Florida can’t replace state tests with national ones, commissioner says

Earlier this week, Seminole schools superintendent Walt Griffin sent a series of testing recommendations to Florida education commissioner Pam Stewart, including the suggestion that the state scrap its Florida Standards Assessments for a nationally recognized test. FSA administration this spring was plagued with problems, leading to a validity study that’s occurring now. If nothing else,…

Florida sees surge in homeschooling

The number of home-schooled children in Florida saw its biggest increase in five years during 2014-15, according to a recently released Florida Department of Education report. (Thanks to the Redefined blog for bringing attention to the data.) Last year, the state counted 84,096 children in home schooling, up 9.6 percent from a year earlier. The…

Lawmakers have 2 months to redraw congressional maps

TALLAHASSEE — Pointing to a time crunch, a Leon County circuit judge has given the Florida Legislature little more than two months to draw new congressional districts and to defend them in court. Judge George S. Reynolds III issued an order Wednesday that said a special legislative session to redraw districts and a subsequent trial…

What Jobs Skills Are Florida Students Learning?

Earlier this week we told you about AMskills, a program bringing German-style apprenticeships to Tampa-area students. Another way Florida has tried to help school prepare students for jobs is the Career and Professional Education Act. The law helps businesses create academies within public schools to train students and help them earn professional certifications. Those certifications…