Florida School Boards Association
Florida government leaders have challenged federal rules regarding when to count the test scores of children still learning English. It’s not fair to include their results in school grading measures, the officials argue, before the students are ready. Matt DiCarlo of the Albert Shanker Institute, who closely monitors Florida’s accountability system, contends that if the…
The politics of extreme ideology has turned Florida public education into a testing factory. Unwilling to accept any responsibility for hyper-testing, politicians and reformers blame school districts. A prominent education reformer recently told the press, “They really need to look inward,” insinuating that districts are the reason for too many tests. If our school districts…
Here is all you need to know about the absurdity of education in Florida: For several months, dozens of school boards across the state have implored our leaders in Tallahassee to hit the brakes on high-stakes testing. And then on Monday, a state senator stood before School Board members in Lake County and implored them…
The Alachua County School Board has joined the list of Florida school districts calling for action from the state to suspend the consequences of state standardized tests in favor of an extended transition time for students and teachers to adjust to new educational standards. A resolution, approved by all four board members present at Tuesday’s…
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…
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…