Florida School Boards Association
Florida debuts a new standardized test for students next month, in a year when testing is a hot-button issuein public education. The Florida Standards Assessment is expected to be tougher than its predecessor, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Uncertainty about the new exams has stressed out many because results will be used to judge students,…
The newly renovated planetarium is the centerpiece of the school’s Astronomy Magnet program that will offer students a challenging curriculum exposing them to critical thinking, technology, STEM, research opportunities and Advanced Placement, while earning college credit through Florida International University. The quarter-million-dollar, high-def. digital projector has the latest sound and lighting systems that will take…
Education Commissioner Pam Stewart says students can not skip state-required tests, and teachers and schools can be punished for refusing to administer required exams. Stewart’s letter is a response to questions from Senators as they prepare for the upcoming legislative session. Senators wanted to know if students could opt out of state-required exams and how…
Lots of people think there’s too much testing going on in schools right now. It’s one of the most contentious issues in education. Lawmakers want to scale back the amount of time Florida students spend taking tests. But at the same time, Florida is rolling out a new test tied to new math and language…
Darcey Addo practiced with her son, Sammy, after dinner and again before school, coaching him on what to say. She had kept Sammy home during a district reading test earlier this month, and wanted him to be prepared when he was asked to take a make-up exam. She gave Sammy a letter explaining her decision…
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday proposed spending $23.5 million to expand Bright Futures scholarships, but did not address recent criticism of the program — namely, that new eligibility standards put in place to control costs have kept thousands of low-income and minority students from receiving the awards. Scott’s plan would direct new money…
A recent commentary written by William Mattox, a fellow with the right-wing think tank James Madison Institute, provides a glimpse of the strategy pro-voucher forces use to build support for their program. It begins with an anecdote of a student who says he was ill-served in “government schools” — a familiar pejorative used instead of…
Local school districts have asked Rep. Debbie Mayfield, R-Vero Beach, to work on legislation to change the requirement that schools can’t open any earlier than 14 days before Labor Day. With Labor Day happening late this year on Sept. 7, schools wouldn’t start until at least Aug. 24, making it the latest school year start…
Back about 15 years ago, the Florida Legislature gave school districts the opportunity to apply for charter status, freeing them from many of the rules and limitations that the state imposes on public education. Hillsborough County won the label. So, too, did Volusia and Palm Beach counties. The districts tinkered around the edges of the…
State senators had a laundry list of questions for Florida Education Commissioner Pam Stewart last week. They aren’t done yet. On Tuesday, Sens. Don Gaetz, Bill Montford and John Legg sent Stewart six pages of follow-up questions. “We appreciate your willingness to discuss these issues fully and candidly and to engage senators on a very specific level,” the…