As retained Florida third graders return to school this week and next, district leaders are reminding principals and teachers that the children still may move up to fourth grade after classes resume. State law requires all districts to have midyear promotion plans for children held back in third grade because they did not show grade-level reading…
DetailsAs the Zika outbreak expands in Florida, Gov. Rick Scott on Monday directed education officials to protect students heading back to public schools, state colleges and universities, including distributing mosquito repellent to schools in South Florida, where the disease is the most prevalent. Read full article
DetailsIn 2015, slightly more than half of the nation’s children younger than 1 were non-white, U.S. Census Bureau data indicate. It’s just the latest data point marking a demographic transition, the shift from a majority white nation to one with no majority racial or ethnic group that’s also playing out in the nation’s K-12 classrooms.…
DetailsFlorida’s first charter school opened 20 years ago. Since then, enrollment in these publicly funded, privately run schools has exploded. Today, more than 250,000 students attend about 650 charter schools across the state and many of them are returning to school this week. But the rapid growth has come with more than a few speed bumps. Read…
DetailsStudents with disabilities who are frequently suspended from school may be missing out on the behavior supports they are entitled to, says new guidance released this week from the U.S. Department of Education. The “Dear Colleague” letter on the Inclusion of Behavioral Supports in Individualized Education Programs noted that 10 percent of students with disabilities were subject to short-term…
DetailsMost school districts around the state are struggling to pay for basic maintenance of their aging schools. Money is so tight that some districts are merely patching old leaking roofs and repairing aging equipment instead of replacing it. The main reason for the capital fund shortage is that the state Legislature reduced a school capital…
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FSBA #FridayFive – Week of August 1, 2016 – 5 Things You Should Know Supreme Court Blocks Rules On Transgender Virginia Student’s Bathroom School board member input critical to Regional Advisory Committees at the U.S. Department of Education survey US teachers get less training than leaders in world educ stats Where Florida ranks on school safety,…
DetailsDays after closing the window on public input for Florida’s effort to implement new federal education accountability rules, state education commissioner Pam Stewart has sent her own views to U.S. Education Secretary John King. In her seven-page letter, Stewart touts Florida’s existing system, and reminds the secretary that the federal government cannot force states to…
DetailsThe new federal K-12 education law contains the strongest requirements to date that states gather and weigh the opinions of principals, parents, and others as they create new education plans. But whether states are practicing this kind of “meaningful consultation”—and particularly whether they are tapping the expertise of their principals — depends very much on…
DetailsAs the Commissioner of Education for Florida, I appreciate the flexibility afforded states by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to establish a workable, student-centric system of statewide accountability focused on increasing student achievement. The accountability mechanisms established under ESSA are comprehensive and considered. Read full commentary
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