I just saw a news report on a TV program called NightLine about how Florida required their students to pass the FCAT (a comprehensive exam) in order to graduate. 30,000 (or 40,000) high school students in Florida failed. Another version of the FCAT was given to 3rd graders and 13,000 students failed it. It must be pointed out that 99% of 3rd grade students in a magnet school passed the test.
It was mentioned that students have multiple chances to take the FCAT. Some of the students interviewed complained that they are being tested over things which they "should have been taught", meaning that there is something terribly wrong with the current education system. Wow, big surprise.
Parents, teachers, and students are calling this unfair.
There are several questions/issues here:
1. Should we (Americans) continue to "dumb down" our education system just so students can pass and in essence enter the "real world" not having learned basic reading and arithmetic?
2. Why is only Florida administering this test? Should it be required on a national level. European and Asian countries require this of all their students. In fact, many require that the students pass a comprehensive exam before they are allowed to advance to the next grade level.
3. Finally, now that the spotlight is once again on education, what should be done to correct this national problem called "social progress" that is, to pass a student simply to pass even if the student should not move up to the next grade level.
I know that there are many members in this forum who are Europeans, Asians, Australians, South Americans, etc. That is why I am curious to see the comments from Americans as well as from our friends from around the world.
