Florida School Boards Association
Right out of the gate, glitches are plaguing the debut of Florida’s brand spanking new student assessment tests. On Monday, the very first test of the Florida Standards Assessment, some schools across the state are reporting computer problems. Many school district superintendents had expressed concerns that the state had not ironed all the bugs out…
Parents and school officials in Leon County welcome the news of changes to standardized testing in Florida and say eliminating the English language arts test for 11th-graders is a step in the right direction. Gov. Rick Scott said last week he would issue an executive order suspending the exam following recommendations from Commissioner of Education…
Education Commissioner Pam Stewart has recommended eliminating a high school exam, making another optional and asking state lawmakers and local school districts to cut back on the amount of testing. Stewart’s recommendations are the conclusion of a statewide review of standardized testing requested by Gov. Rick Scott. “There is, without a doubt, an excess of…
Florida school districts have until Tuesday to certify their readiness for the state’s spring computerized testing. Bay County superintendent Bill Husfelt says his schools aren’t ready. “We are not ready for the onslaught of the existing tests let alone new tests that we have not seen, have not had adequate time to prepare for and…
At dinner tables across Florida, parents and their elementary school children are trying to solve a math problem: What’s going on with my kid’s homework? Florida is one of dozens of states that has switched to new math standards based on Common Core. The standards outline what students should know in every grade. Experts say…
ov. Rick Scott said today that Florida schools spend too much time on testing and that the Florida Legislature should fix that this year. Scott said a testing investigation he asked the Florida Department of Education to conduct should provide a “template” for changes. The governor, speaking at a Tallahassee education conference hosted by former…
As Jeb Bush edges closer to a presidential run, no issue may better define him than his efforts to improve education in Florida and the nation. To detractors, including the teachers’ unions, Bush undermined public education by promoting issues using vouchers to send students to private schools, expanding charter schools and emphasizing rigid testing and…
TALLAHASSEE | Student testing is at the center of Florida’s public education system. It serves as a way to assess student learning, evaluate teachers and grade schools. But as the public schools transition to the new Florida Standards Assessment, which replaces the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test this spring, lawmakers, educators, teachers and parents are calling…
group of Florida school superintendents — including Orange County’s Barbara Jenkins — met with Gov. Rick Scott last week, asking for the elimination of some state-required tests and the freezing of school grades for two years. The 10 superintendents pushed recommendations educators across the state have been suggesting for more than a year, mindful that…
Even before the Lee County School Board elected to opt out of state mandated testing—and then reversed that decision—the subject has been a contentious one. With teacher evaluations in part tied to testing performance and some parents claiming myriad tests aren’t creating a positive learning environment, a new bill hopes to relieve some of these…