The test remains a hurdle some students can't get over. And failure to pass it can put their futures on hold.
By DONNA WINCHESTER
Published June 30, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - Scores of young people took another stab last week at an impediment that separates them and their futures - the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.
Among them were rising seniors worried they may not receive a standard diploma next May. Others, whose graduation day has come and gone, were eager to move on with their education or get better jobs.
All of them shared a common problem: an inability to pass part or all of the FCAT, which in 2001 replaced the High School Competency Test as the state's official high school exit exam.
In nearly every case, the students' shortfall had nothing to do with a lack of trying. Some, including Emily Bluestone, now have taken one or more parts of the FCAT for the sixth time.
Bluestone first took the test, which is administered to 10th-graders, in March of her sophomore year at Dixie Hollins High School. She passed the math portion with a good score, but did not pass the reading portion. Since then, the honor roll student, who finished her high school course work in May with a 3.3 grade point average, has attempted the reading part of the test five more times.
"One time I missed it by one point," said Bluestone, who is 18. "Another time I missed it by 15. The last time, I missed it by three."
When she realized she wouldn't be able to get a standard diploma until she passed the test, she signed up for FCAT tutoring. She says it didn't help because the questions on the test didn't seem to match the reading samples.
She attended Dixie Hollins' graduation ceremony with her class in May but did not receive a diploma.
"My family was going to be there and I didn't want to disappoint them," she said. "I walked across the stage, but all I got was a certificate of completion."
The certificate, which does little more than verify that a student showed up for school for 12 years, will not allow Bluestone to attend the International Academy of Design and Technology in Tampa, to which she applied at the beginning of her senior year. She's been having trouble finding even minimum wage employment.
"I got turned away for a couple of jobs because they asked me if I got my diploma," she said. "I told them no and I told them why. They said, "Sorry, we can't hire you.' "
The Department of Education estimates about 14,700 Florida students - about 10 percent of the class of 2004 - are in Bluestone's situation. Nearly 40 percent of the students who have not passed the FCAT are missing other graduation requirements, said DOE spokeswoman Frances Marine.
She said the pass-fail rate for the FCAT is close to the pass-fail rate on the High School Competency Test, which is still being administered to students who entered high school prior to 1998.
"The test is not the enemy," she said. "The idea is to make sure these kids have at least basic skills."
William Welch III might disagree with Marine. Like Bluestone, he took the FCAT for the first time as a sophomore at Dixie Hollins, but failed to pass either the math or reading portions. He took the test again as a junior and failed again. He completed all the other requirements for graduation and received a certificate of completion in May 2003.
Last week, he came to the Dixie Hollins Adult Education Center to take the FCAT for the third time because he wants to attend St. Petersburg College. He waved the proctor away when she started giving him instructions for taking the test.
"I'm aggravated, but I'm willing to do it until I pass it," he said.
About half of the students who came to take the test last week were rising seniors who are already worrying about whether they'll be able to receive standard diplomas next May. Among them was St. Petersburg High student Kelsey Cowan.
Cowan passed the reading portion of the test on her first try but missed the math section by one point. The 17-year-old, who has a 3.87 grade point average and takes Advanced Placement courses, took the math section again last year and missed by three points.
"I'm not dumb," she said. "I do my work and I have a good GPA. But they say, "You're not going to graduate unless you take this.' It's kind of frustrating."
Technically, Pinellas County students who complete all of the requirements for graduation but can't pass the FCAT do graduate, said Cathy Fleeger, an assistant superintendent in charge of high schools.
"What we typically say is they graduated with a certificate of completion, but they did not graduate with a standard diploma," she said. "For students who earn a certificate of completion, we say that is their end degree. But we never say to a student, "If you choose to accept a certificate of completion you can never trade it in on a diploma.' "
Students who don't pass the FCAT have several options, Fleeger said. They can continue taking the test and can receive a high school diploma from their school when they pass - no matter how long it takes. Or, they can enroll in an adult education center and take classes that will prepare them to take the General Education Development test. If they pass the GED exam, they will be issued a state of Florida diploma, which will allow them to enroll in a community college and begin taking college level classes. In most cases, they will be able to transfer to a four-year university when they complete an associate's degree.
Contrary to popular belief, Fleeger said, a state of Florida diploma awarded to a student who passes a GED test is not "wimpy."
"Approximately 40 percent of high school graduates cannot pass the GED test," she said. "It is a five-part test and it is much more difficult than people think."
But not all students want to take that route. Many, including Bluestone, say they want a diploma that bears the name of the school they attended.
"I was in the same high school for four years," she said. "I want my diploma."
She has vowed to keep taking the test until she passes.
"I'm really close," she said. "I know I'll get it if I keep trying."
