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Lawmaker-Educator Wants FCAT Replacement

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By Carl  Orth | The Suncoast News

Published: September 6, 2008

PORT RICHEY - With youngsters settling back into classes after the Labor Day holiday, students might see several changes before the school year is out, courtesy of state lawmakers.

State Rep. John Legg, R-Port Richey, hopes to expand a pilot program of new tests to replace the controversial Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

"One size FCAT doesn't fit all," Legg recently commented.

Legg is one of the founders of and a teacher at Dayspring Academy, a West Pasco charter school.

The lawmaker hopes to gather support to expand the new assessment tests beyond the five counties that have been experimenting with the system since May.

Instead of a single, comprehensive test for reading and writing like FCAT, students would take course-specific exams, Legg said. The pilot program is similar to the New York Board of Regents model, he said.

The retooled assessment tests should help with graduation rates, Legg says.

Right now, scores tend to drop off on standardized tests by students' freshman year of high school, according to Legg.

State Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey,

would like to boost vocational schools. Fasano believes many students lack the inclination to attend a four-year college.

Instead of dropping out of high school, such students could pursue a trade, Fasano says.

Businesses need trained workers, Fasano says. He cites Minnesota-based Rasmussen College, which has a campus in the Holiday area, as an example of institutions offering associate degrees in fields that pay well.

"I look to him for guidance and leadership on education issues," Fasano says of Legg.

Another goal Legg is advocating is an increased focus by schools on academically talented and gifted students.

"We want to insure our educational system doesn't stop pushing our children once they reach the minimum level of competency," Legg remarked. "We want them to push them farther. The sky is the limit so we don't settle for mediocrity."

A bill to aid gifted students passed the House in 2008, but didn't get through the Senate, Legg recalled.

Carl Orth can be reached at 727-815-1068 or corth@suncoastnews.com.

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