Florida education commissioner recommends FSA cut scores

Florida education commissioner Pam Stewart proposed state test “cut scores” that would see more middle grades students earning top marks on the annual Florida Standards Assessments than advisory panels recommended. Elementary students, by contrast, would find it tougher to earn a top math score. Her language arts recommendations essentially match those of the advisory group.…

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State fails its own school districts

The long-festering dispute between local school districts and an unreasonable Florida Department of Education turned into open revolt last week as superintendents across the state finally declared that they’ve lost confidence in the state’s testing and grading system. The well-justified howl from the districts follows years of mounting frustration with a flawed system that unfairly…

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Superintendents Issue Rebuke Of School Accountability System

Less than a month after the Department of Education touted the validity of a new standardized test, Florida school superintendents issued a statement saying they have “lost confidence” in the state’s public-school accountability system. “We have witnessed the erosion of public support for an accountability system that was once a model for the nation,” the…

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Editorial: State should listen to school superintendents on testing

When Florida’s school superintendents lose confidence in the state’s entire system of accountability and call for a complete review, Education Commissioner Pam Stewart had better pay attention and change course. With one stinging voice, the superintendents say the botched rollout of the Florida Standards Assessments means the test is of no use in grading schools,…

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What’s wrong with the proposed cut scores for the Florida Standards Assessments?

Florida Board of Education members on Monday called for as high as possible cut scores for the Florida Standards Assessments — even tougher levels than the Department of Education review panels have recommended. They suggest that more Florida students might pass the test with lowered standards, but in the long run they won’t be as competitive nationally…

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Growing number of homeless students concerns local, national officials

LEESBURG — According to the U.S. Department of Education, 71,277 Florida public school students were homeless last year, a figure that has grown since the Great Recession. In Lake County alone, local school officials report homelessness affects more than 2,600 students. Doug Major, special events coordinator for the Educational Foundation of Lake County, is not…

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Florida issues guide for understanding upcoming student test reports, as concerns remain

The Florida Department of Education is forging ahead with its plan to issue and use Florida Standards Assessment results this fall, releasing its explanation of how student test reports will look when they’re published. Students will be assigned a T-score and a percentile rank for each of the exams they took. These are intended to…

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Miami-Dade school leader pushes state board on school grades

A fight over standardized testing and school accountability came close to home on Monday, when the Florida Board of Education’s traveled to fertile ground for criticism: Miami-Dade County. At issue during the board’s monthly meeting was the state’s plan to issue school letter grades based on new state tests given in the Spring. School superintendents…

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