Miami-Dade Eliminates Most Local Final Exams

John O'Connor / StateImpact Florida

Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the district is eliminating more than 300 end-of-course exams this year, thanks to a new state law.

The Miami-Dade School District is taking advantage of a new state law and eliminating more than 300 final tests — also known as end-of-course exams.

The law rescinds a requirement that districts give students a final exam in all subjects that don’t already have a required state exam.

“Today’s announcement should come as welcomed news to everyone who recognizes that too much testing deprives our students of valuable instruction time,” district superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said in a statement. “In making these decisions, we’ve taken a logical and responsible approach to address the concerns of students, teachers and parents.”

Miami-Dade will give no end-of-course exams to elementary school students this year.

The district will field test 10 middle and high school end-of-course exams, but the results will not have any consequences. Those 10 subjects include five science courses, three history courses and two Spanish courses.

The district will field test new exams each year.

UPDATE: As the Tampa Bay Times‘ Gradebook blog notes, Charlotte and Walton County school districts have also suspended required use of local end-of-course exams.