Florida School Boards Association
Palm Beach County School Board members added their voices Wednesday night to growing opposition to state-mandated testing and its consequences, unanimously adopting a resolution in protest. The resolution was one of the actions board members decided on last week during a workshop. The two-page “Resolution on Accountability” details a long list of problems related to…
DetailsWhen Florida suspended its FAIR exam for kindergarten through second grade, high-stakes testing opponents cheered the change as a step toward a deescalation of the state’s attachment to assessments. Since then, though, the Florida Department of Education has moved to tamp down any such notion. The decision to cut the reading test had nothing to…
DetailsAfter 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…
DetailsTALLAHASSEE — 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…
DetailsThe Florida Board of Education is set to adopt a new standard charter school contract when it meets Sept. 29 in Tampa. The move comes despite lengthy debate by lawmakers that ended in the spiking of a bill that would have mandated a single uniform contract for all charters. The state board’s notice of the…
DetailsAn Alachua County teacher is risking her job to take a stand against what she says is unnecessary standardized testing. Susan Bowles, 59, has 26 years of education experience and is currently teaching kindergarten at Chiles Elementary. Testing of kindergarten students has increased over the years, she said, but it reached a crescendo for her…
DetailsTo hear the charter schools people tell it, something is wrong with the administration of Broward County Public Schools that so many private charter schools are opening one day and closing the next. “If a charter is failing out of the starting gate, it tells me somebody is not doing their job and ensuring they…
DetailsIn Florida, the state where former governor Jeb Bush (R) pioneered the use of high-stakes standardized tests for school “accountability” purposes, a testing revolt is unfolding. Late last month, the Lee County school board voted to drop all state-mandated tests as an act of “civil disobedience,” though the vote was rescinded because of fear that…
DetailsWhile Lee County residents debated opting out of Florida’s testing program on principle, one Pasco County mom suggested the focus should be on the technical. Heidi Janshon, a Pasco elementary school parent and Common Core foe, told the School Board they, too should walk away from the new Florida Standards Assessments that students are slated…
DetailsIt’s a hot topic this political season. The Common Core education standards were discussed in campaign forums and meet-and-greets. Some school board candidates have promised to expel them from Florida if elected. So, too, have some congressional candidates and state House and Senate hopefuls. Whether they will succeed, as voters head to the polls today…
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