Testing reforms: Under the proposed "Fewer, Better Tests" bills filed Wednesday in the Legislature, all K-12 assessment testing would take place in the final three weeks of the school year, starting in the 2017-2018. S.B. 926 and H.B. 773 would also require results be returned to teachers within a week of testing, and that an understandable report be sent to parents. It also directs the education commissioner to study the feasibility of replacing the Florida Standards Assessments with the SAT or ACT. If the changes are approved, the state would also have to renegotiate its contract with testing vendor American Institutes for Research. Bill sponsors Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami; Rep. Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah; and Rep. Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, say the goal of the bills is to reduce stress and anxiety among students, parents and teachers. Miami Herald. Orlando Sentinel. News Service of Florida.
Per-student funding: Florida's spending per student ranks well below the U.S. average among states, according to a report by the National Center for Education Statistics. In the 2013-2014 school year, Florida spent $8,714 per student. The U.S. average was $10,936. Miami-Dade County spent the most per student among districts, $9,106. Gradebook.
Teaching incentives: Senators on the Florida PreK-12 education budget committee react coolly to Gov. Rick Scott's $58 million proposal for incentives to recruit and retain teachers. Specifically, senators criticized Scott's proposal for $10 million in hiring bonuses for new teachers who score in the top 10 percent in their subject-area exam. "It concerns me that we continue to look for the best performers in college -- and not the best teachers," said Sen. Doug Broxson, R-Gulf Breeze. Miami Herald.
Gun-free zones: Bills filed in the Legislature this week are aimed at ending gun-free zones in Florida - including at K-12 schools. Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, and Rep. Don Hahnfeldt, R-Villages, filed S.B. 908 and H.B. 803 to eliminate all restrictions on where people with concealed-carry permits can take their guns. Miami Herald. (more…)
Retention appeal: The Florida Department of Education and two schools districts are appealing a judge's ruling last week against the state's policy for retaining third-graders. Leon County Judge Karen Gievers said the state was wrongly holding back third-graders who do poorly on the state Florida Standards Assessments tests or opt out from taking them. She ordered the state and six districts that were sued to allow students to present a portfolio of work to demonstrate their readiness for fourth grade. Orange and Hernando counties joined in the appeal. Orlando Sentinel. Meanwhile, the Hernando County School District promoted three students who were involved in the lawsuit, but did not assign them to their school of choice. Tampa Bay Times.
Superintendent pay: The Lake County School Board is prepared to pay a new superintendent up to 23 percent more than it's paying the retiring one. Current Superintendent Susan Moxley makes $159,000 in base pay, and received $17,000 in bonuses. She is retiring June 30, 2017, and the board is willing to pay her successor a base rate of $195,000, with performance bonuses up to $34,000. Daily Commercial. Orlando Sentinel.
School enrollment: Enrollment jumps to 27,163 in the Alachua County School District, up 3 percent over last year, and some schools are over capacity. Idylwild Elementary, with a capacity of 575 students, now has 800, up from 750 last year. Gainesville Sun. At the 10-day count, the Highlands County School District shows a slight increase in student enrollment over last year. When school opened, enrollment was down 100. Highlands Today.
Parking artists: Seniors at West Orange High School in Winter Garden are permitted to paint their personal parking spots to express their personalities and other favorite things. The designs have to be approved by school officials. Teen Vogue. People. StreetArtNews. (more…)
Scholarship growth: More than 92,000 Florida students are now receiving scholarships for private schools through the state's tax credit scholarship program. That's an increase of about 17 percent over last year's 78,664 students. Another 5,844 will benefit from Gardiner Scholarships for students with special needs. That's an increase of about 18 percent over last year. Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog, helps administer both programs. redefinED. Gradebook.
Homework guidelines: School is back in session, which means homework is back too. But how much is too much? Rule-of-thumb guidelines approved by the National PTA and National Education Association call for a maximum of 10 minutes of homework a day, multiplied by a child's grade level. Fort Myers News-Press.
