Calm down. No penalty for playing music in FCAT testing room

Florida's teachers often look for ways to make sure their students are relaxed and able to focus on the annual FCAT test, which has been known to cause its share of stress.

There's deep breathing. Chocolates. And one Manatee County teacher even decided to play classical music quietly in the background of the testing room.

When the teacher had to go to the bathroom during the test, she called for a backup proctor who disapproved. Music isn't on the list of things to provide students while taking FCAT, after all. So the backup called the Florida Department of Education, saying the tests probably should be invalidated.

Stop right there. Read the headline. The visitor overreacted.

"Manatee County reported the incident," a DOE spokeswoman told the Gradebook. "However, we recommended that they submit the exams for scoring. The department would not recommend invalidation for this issue."

Beethoven is not rolling over, for a change.

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Comments

[mel]

I was unable to concentrate on tests in geometry and language arts in high school because the language arts teacher would play classical music on test days and you could hear it not only in her class, but also in the geometry class next door. In addition, FCAT is not age appropriate. I don't know any adults who can sit and concentrate for an hour or more on one subject that is not their true passion in life. Why do we not have tests that help students learn skills on top of academics so they can choose to go into a union job like postal service or power company work? Not everyone has to be an rocket scientist. We need everyone to make our country run.

[Jean Van Wyck]

Believe it or not...WE TEACHERS HATE THE FCAT TOO! Now our pay will be based on how well our students do on this test. We can not pick and choose our student, nor can we monitor them 24-7. Some of us teach exceptional ed students or students who are struggling in reading and math. Should only the teachers who teach gifted or advanced students get raises? Their students will do well on the FCAT...

[can't hear myself think]

While it was sweet and admirable, the teacher should probably have refrained from playing music during the test. What would happen if a student performed poorly and then made a comment to the effect that he/she could not concentrate due to the teacher playing music? It puts the teacher in the hot seat and it certainly is bad if the student was in a pass/fail FCAT year. We call it CYA- don't set yourself up.

[Gabriel]

That stupid flawed Test has been made a GOD, by whom?
It doesn't feed us, or provide us with food. It doesn't pay our bills, nor give us work. It doesn't clothe us, nor produce the raw materials to make those clothes. And it certainly never measured what it was reported to measure. But we bow down to the Almighty FCAT! For what!?
Blasphemous Test!
Get rid of that "Golden Calf" that has already taken the souls of the DOE officials and clearly infects anyone whoever had to take it or administer it. Blasphemous Test!

[terminator]

what an A--wipe!
this is another reason why the profession sucks!
morons like this douche who go around pretending to play the district/DOE rat squad poice.
they were probably saying "look at me, I'm a loyal little brown noser" and hoping for some sort of reward from her buddy the administrator.
If I was the teacher in question: what's the old saying "about hell hath no fury"?

How about very quietly asking the teacher if they thought it was a good idea and then quietly turning it down (little by little so the students don't notice until it can't be heard)?

[0143]

I think the whole FCAT needs to be thrown out. And, it is those Teachers faults. They had the audacity to enter the FCAT testing rooms with heads full of answers. Heck, the very fact that the questions on the test used the alphabet to ask questions should be enough to invalidate the tests. I mean every question probably has an A, B, C or D somewhere in the question and that could have thrown off some unsuspecting student. The very fact that the math portion of the test used base 10 numbers to ask the question should be enough to invalidate the tests and fire all the Teachers who taught the kids using that system. And, Science should be thrown out, too. ALL of the students taking the tests had biological systems and flora and fauna on and in their very bodies. The students should have been sterilized prior to taking the test. That would solve a lot of our problems. Maybe the legislature could be treated likewise.