"This is stupid!" said seventh grader Andrea Leary.

"Why do we have to be tested on this stuff?" asked eighth grader Juliana McCumbers.

"We were never taught this." stated sixth grader Jamie Watts.

These are just some of the things you hear being said by the Jenkins Middle School students about the FCAT. What is this test you prepare all year really for? Is it just another stupid test you get graded on or is it really something important? The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test of Basic Skills, more commonly known as the FCAT, is a state mandated test for all students in Florida schools. Test scores are especially important for third, fourth, eighth, and tenth grade students as promotion and graduation depend on the results.

"I think it's a good idea because it will tell if someone is going to the next grade or not." said sixth grader Michael Rogers

Many other students have quite a different opinion.

"I think that the purpose of FCAT is really stupid because nobody really knows what is on the FCAT so how can the teachers really teach the information needed?" Said eighth grade Juliana McCumbers.

"I think It's stupid that we take a test at the end of the year and that's all we learn about every day we come to school!" said grader Andrea Leary.

"I think it's a waste of time. Most of the stuff on the test isn't even taught which makes our scores lower." said Seventh grader Tori Champion.

Teachers and parents alike, have their opinions on FCAT.
"The FCAT is a waste of time." said Greg Ashley

"At first I was against it because it was strictly teaching to the test but since it's now been in place for many years I think students and teachers have risen to the challenge." said teacher Sandy McCumbers

"What really does this measure? How well a student can learn what they have instructed in during the school year, or how well they can recall general information on particular day? Is the FCAT teaching skills or pressure? The best thing that can come out of the FCAT is the alignment of the curriculum for all courses taught, but I worry about the young peoples stress in an already stressful world that requires more and more from young children at earlier and earlier ages." said high school teacher Beverly Baird

One elementary school teacher said students will just lay their heads down on their desks and cry because they don't know the answer.

According to an article Reason Online, written by reporter Charles Oliver, Governor Jeb Bush thinks the FCAT shows parents how well their schools are teaching students, but many parents and teachers disagree.

So the decision is up to you. Does it measure what it says or does it measure how well a student can handle pressure? Should a student's future be based on one test, given on one day? The answers to these questions will continue to be debated around Jenkins Middle School as well as the state of Florida.