TALLAHASSEE — Although Florida lawmakers don’t plan to revamp the beleaguered Florida Standards Assessments this session, they’re likely to consider a related proposal to let students take other standardized tests — like the ACT or SAT — instead. State Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, this week filed a highly anticipated plan to let students make use…
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1. Cut Scores and School Grades approved by State Board of Education http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/testing/state-education-board-to-make-key-decisions-today-on-florida-school-grades/2260120 2. Florida high school graduation rates improved http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/floridas-graduation-rate-soars-0?utm_source=Constant%20Contact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=News%20Alert 3. Legislative session starts next week: issues to watch http://miami.cbslocal.com/2016/01/04/10-issues-to-watch-during-the-2016-session/ 4. Tallahassee downtown public parking (see you soon!) http://www.tallahasseedowntown.com/sites/default/files/dntwn_parking_2014.pdf 5. Just for fun: NEW elements added to periodic table http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melanie-fine/our-ephemeral-periodic-table_b_8921490.html Have a great weekend!…
DetailsThe Constitution Revision Commission is a big deal, and voters should pay attention. This group of unelected appointees will have the power to put constitutional changes directly on the ballot. The CRC is required to meet every 20 years to review and recommend changes to the Florida Constitution. That’s pretty heady stuff. The politically well-connected…
DetailsMarion Brady is a veteran educator who has long argued that public education needs a paradigm shift. Brady says schools need a complete transformation in what and how students learn — not the Common Core State Standards, standardized tests and other elements of corporate-influenced school reform. Here’s his latest piece, on efforts by some reformers…
DetailsExperts on K-12 education offer their reasons for optimism and pessimism going forward. It’s been a tumultuous year for America’s schools—one marked by an expanding minority-student population, an increasingly discontent teaching force, a backlash against standardized testing, and shifting understanding of education reform. It’s seen greater attention on areas traditionally dismissed as nonessential: things like…
DetailsTAMPA — Graduation rates for Florida’s class of 2015 are the highest the state has seen in 12 years, according to data released today by the Florida Department of Education. Statewide, the percentage of students who completed high school within four years of enrolling in ninth grade increased to 77.8 percent – 1.7 percentage points…
DetailsTALLAHASSEE — It may sound like a simple process, but the Florida Senate’s random renumbering of all its districts statewide Tuesday touched off a series of complicated twists that one key lawmaker said only adds more chaos to a continuing redistricting saga. Among the impacts: • Pasco County’s chances of having its first ever Florida…
DetailsThe state Board of Education, which for years has pushed to toughen standards for Florida students, voted Wednesday to compromise on test scores and school grades while the state continues to wrestle with its newly revised accountability system. The board adopted Education Commissioner Pam Stewart’s recommendations for scores that would see more than half of…
DetailsFlorida’s high school graduation rate continued on a steady climb to almost 78 percent in 2015. The graduation rate — 77.8 percent — was a slight increase from around 76 percent last year. Asian students had the highest graduation rates in Florida with nearly 91 percent graduating in 2015. White students and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander…
DetailsTAMPA — With students already preparing for the first round of standardized tests for 2016, state officials are set to finally decide what to do with 2015’s test scores. Despite calls from the state’s superintendents to do without schools grades for 2015, the Florida Board of Education is poised to vote Wednesday in Tallahassee on…
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