It’s not the kind of news you’d want emblazoned on that “Welcome to Florida” sign. Coming in at No. 15, between Tennessee (14) and South Carolina (16), the Sunshine State ranks among the 20 states with the highest rates of underprivileged children, according to a study from personal finance website WalletHub. Mississippi landed at No. 1, with New Jersey […]
VPK ‘readiness’ test faces growing scrutiny
The practice round was rough. When Florida implemented a new Kindergarten Readiness test last fall — designed to determine if the state’s thousands of Voluntary PreKindergarten (VPK) programs were preparing children for school — 42 percent of providers statewide missed the minimum threshold of having at least 60 percent of their former students pass a […]
School grades: How much do they matter?
Florida issued its annual batch of school grades last month. Each elementary, middle and high school got an A, B, C, D or F. Those grades certainly matter if a school consistently earns a D or an F. According to state law, such low performers risk being closed, converted to charter schools or turned over […]
Sparks Fly over Education Amendment in State Supreme Court
One group, describing itself as the “framers” of an education constitutional amendment, was largely appointed by former Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles. Another group was appointed by 1990s-era Republican legislative leaders. But two decades after the groups served together on the 1997-1998 Florida Constitution Revision Commission, they are clashing in the state Supreme Court. The root […]
Florida Risks Losing $1.1 Billion in Federal Funds Over ESSA Spat
When the Every Student Succeeds Act was first passed in late 2015, Florida officials pledged that they’ll do everything in their power to keep their long-standing accountability system mostly intact. That’s despite the fact that the federal law has several new requirements that states must abide by. They include factoring in the test scores of […]
At least 920 Florida teachers fired after failing state test, despite ‘effective’ evaluations
How do you tell a teacher who’s got the passion and gets the results, you’re fired? “I’m getting emotional thinking about it right now,” said Emily Mixon, a drama teacher in Escambia County who just learned she won’t be able to return to the classroom next month. “My purpose is to educate. I can’t believe at […]
Editorial: End the double standard for Florida schools educating students with public dollars
For years, education leaders in Florida have been ratcheting up standards and expectations for students in public schools. Policymakers have increased the passing scores on the state-mandated tests that determine whether students can graduate and the grades their schools receive. Just last month, they voted to hike the required scores for graduation for public school […]
State adopts new high school testing rule
Freshmen entering Florida high schools this fall will need higher scores on alternative tests to meet graduation standards in math and language arts, under a rule adopted last Wednesday by the state Board of Education.School districts warned the higher test scores could prevent more minority students and students learning to speak English from graduating. Read […]
161 Students From Across the Country Named 2018 U.S. Presidential Scholars
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today announced the 54th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, recognizing 161 high school seniors for their accomplishments in academics, the arts and career and technical education fields. “I want to congratulate this year’s class of Presidential Scholars on their achievement and also thank their parents, teachers and other academic […]
Florida submits revised Every Student Succeeds Act plan
The Florida Department of Education sent in its revised federal school accountability plan Monday, months after the U.S. Education department said multiple revisions were needed. In its updated version, the state said it had filed for a waiver of certain testing rules for middle school students in science and math, so they do not have to […]