A path to gifted: A black father in Palm Beach County recounts what he had to do to get his twin sons into the overwhelmingly white gifted programs in their schools. Eric Davis says, "My biggest thing is, there are a lot of bright, young African-American students out there. They don’t get the same opportunities. Their parents don’t know the same secrets, the land mines to get into the programs – but they shouldn’t have to.” Palm Beach Post.
Contract negotiations: The Pasco County teachers union asks the school district for a 4 percent raise on the opening day of negotiations. The district is countering with an offer of a 2.65 percent increase, on average. The difference in the proposals amounts to $918,000. Gradebook. (more…)
Feds reject request: A state judge schedules a hearing today on the lawsuit against the Florida Department of Education's policy on retaining third-graders who do poorly on the state testing or opt out. The state asked a federal judge to take over the case, but the request was refused Friday. Fourteen parents are suing the state and six school districts, arguing that more factors should be considered if a student doesn't do well on the test, and that students who are doing well should not need a test score at all. Gradebook. Politico Florida. News Service of Florida. Associated Press. WFSU. Orlando Sentinel. Parents in Manatee County who think their child should be retained are told by school officials that there is no formal appeals process for that. Bradenton Herald.
Testing penalty: The company that administers the Florida Standards Assessments testing is refunding $4.8 million to the state for the problems with the testing in 2015. The American Institutes for Research has a $220-million, six-year contract with the state to run the annual language arts and math exams, which help determine school grades. Orlando Sentinel. Miami Herald.
Day 1: Schools open today in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Miami Herald. WSVN. Superintendent Lori White begins her final year when Sarasota County schools open today. White is retiring in February. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Teacher conduct: Administrators at St. Andrews School in Boca Raton are criticized in a report for doing nothing while a teacher had late-night meetings with students and even sleepovers. The report, commissioned by the Episcopal school, was released to parents. School officials have pledged to overhaul their policies. The teacher has not been charged with a crime, but is no longer employed by the school. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel. Associated Press. (more…)
K-12 funding: The Florida Senate and House are close to an agreement that would raise K-12 spending by $458 million, or $71 per student to $7,178. Most of the increase will be absorbed by the state instead of raised through local property taxes. In his budget proposal, Gov. Rick Scott wanted an extra $507 million for K-12 education, but almost 90 percent would have come from local property taxes. Legislators say the plan amounts to $428 million in tax relief. Politico Florida. Tampa Bay Times.
Education bills: What's in the two broadly drawn education bills that still must win approval in the full Senate and agreement in the House? Teacher bonuses, a change in charter school authority, open enrollment and much more. Gradebook.
Testing season: Florida's testing season begins today, and the Florida Department of Education is hoping for improvements from last year's problems of technical glitches. The Florida Standards Assessments vendor, American Institutes for Research, has upgraded software, hardware, security and its help desk, officials say. Orlando Sentinel.
Opting out: In west-central Florida counties, opting out of the Florida Standards Assessments tests isn't easy. Some parents wonder why, especially when they see other counties work with parents to avoid disruptions for students who opt out. Tampa Bay Times. The Department of Education denies a request that an Oak Park School student be exempted from taking the Florida Standards Assessment due to medical complexities. Maddy Drew's cerebral palsy prevents her from being able to speak, use the restroom on her own, or communicate beyond an occasional gesture with her one good hand. Her angry mother says she will take Maddy out of school until testing is completed. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Computer coding: Teachers and students talk about the possibility of computer coding fulfilling foreign language requirements. Sun-Sentinel. Panama City News Herald. (more…)
Charter schools. The mayor of West Palm Beach is pushing for a city-run charter school to help turn around "appalling" test results. Palm Beach Post.
Testing. The state releases sample questions and other new details about the FCAT's replacement. Orlando Sentinel. Tampa Tribune. Tampa Bay Times. More from Sentinel School Zone. Education Commissioner Pam Stewart taps a panel of superintendents to weigh in on the state's accountability system. Gradebook.
Teachers unions. The Florida Education Association takes over the Palm Beach County union amid an ongoing leadership election dispute. Palm Beach Post.
Career education. A South Florida high school adds more CAPE programs. Sun-Sentinel.
