Online testing system fails again; angry state official calls glitches ‘unacceptable’

Florida’s computerized testing system ran into a new round of problems Monday, following a trouble-free week that had officials optimistic the system was on solid footing. Districts across the state reported that students were unable to begin taking their Florida Standards Assessments in language arts and math on Monday morning. The Florida Department of Education…

Special session expectations growing

When the first session under Republican rule ended, House Speaker Daniel Webster and Senate President Toni Jennings sat at a tiny table in the Capitol rotunda and Gov. Lawton Chiles poured orange juice for their toast to a new political era. It wasn’t that everybody agreed with the two Orland Republicans presiding over the Legislature.…

Senate Education Committee Unanimously Passes Bipartisan ESEA Rewrite

In a calculated and largely fireworks-free markup of a bipartisan Elementary and Secondary Education Act rewrite, members of the U.S. Senate education committee approved the measure 22-0 Thursday amid much back-slapping and promises to continue working across the aisle. “The vote today is about how we conducted this markup,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the chairman…

Independent Benefits Council (IBC) School Employee Saver Campaign Receives Awards

The Independent Benefits Council (IBC) earned high marks for its School Employee Saver campaign website and contests on Thursday at the annual Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) Capital Chapter Image Awards, winning an Image Award and an Award of Distinction, respectively. The IBC brings together the Florida Education Association, the Florida Association of School Administrators,…

FSBA Daily Updates: Legislative Session 04-16-2015

TODAY’S HAPPENINGS In the Senate Appropriations Committee: SB 154 – Hazardous Walking Conditions by Hays – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE (CS) Revising criteria that determine a hazardous walking condition for public school students; requiring a district school board to correct hazardous walking conditions and provide transportation to students who would be subjected…