Results of SurveyUSA News Poll #19249

FCAT Testing System Not Working, Making Schools Worse, Say Most in Tampa: 57% of Tampa-area adults say the FCAT testing system is making Florida public schools worse, according to this latest exclusive WFLA-TV poll conducted by SurveyUSA. Just 13% say the testing is making schools better; 26% say it is having no effect. Five years ago, when SurveyUSA posed the identical question, 47% of Tampa-area adults said the testing made schools worse.

Overall, 58% of Tampa-area adults say that in general, Florida schools are getting worse, up from 41% five years ago. 27% today say schools are staying about the same, down from 46% in 2007. 11% today say Florida schools are getting better, flat over the past five years.

Should Florida schools continue to conduct FCAT testing? 61% of all Tampa adults say no, as do 68% of parents of students who have taken or soon will take the test. 26% of adults say schools should continue to conduct the tests. Support for continuing the test is strongest among minorities, men, conservatives, and Republicans, but does not rise to a majority among any of those groups.

Other findings:
* 73% of adults say FCAT scores are not an accurate representation of what a student has learned in school.
* 75% of adults and 86% of FCAT test-taker parents say using FCAT scores to determine teacher pay is a bad idea.

Full results follow. Clicking the "triangle-T" icon where it appears opens interactive tracking graphs, a SurveyUSA exclusive.

In general, Do you think Florida's public schools are getting better? Getting worse? Or staying about the same?

500 Adults	All	Gender		Age			Race				Parent FCAT Take		Party Affiliation			Ideology
Margin of Sampling Error: ± 4.4%	All	Male	Female	18-34	35-54	55+	White	Black	Hispanic	Other	Yes	No	Republic	Democrat	Independ	Conserva	Moderate	Liberal
Getting Better	11%	12%	9%	7%	16%	9%	10%	12%	6%	**	16%	7%	9%	11%	11%	8%	14%	8%
Getting Worse	58%	55%	60%	76%	52%	52%	58%	48%	65%	**	58%	58%	56%	62%	58%	58%	56%	61%
Staying About The Same	27%	28%	26%	18%	26%	34%	29%	25%	20%	**	23%	30%	31%	25%	25%	30%	25%	29%
Not Sure	4%	5%	4%	0%	6%	6%	3%	14%	9%	**	3%	5%	4%	2%	5%	3%	5%	2%
Total	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Composition of Adults	100%	47%	53%	24%	33%	43%	80%	8%	9%	2%	38%	61%	36%	34%	29%	29%	46%	16%

Do you think the FCAT testing system is making schools better? Worse? Or is it having no effect either way?

500 Adults	All	Gender		Age			Race				Parent FCAT Take		Party Affiliation			Ideology
Margin of Sampling Error: ± 4.4%	All	Male	Female	18-34	35-54	55+	White	Black	Hispanic	Other	Yes	No	Republic	Democrat	Independ	Conserva	Moderate	Liberal
Better	13%	17%	9%	14%	11%	13%	11%	24%	24%	**	14%	13%	21%	8%	10%	19%	13%	9%
Worse	57%	55%	59%	56%	63%	54%	62%	39%	38%	**	61%	54%	53%	58%	62%	45%	60%	69%
No Effect	26%	25%	28%	28%	22%	29%	23%	37%	35%	**	23%	29%	23%	30%	27%	34%	25%	18%
Not Sure	3%	3%	4%	2%	3%	4%	4%	0%	3%	**	3%	3%	2%	4%	2%	2%	3%	4%
Total	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Composition of Adults	100%	47%	53%	24%	33%	43%	80%	8%	9%	2%	38%	61%	36%	34%	29%	29%	46%	16%

3	Should Florida public schools continue to conduct FCAT testing?

500 Adults	All	Gender		Age			Race				Parent FCAT Take		Party Affiliation			Ideology
Margin of Sampling Error: ± 4.4%	All	Male	Female	18-34	35-54	55+	White	Black	Hispanic	Other	Yes	No	Republic	Democrat	Independ	Conserva	Moderate	Liberal
Yes	26%	32%	21%	26%	26%	26%	24%	35%	41%	**	22%	29%	36%	20%	23%	38%	24%	16%
No	61%	54%	66%	64%	64%	56%	64%	45%	45%	**	68%	57%	51%	69%	63%	51%	63%	69%
Not Sure	13%	14%	12%	10%	9%	18%	12%	20%	15%	**	10%	14%	13%	11%	14%	12%	13%	15%
Total	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Composition of Adults	100%	47%	53%	24%	33%	43%	80%	8%	9%	2%	38%	61%	36%	34%	29%	29%	46%	16%

4	Based on what you know, are FCAT scores an accurate representation of what a student has learned in school?

500 Adults	All	Gender		Age			Race				Parent FCAT Take		Party Affiliation			Ideology
Margin of Sampling Error: ± 4%	All	Male	Female	18-34	35-54	55+	White	Black	Hispanic	Other	Yes	No	Republic	Democrat	Independ	Conserva	Moderate	Liberal
Yes	16%	19%	14%	14%	18%	17%	13%	30%	26%	**	17%	16%	16%	19%	13%	17%	19%	9%
No	73%	69%	78%	75%	77%	70%	76%	65%	66%	**	77%	72%	69%	74%	79%	70%	72%	82%
Not Sure	10%	12%	8%	11%	5%	14%	11%	5%	8%	**	7%	12%	14%	8%	8%	13%	9%	9%
Total	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Composition of Adults	100%	47%	53%	24%	33%	43%	80%	8%	9%	2%	38%	61%	36%	34%	29%	29%	46%	16%

5	Is using FCAT scores as a tool for determining teacher pay a good idea? Or a bad idea?

500 Adults	All	Gender		Age			Race				Parent FCAT Take		Party Affiliation			Ideology
Margin of Sampling Error: ± 3.9%	All	Male	Female	18-34	35-54	55+	White	Black	Hispanic	Other	Yes	No	Republic	Democrat	Independ	Conserva	Moderate	Liberal
Good Idea	17%	20%	13%	15%	16%	18%	13%	24%	42%	**	12%	19%	22%	12%	16%	24%	14%	14%
Bad Idea	75%	72%	78%	77%	77%	73%	79%	64%	50%	**	86%	69%	64%	82%	81%	65%	80%	80%
Not Sure	8%	8%	8%	8%	6%	10%	8%	13%	8%	**	3%	11%	13%	6%	4%	11%	7%	6%
Total	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Composition of Adults	100%	47%	53%	24%	33%	43%	80%	8%	9%	2%	38%	61%	36%	34%	29%	29%	46%	16%

** Too few respondents of this type were interviewed for this data to be meaningful.