Much of the focus has been on emails between Bennett and staff which revealed Bennett’s concern that a prominent charter school had failed to earn an A grade.
But StateImpact Indiana’s Kyle Stokes found the changes Bennett sought had a much broader effect:
But it’s unclear whether what the finding could mean for Bennett’s legacy in Indiana or for the future of the state’s system for issuing performance ratings to schools — a system now undergoing its second re-write in as many years.
Florida’s system of giving schools grades from A-to-F has been in the spotlight this summer.
First, state officials made last-minute changes to the A-to-F formula, preventing more than 150 schools from dropping to F grades.
Sammy Mack / StateImpact Florida
What's in a school grade? We asked parents.
Then, Florida’s education commissioner Tony Bennett resigned over reports that he manipulated school grades in Indiana when he was in charge of schools there.
Florida pioneered the A thru F school grade system in 1999. But now, even supporters are saying it’s time to revisit the formula.
With school about to start back up, we reached out to parents through the Public Insight Network and asked: What does a school’s grade even mean to you?
Common Core State Standards are scheduled to be used in every Florida classroom beginning next fall. The standards outline what children should know at the end of each grade in math and English language arts.
But as the deadline approaches, critics on the political right and left are opposing the standards. Conservatives worry the standards will centralize education, reduce local control and will cost more, among other concerns.
“Only the state elected officials that took the Race To The Top Grant and have imposed the CCSS on Florida’s children can give you the answers you deserve and need to understand the CCSS,” the group wrote. “If they cannot answer these questions, or will not, you should reject the Common Core Standards and demand that the state reverse course in this regard immediately.”
Florida officials made just two major changes to the state formula which determines A-to-F school grades during the first six years of its use — adding a component to measure student test improvement from year-to-year and expanding the number of students included in the formula.
But since 2010 the state has made 16 changes to the formula, including adding new test results, increasing target test scores, factoring in high school graduation rates and accelerated coursework and adding scores for students with disabilities or those learning English.
Florida Department of Education
This timeline from the Florida Department of Education shows changes to the school grading formula since 1999.
School superintendents worry the formula has been loaded up like a Christmas tree and even supporters on the State Board of Education said they doubt the school grades.
Experts who study school grading systems say the question of whether the formula is too complicated is less important than whether school grades are an accurate measurement of education priorities.
Paying a student to read Animal Farm didn't inspire him to read more. But he reminded the teacher of who she should be in the classroom.
Editor’s note: Names of students and teachers have been changed.
Knowing we were going to be talking about former students, Lisa Perry told me she got out some letters she had saved and read through them.  The exercise inspired her to get in touch with four of her students from over 20 years ago.  (“Facebook is a wonderful thing,” she told me.)
But it also showed her some themes about her teaching, things that were mentioned repeatedly by students as they expressed appreciation.
Perry told me that she saw again and again phrases like: “You really opened my eyes;” “You valued what I said;” “You took me into the world of literature and helped me relate it to life.”
But her most memorable story was what she sees as her failure as a teacher.
Experts say the switch to Common Core standards won't require a total overhaul of school grading systems. However, educators may struggle to set new expectations.
The board was being asked to voted on two temporary changes which would soften the impact of several years of changes to the state formula which assign schools and districts an A-to-F rating. One change would prevent schools from dropping more than one letter grade this year, while another would change how
But the board was deeply divided. Some argued the reprieve was wise as schools adjusted to the new requirements. Other argued the state was sugarcoating bad news.
Most of the board questioned the complexity of the formula.
“I don’t think it’s a statistically relevant model,” board member Kathleen Shanahan told her colleagues.
They said Florida’s move to new education standards fully adopted by 45 states, known as Common Core, would force a rewrite of the formula.
But what will the switch to Common Core mean for Florida’s school grading system? Experts say the problems for the grading system are more political than statistical. That’s because the standards and accompanying testing will be more difficult, so fewer students — and schools — will meet expectations.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush (R-FL) addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, March 15, 2013.
Two 2016 presidential horse race stories posit that former Gov. Jeb Bush’s stock is down following the recent resignation of Education Commissioner Tony Bennett and Florida and Indiana lawmakers questioning the veracity of the A-to-F school grading systems Bush pioneered.
Bush hasn’t said whether or not he intends to run in 2016.
Bush built his gubernatorial legacy on a suite of education policies — largely built around Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test results — to assess student progress and school performance. But both stories argue two issues could turn that perceived strength into a weakness in a Republican presidential primary.
New York released the first round of results for its new test tied to Common Core standards.
Educators say the percentage of students meeting state goals on Florida’s math and reading tests will decline after the state switches to new standards known as Common Core.
How bad will it be? Check out the test results released today in New York.
Just 31 percent of New York students in third through eighth grades were proficient on the new math and reading exam. Last year, 65 percent were proficient in math and 55 percent were proficient in English on different exams.
New York is one of the first states in the country to use tests aligned with the Common Core State Standards. The standards have been fully adopted by 45 states — including Florida — and the District of Columbia.
House Education Committee Chair Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, right, and Senate Education Committee Chair Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn. Behning is a Common Core supporter. Kruse has voted for and helped sponsor legislation opposing the Common Core.
Indiana lawmakers held the first of a series of hearings on the future of Common Core State Standards yesterday.
The first hearing focused on the quality of the standards, while subsequent meetings will look at assessment and cost.
Many of those who spoke at the hearing are leading national voices both in favor and opposing the standards. Those not attending the hearing provided a running commentary on Twitter all afternoon.
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