Budgets. The Fort Myers News-Press looks at the cost of school technology. A shortfall has Walton County schools bracing for cuts. Northwest Florida Daily News. Flagler County schools restore pay raises they couldn't afford during the recession. Daytona Beach News Journal.
Common Core. StateImpact looks at the politics of the standards.
Books. Anti-censorship groups rally to restore a book to Pasco's summer reading list. Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Tribune.
Rules. Alachua County schools may relax their dress codes. Gainesville Sun. Polk County schools move to restrict e-cigarettes and bandannas. Lakeland Ledger.
Administration. An administrative law judge sides with a Manatee County school district official ensnared by a scandal. Bradenton Herald.
Charter schools. The City of North Miami faces another setback in its bid to open a charter school. Miami Herald. A charter school funding study is disputed. StateImpact.
Pre-K. Pasco schools consider expanding their early learning offerings. Tampa Bay Times.
Tax credit scholarships. Orlando Sentinel Columnist Scott Maxwell cribs a zombie metaphor to rail against the program.
Testing. Education Commissioner Pam Stewart , PolitiFact and a Palm Beach Post column smack down a lawmaker's recent statement about the state's new standardized tests promoting homosexuality.
Merit pay. The Alachua County school board grapples with ways to implement a new pay system in the coming school year. Gainesville Sun.
Facilities. Hernando County officials pitch a one-cent sales tax that would help pay for school construction. Tampa Bay Times. Students at one Hernando elementary school will get to stay in their buildings as the school gets renovated, the Times reports.
Superintendents. A contract extension for Lee's superintendent is pushed back amid talk of a pay hike. Fort Myers News-Press. The St. Lucie superintendent apologizes to parents for other employees' misconduct. St. Lucie News Tribune.
Politics. An outspoken Orange County School Board member announces plans to run for a State Senate seat that will be vacated by Sen. Andy Gardiner. Sentinel School Zone.
Discipline. Pinellas plans changes to its code of conduct. Tampa Tribune.
Summer school. Pasco schools may expand their summer school programs. Tampa Bay Times.
Common Core. The English and math standards could affect instruction in other subjects. StateImpact.
Brown v. Board. The Miami Herald takes a deep dive into the "re-segregation" of public schools. More from the St. Lucie News Tribune.
Vouchers. Following a Department of Education investigation, two schools may be barred from participating in the McKay and Tax Credit Scholarship programs after an administrative law judge found they falsely claimed two students were enrolled under the McKay program. Miami Herald. News Service of Florida.
Charter schools. Manatee school district officials discuss different ways of handling transportation for charter school students. Bradenton Herald.
Teachers. Hillsborough County teachers say they're running short on planning time. Tampa Tribune. A Hillsborough teacher gets a national award. Tribune.
Students. New research shows gay students are more likely to suffer depression and other forms of emotional turmoil. Orlando Sentinel.
Contracts. School board members defend the Leon County school district's handling of construction contracts. Tallahassee Democrat.
Tax credit scholarships. A bill to expand the program is pulled from consideration in the Senate. Associated Press. Orlando Sentinel. Times/Herald. Scripps/Tribune. Palm Beach Post. The bill would have expanded access to scholarships for middle-class students. Sun-Sentinel. A Washington Post blog mischaracterized the program, Jason Bedrick writes for the Cato Institute.
Charter schools. Orlando Science Schools rake in awards. Orlando Sentinel.
Testing. Miami-Dade's superintendent raises questions about the FCAT's replacement. StateImpact. Common Core opponents step up their criticism. Gradebook.
Administration. The Clay County School Board considers placing new limits on its superintendent's power. Florida Times-Union. Manatee County Schools prepare for the looming retirement of three principals. Bradenton Herald.
School safety. Gun bills, including the so-called "pop-tart" bill to overhaul zero-tolerance policies, win approval in the House. Miami Herald.
SIG. Pinellas County Schools consider applying for federal School Improvement Grants. Gradebook.
Unions. The Tampa Tribune writes up the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association election.
Improvement. Florida schools don't get enough credit for their improved performance, the Foundation for Excellence in Education is arguing in a new campaign. Saint Petersblog.
