade 5 science March 11 Grades 5, 8 and 10 science March 12 Norm-referenced test for grades 3-10, used to compare Florida student performance in reading and mathematics with the performance of students nationwide March 13-14 Makeup tests
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