Testing. The Florida House is poised to pass its overhaul of the state’s testing and school accountability system. Associated Press. Gradebook. Scripps/Tribune. Florida’s testing glitches weren’t entirely caused by a cyberattack. PolitiFact Florida. A Sun-Sentinel columnist argues state tests should have a “paper trail.”
Catholic schools. Catholic schools can and should do for 21st-century U.S. Latinos what they did for 19th-century Irish immigrants, William McGurn writes in the Wall Street Journal.
Arts. The Florida Times-Union lauds KIPP Jacksonville’s top-rated middle school band.
Class size. Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell castigates state lawmakers and critics of the state’s class size limits.
Funding. The Florida House and Senate unveil competing education spending plans. Scripps/Tribune. Gradebook, with more here. Lee County schools officials fret over the size of the proposed increase. Naples Daily News. The Broward school board taps three firms to oversee a bond referendum. Sun-Sentinel.
Facilities. With another controversy brewing over another school site selection, Orange County district officials say the rules need to be changed. Orlando Sentinel. The Miami-Dade school board is asked to make way for a “mega mall,” Miami Herald. The Volusia school board rejects a plan to help overhaul a sports facility. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
STEM. Sarasota schools try to kindle an interest in science and technology. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Pensions. House leaders call off plans to overhaul the state retirement system, which covers most of Florida’s public school teachers. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Superintendents. The Sarasota school board puts off discussions of searching for a new leader. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Teacher conduct. A South Florida teacher is suspended after calling a Muslim student “Taliban.” Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel.
Boundaries. Alachua’s superintendent presents a plan to overhaul East Gainesville schools. Gainesville Sun. Some parents complain about a school rezoning plan. Panama City News Herald.
Lawsuit. A teacher who worked with hospital-bound special needs students sues the hospital where she worked over an attack. Ocala Star-Banner.
