Reply #2: I remember when the FCAT writing test started here.

[madfloridian]

We spent hours and hours. It was formulaic writing, which is of course okay for some. Individuality is hard to nourish under this way though.

We had pep rallies in the cafeteria, parades around the school ground.

In the end, one of my best writers, a brilliant guy...flunked. I read his essay as he wrote it as I walked around the room, it was fantastic.

One of the worst students and a lazy writer whose essay could hardly be read or understand...passed with flying colors.

It crushed the good writer, he lost confidence in himself. There was nothing I could do. It was a helpless feeling.

I am glad the writing scores were good. I hope the reading, math, and science are as well. But I was teaching still when all this started, and my fear is they won't be so good.

Fingers crossed they are, it would stump Scott in his machinations to kill public education here.