Testing routine: What is Florida Standards Assessments testing like for students? Here's a typical day during testing season for a P.K. Yonge student. Gainesville Sun. Nearly a week into testing, Polk County officials say things are going smoothly. Lakeland Ledger.

Charter problems: The latest problems at Windsor Prep Academy in St. Petersburg and two other charter schools in Clearwater are putting greater scrutiny on their management company, Newpoint Education Partners. This isn't the first time Newpoint has had problems with financial issues and failing schools. WFLA. Tampa Bay Times. Tim Kitts resigns as CEO of the Bay Haven Charter Academy in Panama City. He says organizational changes stripping him of his authority leave him unable to lead. He also was the subject of complaints from two administrators. Panama City News Herald.

Campaign lessons: Anti-bullying campaigns have been in most U.S. schools for years, so this presidential campaign has been confusing for some schoolchildren. “If students are following this election – and they should be – we have a lot of re-educating to do,” Buffalo school administrator Will Keresztes said. Associated Press.

School tax holiday: The back to school sales tax holiday will be cut down to three days this August. Last year it went for 10 days. Associated Press, via Naples Daily News.

School recess: State Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, is making one last pitch for mandatory recess every day in elementary schools. But his plan faces several procedural hurdles. Miami Herald. Is your elementary school child getting the 150 minutes of physical education every week as state law requires? Palm Beach Post. (more…)

School settlement: Miami-Dade County Public Schools settles with the U.S. Department of Justice over a claim that the system discriminated against job applicants who were immigrants. The county does not admit to any wrongdoing, though it has paid a $90,000 civil citation. Miami Herald.

School testing: State Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, is confident the Legislature will consider reforms to school assessment testing in the next session. Daily Commercial. Highlands County teachers complain to the school board that there's a mismatch between reading curriculum and testing. Highlands Today.

Instructional coaches: Are Florida schools getting their money's worth for the increasingly popular practice of having district instructional coaches? A legislative committee wonders. Gradebook.

Principal legislation: A Florida House committee has approved a bill for a three-county pilot program that would give principals of underperforming schools greater autonomy to hire and fire teachers. Bay News 9.

Transfers for sports: Too many Polk County high school students are switching schools for athletics, a practice that doesn't always work out for the students, county school officials say. Lakeland Ledger.

STEM classes in jeopardy: Four teacher training classes - middle grades and secondary math, middle grades science and secondary biology - are suspending enrollment at Florida SouthWestern State College due to a lack of interest. Fort Myers News-Press. (more…)