Florida School Boards Association
Twenty-two local schools will get a piece of the $134.6 million pie that is school recognition dollars — an initiative that annually awards schools for achieving either an “A” or substantial progress on state-issued report cards. And while school officials will readily accept the newly minted checks, they also critique the program’s incentive methods, weighing…
Teachers and other school employees who have long anticipated a bonus from the state’s A-Plus plan shouldn’t have to wait much longer. The money should be delivered to school districts on Tuesday, according to the Florida Department of Education. School grade appeals have been reviewed, and the 2015 grades are now formalized. So the $134.6…
Students across Florida began taking their computerized state math and language arts tests this week, with significantly fewer problems than occurred a year ago. Last spring, when the Florida Standards Assessments and their platform were new, students all over Florida experienced troubles logging in and in some instances were knocked out of their exams, unable…
Parents of third graders across Florida have raised loud complaints lately that their school administrators and teachers have threatened their children with retention if they don’t pass the Florida Standards Assessment or an alternate test. District officials say they’re sticking to state law, which says: “To be promoted to grade 4, a student must score…
By the end of her teaching career, Mulberry High English teacher Katherine Langford was expected to spend just three days teaching ”Moby Dick.” Langford, who retired last school year after 40 years of teaching in Polk, used to design her own curriculum, pacing and lessons. But the Polk County School District has increasingly tightened its…
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…
Florida education commissioner Pam Stewart, among other state education leaders, has repeatedly stated that all public schools and their students are required to participate in annual state testing. She’s relied on the Florida statute that sets forth the rule as a way to bat back parents who say they wish to opt out of the system. Participation,…
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.- A push to let Florida’s public schools use alternative tests is moving ahead in the Florida Senate. A Senate panel voted Tuesday for a bill that would give school districts the option of switching from the Florida Standards Assessment to tests such as the SAT and ACT. The bill (SB 1360) now moves…
The Florida Standards Assessment is only two years old, but some state lawmakers are already looking for another option to test Florida’s students on what they’ve learned during the school year. Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, is leading the charge in the Florida Legislature to allow school districts to choose other types of standardized tests —…
TAMPA — The validity of the test, the way it’s graded and the way those grades are used have come under question by parents and educators since the new Florida Standards Assessment debuted last year. Still, students across the state are preparing to take the exam a second time at the end of this month and…