Florida School Boards Association
The candidates running for three South Dade state House seats — Republican, Democrat, independent — all agree that Florida students and schools spend too much time testing. Candidates running for the Florida House of Representatives in the 112th, 114th and 115th districts gathered for an education forum Tuesday night at Palmetto Middle School. “The biggest…
Back in August, the U.S. Department of Education criticized Florida’s approach to testing of students learning English, saying it would compromise the state’s ability to keep its waiver from federal No Child Left Behind requirements. State officials shot back angrily. Gov. Rick Scott held a press conference in Miami threatening legal action if the feds didn’t relent within…
BOYNTON BEACH — A parade of parents and teachers held back tears Monday night as they described their frustrations — and worse, their children’s frustrations — with school and the stressful atmosphere they say is fueled by the push to prepare for the state’s new battery of standardized tests. About three dozen people and an…
Bridget McKinney, principal at Miami’s Allapattah Middle School, says her students struggle to pass the state’s reading and writing tests. So when McKinney first read the Common Core math and language arts standards used in Florida schools this year, what jumped out was the emphasis on answering questions and making arguments using examples and evidence…
Utah students took their state’s new Common Core tests this spring, and they struggled so badly that a majority of Utah schools could end up graded D or F. Despite the more than 2,000 miles that separate the two states, what happened in Utah could resonate in Florida. This spring, Sunshine State students also will…
Common Core politics indeed makes strange bedfellows. Some of the most conservative tea party members are on the same side of the issue as some of the most liberal voters, although not really for the same reasons. To put it simply, the Common Core movement is an attempt to implement a common set of educational…
Humza Ghori types on the computer “a lot.” He games. He answers his teacher’s online questions. But does the Pasco County fifth-grader feel skilled enough to write timed short responses on Florida’s new high-stakes test? “I don’t know,” said the 10-year-old, a two-finger hunt-and-peck typist. “I think I would need more time. … On paper…
TAMPA — Florida school districts are ill-prepared to administer state tests this spring and should get a one-year respite from school grades, Hillsborough County school superintendent MaryEllen Elia told the State Board of Education on Monday. Her comments reflect what other Florida superintendents have been saying for months, and they echoed mounting public concern over…
A front-page article in Tuesday’s newspaper contained a stunning number: 1,000. That was the approximate number of new standardized tests Orange County is debuting this year to keep up with all the demands of Florida’s education mandates. We’re talking about standardized tests for P.E. and band. For kindergartners and brain-damaged children. For cooking classes, debate…
Palm Beach County School Board members added their voices Wednesday night to growing opposition to state-mandated testing and its consequences, unanimously adopting a resolution in protest. The resolution was one of the actions board members decided on last week during a workshop. The two-page “Resolution on Accountability” details a long list of problems related to…