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Pass the FCAT and Fail the SAT.
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Written by Leah Berkowitz, Op-Ed Editor
SAT– the three letters that make students’ lives that much more miserable– it’s the one thing that stands between you and college; the FCAT, not so much. Teachers, guidance counselors, and almost every single adult in the universe emphasize how important it is to go to college. So if the SAT is one of the major factors into being accepted to a university, then why do schools choose to teach toward the FCAT?
Yes, there are many tutors and prep courses that can help you succeed in the SAT, but it’s not like the everyday practice you get in school preparing you for the FCAT. These programs can be very costly to people who don’t have that extra $500.
The FCAT is like a bee, and the SAT a bear. If the school starts preparing students to master the SAT, then those same students should “bee” able to pass the FCAT with flying colors. If the school did have more SAT practice it could help students have a eminent college life, because according to The College Board website, “The SAT is the best predictor of college success.” Besides, the score you receive on the FCAT is not as important in relation to any score you receive on the SAT.
This problem might also be easier to solve if the school’s “grade” wasn’t based on the student’s overall FCAT scores. Florida universities look at an in-state applicant’s FCAT scores, but what happens if you apply out of state? Yes, that “F” in front of CAT is there for a reason. No other state has this exact standardized test, so how does this test help better your chance of being accepted to a school when you’re being compared to someone that is from Arizona? Every state has an assessment, but the content and the scoring of the two are different. The SAT is the most widely used test in terms of college admissions. It’s fair to all students of different ethnicities and even gender, it is put together so that each question goes under rigorous pretesting. It’s the most carefully organized test in the world. This is why the SAT should be stressed more, because it is universal.
Overall, everyone knows that the FCAT gets you out the door, and the SAT is a test that gets you through the rest of life. If schools are going to teach kids only to master a test, then they should at least choose the right one. If this style of teaching continues down the path it’s on, then the future generations to come will be marionettes with strings attached to the county school board, only reciting things that pertain to the letters F-C-A-and T.
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