The FCAT is a test that measures how much a student learns throughout the coarse of the year. Yet, it also determines whether the student advances to the next grade level or not. This is where the test turns unfair. Schools should not rely only on the FCAT to pass or fail a student. Say a student makes straight A's throughout the entire year, but when it comes time to take the FCAT he or she becomes sick. The student takes the FCAT though he or she can not concentrate, and fails it. Should this student be retained just for failing this one test, though he or she maintained A's all year? According to an article minorities students generally have lower test scores than white students. This is why the NAACP also disagrees with the FCAT. The article also states that this past year forty-one percent of the black fourth grade students who took the FCAT actually passed. This meaning the remaining fifty-one percent failed, and also are being retained back to the fourth grade. While the FCAT has a few positive attributes it also has many more negative ones. If the FCAT worked together with the rest of the student's grades or even just accounted for a percent of the student's overall grade it would be okay. Also it would make it a little easier on ,not just the minority students, but all of the student who are taking the FCAT. In an article from THE St. Petersburg Times, it states that in some parts a teacher's pay was being somewhat determined by how well his or her students performed on the FCAT. The state recommended that five percent of their salary be rated on their student's performance on the FCAT. Now, the FCAT is a wonderful way tell how well a student has paid attention and learned throughout the course of a year, but it should not be the deciding factor in determining a student's promotion or retention.
