Most students will take the Florida Standards Assessments online.
When lawmakers return to Tallahassee in March for the annual legislative session, they have a lot of questions they need to answer about public school testing.
Senators laid out their concerns about the state testing system last week at a series of meetings.
They don’t know how many tests the state requires, or how long it takes to complete those exams.
They don’t know how much the state and school districts spend on testing.
And they’re not convinced they can depend on all the results of those exams.
Sen. David Simmons – and his colleagues — wants to change that.
“We’ve got the chance here this spring to do a re-write of this so that we can, in fact, assure that we’re not over-testing our children,” Simmons said.
The president of Broward College supports President Barack Obama's proposal to offer students two years of college tuition-free.
The leaders of two of the nation’s largest community colleges say they support President Barack Obama’s proposal to give students two years of college for free.
In a written statement, Broward College president J. David Armstrong says the proposal could mean more training for teachers, nurses, paramedics, firefighters and police. That’s good for the economy, he says.
The proposal “provides unprecedented access and opportunity for all to attend the first two years of college and earn a certificate or associate’s degree since it directly addresses economic barriers for those seeking the American Dream,” Armstrong says.
Miami Dade College already offers full scholarships to many students.
President Eduardo Padron says community colleges support the idea because the cost of college often prevents students from finishing their studies.
Orlando Democratic Sen. Darren Soto has introduced a bill establishing a minimum salary of $50,000 for all "instructional personnel."
Beginning teachers would earn at least a $50,000 salary – starting next school year – under a bill filed this week in Tallahassee.
Sen. Darren Soto (D-Orlando) filed the bill, SB 280, which cites a need for the state to attract and retain teachers. It seeks to increase their pay without affecting other personnel and programs.
Lawmakers would have to put enough money into education to guarantee the minimum starting salary for teachers and to ensure that districts have enough money to maintain other services. The base salary would be adjusted each year for inflation.
The bill doesn’t explain how lawmakers should come up with the money to boost all of those salaries. It makes no mention of teacher evaluations – which impact salaries. It also doesn’t say whether experienced teachers would get a pay increase since beginners would be bumped up considerably.
While the starting pay varies among districts, the state Department of Education says the average salary among all Florida teachers for the 2013-2014 school year was $47,780.
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics says the average salary for all Florida workers is just over $41,000.
Education Week gave the state strong scores for equity in student achievement. Test results show minority students generally perform better in Florida than other states, and the gap between white and minority student scores is smaller in Florida than other states.
But Education Week took big deductions for what Florida spends on education. Florida earned an F for school spending.
Education Week didn’t rank states overall last year, but in 2013 Florida ranked sixth in the nation. The comparison is slightly unfair because Education Week changed the criteria used to rank schools this year.
Sen. Bill Montford, a Democrat, is also CEO of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents.
A state senator and leader of the Florida’s school superintendents association said he’s not sure schools will have the technology in place for new online exams this spring.
Education Commissioner Pam Stewart told the Senate Education Appropriations committee that Florida’s new statewide tests, the Florida Standards Assessments, are on track for use beginning in March. The tests are tied to new Common Core-based math, reading and writing standards.
“I would feel very uncomfortable,” Montford said, “leaving here today thinking that all districts are ready from a technological standpoint to administer the assessment this year.”
The conversation came during the first big week of committee work prior to this year’s legislative session. The amount and cost of testing is expected to be a high-profile issue.
Maureen Yoder addresses students at the School of Arts and Sciences in Tallahassee.
The School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) in Tallahassee has just over 300 students, and the waiting list to get in is much longer.
Maureen Yoder is one of the founders of the 15-year-old K-8 charter school.
“We started this school with the intent of keeping it small because we want to create a school family,” Yoder says. “We believe that the relationship between the teacher and the students is the primary reason students succeed – besides a good home base.”
This is sixth grader Mary Stafford’s first year.
“I think I’ll stay. I didn’t want to at the beginning of the year. I wanted to go to a bigger school.”
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