The Alachua County School Board has joined the list of Florida school districts calling for action from the state to suspend the consequences of state standardized tests in favor of an extended transition time for students and teachers to adjust to new educational standards.
A resolution, approved by all four board members present at Tuesday’s meeting, pointed out the various failings of Florida’s accountability system, such as using high-stakes tests to make major decisions about students’ and teachers’ futures and mandating but not funding large-scale projects like the rollout of end-of-course tests in every subject offered in every grade.
To address those failings, the resolution calls on Gov. Rick Scott, the Florida Legislature and the state Board of Education to delay the use of Florida’s state assessments to determine student grade promotion and graduation, as well as teacher evaluations, until summer 2017, in favor of a three-year transition period to implement the Florida State Standards.
