FCAT and Friday Rant

Fox and Friends ran a story this morning about the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test this morning.  This is from the link on this blog:

Only 27% of 4th graders, 33% of 8th graders, and 38% of 10th graders earned a 4 on the FCAT in 2012.  In 2011, the percents were 81%, 82%, and 75 respectively.  The dramatic decline in scores represents a change in the scoring metrics.

Why the dramatic change?  I blame the current educational reform on social collaboration.  Students are encouraged to work in groups and share.  The result of this new pedagogy is that no one is held responsible for learning and the benefits of group work are not shared equally.  Game theory suggests that when actors bear all of the costs and only a fraction of the benefits, they will produce a less than optimal amount of effort.  When students work in groups, this is exactly what happens.  I used to hear that a meeting was a dog with four hind legs.  Working together on group projects is the same dog. When will schools take the blame for learning and require students to do their own work, read from a textbook, complete problems from the back of the book, stand and deliver.