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Highlands Today

Florida Updating Science Standards

KATHY WATERS/HIGHLANDS TODAY

Student Amanda Derenzis demonstrates to her classmates how to correctly solve a problem that was on a previous eighth grade FCAT test during class on Wednesday at Sebring Middle School. Students in Shawn West's science class spend five to eight minutes every Wednesday, to prepare for next year's FCAT.

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By MARC VALERO | Highlands Today

Published: December 16, 2007

SEBRING — The Thomas B. Fordham Institute's study cited the following error in the current standards: a second-grader, for example, "... knows that a thermometer measures the amount of heat absorbed by an object."

This is careless and false, the study stated: a thermometer measures temperature, or better, changes in temperature, not the amount of heat absorbed.

Though test scores are one way to measure student learning, many teachers in Florida believe there is too much emphasis on teaching to the state assessment test, which is used to determine school grades and school award money.

"I think there is way too much emphasis on the test and the Sunshine State Standards compared to what I taught in West Virginia, which were instructional goals and objectives," said Sebring High science teacher Steve Picklesimer.

Commenting on science standards, Picklesimer said, "I hope they go to a point where they have more specific content-based standards than generalized science for just one test."

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