Photo Credit: ALEXANDRA MADAR
BY KYRA BACON
Students will be taking the FCAT 2.0 test on computers for the first time this year to save money on testing materials and to rise to the expectations of the technology-based 21st century.
10th graders and those 11th graders who are taking the reading FCAT will not be given a ScanTron and a sharpened #2 pencil. Instead they will be assigned a computer with the FCAT 2.0 program. The 9th graders and 12th graders who are retaking the test will still take the FCAT in the traditional manner. The FCAT 2.0 program is specially designed so that students can’t log off or cheat; once they are in the program they can’t access the Internet.
A state mandate that testing be computer-based was set specifically for the 2011-2012 school year. Paper, as opposed to a room full of computers that can be reused by students, is much more expensive. This decision is continuing the trend of setting up all national standardized tests on computers. Many End-Of-Course exams such as Biology, Algebra, and Geometry, are now taken on computers. Soon, American History will join this list. Next year, there is a distinct possibility that 9th and 12th graders will also take the FCAT on a computer.
However, computerized tests also present problems. According to Darilyn Brown, the CCHS reading coach, computers are hard to obtain for students to practice on. Students taking the FCAT 2.0 will learn the program beforehand by taking a mandatory practice exam on the computer. The second time that they see the program may be the day they take the test.
When students take the FCAT on the computer, they will not be able to underline and number phrases and sentences in the text to distinguish their answer. However, students will be able to highlight and use similar testing strategies that they have been taught in the past, like eliminating answer choices.
“Most students of this generation are tech-savvy, and so I think they will accommodate themselves and rise to the challenge of this change,” Guidance Director Sharon Friedlander said.
Students are allowed to use one 8.5 x 11 piece of scrap paper, but only for the math EOC exams. Reading FCAT students will be allowed to use the notepad, one of the many features available on the program. Other features include the eliminating tool to cross out answers, the highlighter tool; a supplement to allow students to highlight words or phrases in the passage, the eraser and the help screen, which reminds students how to operate certain tools. As for math, the familiar calculator and ruler will be available for math EOC exams.
“Fortunately, these students are the computer generation, and they are resilient. As for the scores, I’m hoping for the best.” Brown said.
