Florida School Boards Association
After weeks of protests, Florida testing critics claimed a victory Monday: The state suspended one of its tests. Education Commissioner Pam Stewart ended the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading, known as the FAIR test, in kindergarten through second grade. In its place, teachers will observe children’s reading abilities in a more informal setting than…
TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s littlest learners won’t have to worry about some standardized tests this year, the state education department said Monday. The announcement came after school systems, including Miami-Dade, ran into technical troubles administering the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading to students in kindergarten through second grade. State Education Commissioner Pam Stewart promptly suspended…
The Florida Board of Education is set to adopt a new standard charter school contract when it meets Sept. 29 in Tampa. The move comes despite lengthy debate by lawmakers that ended in the spiking of a bill that would have mandated a single uniform contract for all charters. The state board’s notice of the…
An Alachua County teacher is risking her job to take a stand against what she says is unnecessary standardized testing. Susan Bowles, 59, has 26 years of education experience and is currently teaching kindergarten at Chiles Elementary. Testing of kindergarten students has increased over the years, she said, but it reached a crescendo for her…
To hear the charter schools people tell it, something is wrong with the administration of Broward County Public Schools that so many private charter schools are opening one day and closing the next. “If a charter is failing out of the starting gate, it tells me somebody is not doing their job and ensuring they…
In Florida, the state where former governor Jeb Bush (R) pioneered the use of high-stakes standardized tests for school “accountability” purposes, a testing revolt is unfolding. Late last month, the Lee County school board voted to drop all state-mandated tests as an act of “civil disobedience,” though the vote was rescinded because of fear that…
While Lee County residents debated opting out of Florida’s testing program on principle, one Pasco County mom suggested the focus should be on the technical. Heidi Janshon, a Pasco elementary school parent and Common Core foe, told the School Board they, too should walk away from the new Florida Standards Assessments that students are slated…
It’s a hot topic this political season. The Common Core education standards were discussed in campaign forums and meet-and-greets. Some school board candidates have promised to expel them from Florida if elected. So, too, have some congressional candidates and state House and Senate hopefuls. Whether they will succeed, as voters head to the polls today…
Florida’s Republican governor says he wants to expand the pool of children who would qualify for the state’s new personal learning accounts. In the midst of a contentious back-and-forth over education, Gov. Rick Scott’s campaign released a second-term agenda Monday morning. The Associated Press has fleshed out some details already, but one noteworthy proposal hasn’t gotten much attention: A declaration…
At least seven groups of applicants with ties to failed or floundering charter schools are seeking second chances and public money to open 18 more. Odds are, most will prevail. School districts say that they can’t deny applicants solely because of past problems running charter schools. State laws tell them to evaluate what they see…