John O'Connor is the Miami-based education reporter for StateImpact Florida. John previously covered politics, the budget and taxes for The (Columbia, S.C) State. He is a graduate of Allegheny College and the University of Maryland.
Marshall Criser III is likely to become the next Florida university system chancellor.
He was always the favorite, and now Marshall Criser III is the finalist to become the next Florida university system chancellor.
Criser was one of four finalists interviewed by the search committee Tuesday. The panel unanimously chose Criser.
Criser is the president of AT&T of Florida and has a long history in state higher education. He’s a trustee at the University of Florida (a position he’ll resign if he becomes chancellor) and has served on the Higher Education Coordinating Council.
The Board of Governors will vote on Criser at their meeting on Nov. 20th and 21st.
“Marshall Criser has demonstrated a clear passion for our universities and our system, and he can provide a strong voice in Tallahassee,” said Manoj Chopra, search committee member and faculty representative on the Board of Governors.
This chart compares Florida 4th and 8th grade scores on the NAEP against the national average.
Earlier today we reported that Florida student scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress — also known as “The Nation’s Report Card” — improved slightly from 2011 scores.
We’ve charted NAEP reports since 1990 to show you how Florida’s scores have changed over time, and how those scores compare to the national average.
We’ve broken out math and reading scores for all students, students who qualify for the school lunch program — a common proxy for poverty — and students with disabilities.
Florida students improved their scores on all four sections of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, but eighth graders still trail the national average.
Florida student scores improved on a key national standardized test, including some of the largest eighth grade reading and math gains in the country.
But Florida eighth graders still trail the national average in math, according to results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as The Nation’s Report Card.
Florida eighth graders scored an average of 281, on a 500-point scale, in math and 266 in reading. The national average was 284 in math and 266 in reading.
In 2011, Florida eighth graders scored an average of 278 in math and 262 in reading.
Florida fourth graders scored an average of 242 in math and 227 on the reading exam. In 2011, Florida fourth graders scored 240 in math and 225 in reading.
Florida’s fourth grade gains were not considered statistically significant
The national fourth grade average was 241 in math and 221 in reading.
The math and reading exams are given to a sample of fourth and eighth grade students across the country and is considered the gold standard exam for comparing student performance across state lines. NAEP releases results every two years.
Lane Wright, a former spokesman for Gov. Rick Scott, is now handling press questions for StudentsFirst Florida.
Lane Wright, a former spokesman for Gov. Rick Scott, is now working for the Florida arm of national education advocacy group StudentsFirst.
Wright is one of a handful of personnel moves the group announced Wednesday, including hiring a state outreach director and field coordinators for Tampa and Orlando, and Miami. StudentsFirst was founded by former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee.
“Florida is so important, diverse and politically complex when it comes to education,” Nikki Lowrey, state director for StudentsFirst, said in a statement. “We have built a team that will help get our message out and help people understand how elevating teachers, empowering parents, and spending our tax dollars wisely will improve our children’s education.”
Rhee is a lightning rod in education circles, in part, because of her support for test-based teacher evaluations and criticisms of teacher’s unions.
StudentsFirst has been a leading voice pushing for “parent trigger” legislation, which would allow the majority of parents at a school earning a failing grade to choose how to overhaul the school. Options include firing administrators or staff, closing the school or converting to a charter school.
Students in a remedial math class at Miami-Dade College.
Half of Florida students who take the state’s college placement exam end up failing at least one section. In the past, those students would have brush up in remedial reading, writing or math courses before starting their college degree.
But a new Florida law will allow most recent high school graduates to skip those remedial classes, also called developmental or prep courses. Advocates say ending remedial requirements will help more people finish their studies. But colleges say taking the classes might still be a good idea for some students.
This week, WUSF’s Florida Matters took a look at what the changes mean. The guests were Jim Wysong, dean of science and math at Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus, Randy Hanna, chancellor of the Florida College System, and Bruce Vandal, vice president of research and advocacy group Complete College America.
In short, they’re eight broad categories that encompass the breadth of degrees available at Florida colleges and universities and correlate with career fields. A meta-major might include multiple majors, but each of those degrees shares a foundation of common courses.
Meta-majors have been pushed by national education groups seeking to increase the percentage of people earning college degrees or certificates.
“One of the things that the Legislature has long been concerned about — and by the way, so have educators — is students getting into the system and then just wandering,” said Jim Wysong, dean of math and science at Hillsborough Community College’s Dale Mabry campus.
A new law eliminating most required remedial courses means college advisers must meet with new and returning students to determine if they are eligible to skip the classes.
The average adviser at Hillsborough Community College is responsible for 1,500 students.
Advisers and other support staff guide students as they earn their college degree. They help student pick classes and organize their schedule. Others might point students toward scholarships, grants, loans and other financial aid.
But when lawmakers reduced the number of remedial classes — also known as developmental or prep courses — they increased the work for advisers, said Hillsborough Community College registrar Jennifer Williams.
“We did not require new students to meet with advisers before registering,” Williams said. Now new students must meet with an adviser before starting classes.
If you’ve got concerns about Florida’s K-12 math, English and literacy standards — or a suggestion about how to improve them — you’ve got until tomorrow to submit them to the Florida Department of Education.
The agency is gathering feedback at the request of Gov. Rick Scott. So far the agency has received more than 13,000 comments. All comments must be submitted on or before October 31.
The standards, known as Common Core, have drawn opposition as schools approach next fall’s deadline for using the standards in every grade. The standards outline what students should know at the end of each grade. Students will need to show what they know and prove with evidence how they know it.
“I am extremely pleased and appreciate all the feedback from parents, teachers, administrators and the public about Florida’s standards,” Education Commissioner Pam Stewart said in a statement. “We encourage everyone to take this opportunity to let us know their ideas and suggestions to make our standards the best they can be.”
Students at Florida's community colleges can now skip remedial courses.
Most students at Florida’s community colleges now have a choice about whether they want to take the state’s college placement test and any remedial reading, writing and math courses they might require.
The law takes effect this spring — and students are registering for classes right now.
As a result, colleges have to check in with every new and returning student to find out if they’re exempt from remedial requirements. To find out who is exempt from the requirements, click here.
Hillsborough Community College has given its advisers a sort-of flow chart to run through with students. The outline asks new students for their high school transcripts and returning students for their college records and then proceeds from there.
Does the student need to take the college placement exam? Should they?
That’s because Florida lawmakers approved a law (SB 1720) which makes the courses and placement test voluntary for many students. Remedial courses force students to pay for refresher classes before starting on their degree. The classes do not count toward a student’s degree.
Students who entered high school in the past decade and earned Florida’s standards diploma no longer have to take the state’s college placement exam. Likewise, students who earn target scores on the SAT, ACT or the FCAT can use those scores to prove they do not need remedial courses.
Active duty military members are also exempt from having to take the placement exam and remedial courses.
After the jump, read the new law, the State Board of Education rule implementing the law and the legislative analysis of SB 1720. And click here to read our series on remedial education, 13th Grade.
StateImpact seeks to inform and engage local communities with broadcast and online news focused on how state government decisions affect your lives. Learn More »
