Page 163 – Florida School Boards Association

Following Obama Administration’s Announcement on Test Reductions, New Brief Considers Alternative Accountability Approaches

Assessments, In the News, National, StandardsBy fsbawp October 26, 2015

BOULDER, CO (October 25, 2015) – Yesterday, the Obama Administration acknowledged its own role in escalating the nation’s over-reliance on high-stakes, test-based accountability policies. It issued a Testing Action Plan for states, including a section on “reducing the reliance on student test scores through our rules and executive actions,” backing away somewhat from the Administration’s…

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State graduation rates continue to climb

In the News, NationalBy fsbawp October 26, 2015

Even though the high school Class of 2013 reached a record on-time graduation rate of 81 percent, it appears like the Class of 2014 is poised to pass their classmates. According to preliminary data released this afternoon from the U.S. Department of Education, 36 states saw improvements in their on-time high school graduates rates over…

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Superintendents in Florida Say Tests Failed State’s Schools, Not Vice Versa

Assessments, Florida Schools, In the News, StandardsBy fsbawp October 26, 2015

MIAMI — When protests from parents and teachers erupted against the new Common Core tests here, Florida thought it had a solution: It dropped the tests. But it abruptly switched sources for the exams, hoping the substitute would be more palatable. Now, nearly six months after students finished taking their exams, Florida faces an even…

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Florida School Boards Association asks Gov. Scott to waive consequences from 2015 testing

Assessments, Florida Schools, In the News, StandardsBy fsbawp October 22, 2015

The Florida School Boards Association has formally adopted a resolution calling on Gov. Rick Scott to waive the use of 2015 state test results for school grades, personnel evaluations, student progression and other uses. The group also built upon superintendents’ request for a full review of the state’s education accountability program, which several groups have…

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Lee school board to set goals for its members, superintendent

In the News, School BoardsBy fsbawp October 22, 2015

Lee County school board members will lay the groundwork for setting goals and expectations for themselves and Superintendent Greg Adkins during a two-day workshop Friday and Saturday. The first meeting, set for noon to 5 p.m. Friday, will take place at the Canal Street Support Services Annex in Fort Myers. The second, budgeted for 9…

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It is time for Florida to focus on teaching, not testing

Assessments, Florida Schools, In the News, StandardsBy fsbawp October 22, 2015

Florida’s accountability system is broken. Due to its hasty construction, a third of the questions for third-grade reading are not directly aligned to the standards they are supposed to measure. A lapse in the test construction process, moreover, failed to tie the complexity of the test questions to the proficiency levels being assessed. This FSA…

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School boards want test scores out of accountability measures

Assessments, Florida Schools, In the News, StandardsBy fsbawp October 21, 2015

TALLAHASSEE — A stakeholder group representing school boards is formally pushing the state to halt the use of students’ test scores in accountability measures like teacher evaluations and school grades. The Florida School Boards Association’s legislative committee approved a resolution last week calling on Gov. Rick Scott and the state Department of Education to “waive”…

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Editorial: Ignoring all the education experts

Assessments, Florida Schools, In the News, StandardsBy fsbawp October 20, 2015

Before a friendly hometown crowd at the Boys & Girls Club of Marion County on Friday, state Education Commissioner Pam Stewart talked about the success and progress Florida public schools have seen in recent years. She talked about improving graduation rates, top 10 national rankings and the importance of mentoring programs. What she did not…

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Florida Gov. wants money for summer teacher program

Funding, In the News, TeachersBy fsbawp October 20, 2015

Florida Gov. Rick Scott is seeking money to create a paid summer residency program for teachers in science, technology, engineering and math. Scott is expected on Monday to ask for $1 million in proposed funding for the program. The governor asked the Florida Legislature for the money earlier this year but legislators did not grant…

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Thresholds of Violence – How school shootings catch on.

In the News, National, SafetyBy fsbawp October 20, 2015

On the evening of April 29th last year, in the southern Minnesota town of Waseca, a woman was doing the dishes when she looked out her kitchen window and saw a young man walking through her back yard. He was wearing a backpack and carrying a fast-food bag and was headed in the direction of…

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