The Florida House plans to move quickly on its testing bill, leaders said Thursday.
“We’re going to try to get this to the floor as soon as we possibly can so we can alleviate all of the stress and uncertainty in the field,” House Education Committee Chairwoman Marlene O’Toole said.
Her goal: to ensure “the teachers can teach, the students can learn, and the parents can be assured that we know what we’re doing.”
The 70-page draft proposal is similar to the version in the Senate. It eliminates a new 11th grade language arts exam, removes the requirement that school districts test every student in every subject, and reduces the extent to which student test performance factors into teacher pay.
It also gives local school districts the flexibility to start school as early as August 10. (Current law says school may start no earlier than two weeks before Labor Day.)
The House education panel took some testimony on the proposal Thursday morning.
Orange County Schools lobbyist Scott Howat called the bill “an excellent start,” but raised questions related to this week’s bungled administration of new online tests.