Florida Writes

January 20th is a day of dread for many Florida public school students, for it's the day they will take the "Florida Writes Test." It's a writing test given to fourth, eighth and 10-th graders. And while some of the -students- may be nervous about the test, the real pressure is on -teachers and administrators.-

In Assignment: Education.. Bill Ratliff takes us to a Hillsborough County Elementary school where the stakes are high.

--[4th Grade teacher Myra Newcomer says:] "What have we done? What have we done this year, since day one, to get ready for Florida Writes?"--

The pressure is on at Edison-Lomax Elementary in Tampa.

--[Reading & Writing Resource teacher Mary Lou Bondi says:] "What's in paragraph three?" [Student off camera says:] "Main idea two." [Ms. Bondi says:] "That's right."--

Whether it's one student getting help from a reading and writing specialist.. or a classroom teacher reviewing past lessons.. these students are being prepped for the somewhat controversial Florida Writes Test.

--[Ms. Newcomer says:] "We've talked about figurative language. We want to put a picture in people's minds about what you're writing about."--

How well these students perform on the test will determine whether the school is kept off the state's list of Critically-Low Performing Schools. So what do these fourth graders have to do? In their 45-minute test, they'll be asked to tell a story or explain something. Each paragraph must have five sentences and three supporting ideas. There must be a topic sentence and a summary - and oh, yeah - don't forget the transitional sentences. Critics of the test say it forces children to learn to write according to a formula and it stifles creativity. But this teacher says while she does teach a formula for writing.. it doesn't stifle creativity in her classroom.

--[Ms. Newcomer says:] "They write on all kinds of crazy things. Anything they want to pretty much, and come up with their own ideas. But they simply are given a topic they have to begin with and then a certain formula and format to use.--

Edison-Lomax Principal Sylvia Hornsby is confident her teachers push their students to go beyond the writing formula. But still she admits the Florida Writes test makes her very nervous.

--[Principal Sylvia Hornsby says:] "The pressure to make sure we are not on a critically-low list does add a lot of stress."--

The Florida Writes Test is scored on a scale of one-to-six.. six being the highest mark. A certain percentage of a school's students must score at least a three for the school to stay off of the state's list of critically low performing school. Bill Ratliff, Newschannel 8

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