Is change ahead for Florida in battle over standardized testing?

When Polk residents ask School Board members why the School District is doing something, they often get the same answer: The state mandates it, or, the federal government mandates it. Protesters are vocal about their frustration with ever-increasing mandates that affect public education, especially when it comes to Florida’s standardized testing and accountability policies. Some…

FSBA #FridayFive – Week of Mar. 21, 2016

1.   Florida is closing the achievement gap:  http://www.educationequalityindex.org/ 2.   A national report card on school funding:  http://schoolfundingfairness.org/ 3.   Computer coding as a foreign language not a dead issue:  http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/college-game-plan/should-computer-coding-be-considered-foreign-language-school-some-say-n543656 4.   Let’s do this in Florida.  Youth apprenticeship pilot program launched in Maryland:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/state-launches-1st-youth-apprenticeship-pilot-program/2016/03/23/3f791a6c-f0d4-11e5-a2a3-d4e9697917d1_story.html 5.   ESSA rulemaking has begun:  http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-education/2016/03/writing-rules-for-essa-213320

Florida 2016 legislative elections ‘our opportunity,’ FEA president McCall says

Florida Education Association president Joanne McCall has big ambitions for the state’s 2016 legislative elections. Many lawmakers who have been unfriendly to the teacher union’s view of public education will depart, while others face more realistic challenges than they have in the past. It’s a chance, McCall said, to begin changing the complexion of Tallahassee…