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Middle school gives $1,100 in FCAT cash to 38 students
By ROBERT KING © St. Petersburg Times, published May 23, 2001 BROOKSVILLE -- Christopher Donegan plans to spend his $50 on roller hockey equipment. Dana Lee plans to stash her $50 away for a summer trip to New York City. It's a little spending money courtesy of West Hernando Middle School, which may have been the first in Florida -- and beyond -- to put money in student's pockets for good test scores. In its second annual FCAT cash giveaway, West Hernando on Tuesday dished out $1,100 to 38 students who scored at the highest levels on the state's key achievement test. Last year, when the test results came out after school had adjourned for the year, West Hernando quietly mailed $1,400 worth of FCAT paychecks. This year, the results came out earlier, enabling school officials to present the checks in person. As best as anyone in Florida can tell, paying students for test scores appears to be a precedent set at West Hernando. This year, West Hernando was joined by one of its sister schools, Parrott Middle School, which gave $5,100 to its high-scoring students on Friday. Both schools see the payouts as just another enticement in their never-ending effort to get kids to try harder on the FCAT, which is the cornerstone of the state's school accountability system. "I think it's a really good idea because it did motivate a lot of kids who didn't really care about the FCAT," said Lee, who plans to spend her windfall at an MTV store in Times Square. She received the money for high scores on the reading and writing parts of the FCAT. At West Hernando, students who score a six (on a scale of one to six) on the writing exam can earn $50. Those who score five (on a scale of one to five) on the reading or math exams can earn $25. The winnings were capped at $50 per child. Only eighth-graders were eligible, as their scores are the only ones that count toward West Hernando's letter grade on the state's accountability report card. Last year, West Hernando was graded a C. New grades are due out soon. Paying kids for good test scores has created some controversy around the state. But Danielle Baldwell, who took home a $25 FCAT reward on Tuesday, said people need to calm down and face reality. "I think's it's a good idea because it motivates them to do good on FCAT," said Baldwell, 13. "There's some kids that don't care at all."
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From today's Hernando Times |
