South Florida school districts will resume high-stakes testing on Thursday after three days of delays due to technical problems. Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties all decided to administer the computer-based Florida Standards Assessment after reassurances from Education Commissioner Pam Stewart that glitches have been resolved. “There is a window by which we need to…
TALLAHASSEE — A plan to scale back testing in Florida schools cleared its first vote in the Florida Legislature on Wednesday, winning the approval of the Senate Education Committee. Sen. Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican and former school superintendent, said the bill would “place a lid on too much testing.” But the vote did little…
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,…
With technology glitches hampering testing in major school districts, a Senate committee on Wednesday advanced legislation that represents the first significant attempt to scale back the scope of exams in Florida’s public schools. In a 7-4 vote, the Senate Pre-K-12 Education Committee endorsed a bill (SB 616) that would cap testing time at no more…
The House Education Committee conducted a workshop on its Draft Legislation on Assessment and Accountability. The draft bill revises school start date to allow districts to set an opening date as early as August 10; eliminates requirement to regularly assess K-3 students; repeals required remediation for middle grades students who score level 1 or 2…