Alternatives to traditional grading standards

A Florida lawmaker is looking to give school districts in the state new alternatives to traditional grading standards.  This would allow districts to create new letter grade interpretations and give students the option of displaying mastery of a subject in lieu of traditional credit hour requirements.  The Competency-Based Education Pilot Program was implemented in five…

Details

Legislative Weekly – 2018 Session Kickoff

Tallahassee, FL – With Florida’s 2018 Legislative Session kicking off next week, Executive Director Andrea Messina provides members with an overview of what’s to come. Be sure visit the FSBA Session Spotlight Blog and 2018 Legislative Session page for in-depth summaries, resources, and analyses.

Details

What percentage of education funding should Florida’s state government provide?

The dispute could not be more stark.  Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Senate have pushed to allow local tax collections to rise with the increasing value of property, as a way to grow education funding. Just leaving the tax rate alone looks to generate about a half-billion dollars more for local coffers.  House leadership…

Details

Congress will return to a full slate of difficult issues

Congress faces a jam-packed to-do list this month with deadlines looming on difficult issues — including how to fund the government and avoid a shutdown, stabilizing the nation’s health insurance program for poor children, and whether to shield young undocumented immigrants from deportation. Read More

Details

How the GOP tax overhaul could impact your kid’s education

The sweeping $1.5 trillion tax overhaul President Donald Trump signed into law last week will likely impact many areas of American life, including education.  Experts are still analyzing what the GOP tax plan means for each state, but it could affect everything from how parents pay for private schools to the amount of money available…

Details

Florida’s accountability plan needs more work, federal government says

Florida’s plan to change its education accountability and testing system as little as possible, despite changes to federal rules, ran into a roadblock this week.  The U.S. Department of Education told the state that it can’t simply adopt rules that run counter to the Every Student Succeeds Act, particularly without seeking waivers. That includes the way it…

Details