Griffiths and Dick accept the challenge.
Smith-Martin and Martin duck it.
Mathewson...offers confusing rhetoric regarding cursive writing.
A few weeks ago on the Naked Conch blog I wrote about Orange County School Board member Rick Roach who took the FCAT and failed miserably. This was featured in the Washington Post, as Rick Roach was an accomplished business professional with not only one, but two Masters Degrees, and has led a billion dollar corporation with over 22,000 employees.
The FCAT called him a failure, which makes you wonder, is this test a true measure of how our students can perform in real life? Is this boondoggle of a standardized test in any way beneficial to our educational system? This test by the way costs over a quarter of a billion dollars to administer annually. Also a poll on the Naked Conch Blog is running three to one in a favor of dumping the test.
As Monroe County School Board Vice Chair Andy Griffiths was appearing on my weekly Friday KONK radio show, a listener posted on the Naked Conch blog that I should challenge Griffiths to take the FCAT. Great idea, but I thought to myself... “if one is good, clearly five is better,” right? At least that reasoning has been fairly successful with my beer intake.
So, with that in mind, I posed the question to our current crew of School Board Members whether they would take the FCAT and publicize the results. Relating back to my beer analogy, I quickly learned there is a difference between a well poured Guinness and a room temperature skunked Pabst Blue Ribbon.
First to respond within 14 minutes was Rob Smith-Martin, with an intriguing “FCAT is being phased out.” Yes, I had heard there will be changes over the long term, but I was baffled as to what that had to do with the question of whether he would take the FCAT and publicize the results. So I reiterated my query. I’m still waiting, I guess that is a NO. Barkeep, score me a warm PBR, please.
Next, came Vice Chair Andy Griffiths, who said, “Hey Matt, I’m in...” He then went on to discuss the details of changes that are coming years from now, and implied his dislike for the FCAT. I’ve been critical of Andy recently, but he just jumped up a notch in my book. Andy comes in as an icy cold Red Stripe at Live Bait Lounge.
John Dick was true to form. He replied “I would take it.” I would expect nothing less from John. There’s my well poured Guinness at Shanna Key.
A lack of reply for over a week from Ron Martin and Duncan Mathewson made me wonder if they received the email, so I asked them for the courtesy of a reply.
Ron Martin came back expressing his opposition to the test, and the recently raised standards, and suggested it’s the State Board of Education and Governor Scott that should be taking the test. But he also said he felt that he would probably fail the math portion. That’s comforting knowing he is looking over the budget. He still didn’t answer the question, and I’m still waiting. I guess Natty Light isn’t that bad if it’s the last thing in the cooler.
But ultimately it’s Duncan Mathewson’s reply that could inspire Busch to create a new brew altogether. A brew of such quality that if offered for free over at Higg’s beach, you might still find them unopened and tossed in the sand days later.
Here’s what Mathewson replied... exactly.
“As I learned to write in cursive in 3rd grade,I doubt any body could properly understand any written test I did in the District. Hopefully, some day soon our schools will understand the importance of teaching cursive before all our kids lose the art of writing for ever. When that day comes, I will be happy to take any written exam the state has.”
cheers,
Duncan Mathewson
Schoolscanwork
I like the fact he said cheers, but seriously?
If the three who ducked the question like an errant fastball refuse to take a test they are defining our youth by, then they better be the first ones calling for Monroe County Schools to boycott it. We need to start considering if it is time to tell the State to stick it, possibly inspiring other districts to follow suit. If these guys feel as I do, that the FCAT is a failure, then they better be leading the way with more than confusing rhetoric about cursive writing.
The FCAT called him a failure, which makes you wonder, is this test a true measure of how our students can perform in real life? Is this boondoggle of a standardized test in any way beneficial to our educational system? This test by the way costs over a quarter of a billion dollars to administer annually. Also a poll on the Naked Conch Blog is running three to one in a favor of dumping the test.
As Monroe County School Board Vice Chair Andy Griffiths was appearing on my weekly Friday KONK radio show, a listener posted on the Naked Conch blog that I should challenge Griffiths to take the FCAT. Great idea, but I thought to myself... “if one is good, clearly five is better,” right? At least that reasoning has been fairly successful with my beer intake.
So, with that in mind, I posed the question to our current crew of School Board Members whether they would take the FCAT and publicize the results. Relating back to my beer analogy, I quickly learned there is a difference between a well poured Guinness and a room temperature skunked Pabst Blue Ribbon.
First to respond within 14 minutes was Rob Smith-Martin, with an intriguing “FCAT is being phased out.” Yes, I had heard there will be changes over the long term, but I was baffled as to what that had to do with the question of whether he would take the FCAT and publicize the results. So I reiterated my query. I’m still waiting, I guess that is a NO. Barkeep, score me a warm PBR, please.
Next, came Vice Chair Andy Griffiths, who said, “Hey Matt, I’m in...” He then went on to discuss the details of changes that are coming years from now, and implied his dislike for the FCAT. I’ve been critical of Andy recently, but he just jumped up a notch in my book. Andy comes in as an icy cold Red Stripe at Live Bait Lounge.
John Dick was true to form. He replied “I would take it.” I would expect nothing less from John. There’s my well poured Guinness at Shanna Key.
A lack of reply for over a week from Ron Martin and Duncan Mathewson made me wonder if they received the email, so I asked them for the courtesy of a reply.
Ron Martin came back expressing his opposition to the test, and the recently raised standards, and suggested it’s the State Board of Education and Governor Scott that should be taking the test. But he also said he felt that he would probably fail the math portion. That’s comforting knowing he is looking over the budget. He still didn’t answer the question, and I’m still waiting. I guess Natty Light isn’t that bad if it’s the last thing in the cooler.
But ultimately it’s Duncan Mathewson’s reply that could inspire Busch to create a new brew altogether. A brew of such quality that if offered for free over at Higg’s beach, you might still find them unopened and tossed in the sand days later.
Here’s what Mathewson replied... exactly.
“As I learned to write in cursive in 3rd grade,I doubt any body could properly understand any written test I did in the District. Hopefully, some day soon our schools will understand the importance of teaching cursive before all our kids lose the art of writing for ever. When that day comes, I will be happy to take any written exam the state has.”
cheers,
Duncan Mathewson
Schoolscanwork
I like the fact he said cheers, but seriously?
If the three who ducked the question like an errant fastball refuse to take a test they are defining our youth by, then they better be the first ones calling for Monroe County Schools to boycott it. We need to start considering if it is time to tell the State to stick it, possibly inspiring other districts to follow suit. If these guys feel as I do, that the FCAT is a failure, then they better be leading the way with more than confusing rhetoric about cursive writing.
If the FCAT is to test a child's ability to succeed in life because they will have a standard knowledge of math, reading, and science then why is the request to see how useful the test is only limited to our school board? I would ask all of our elected officials and business leaders to take the test. If the test measures you preparedness after school, then who better to show the flaws in the test?
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