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.
The Florida Department of Education released 2013 elementary and middle school grades, part of the state’s school accountability system. The data includes each component of the school’s score and demographic data. Continue reading
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Opponents of Common Core standards have written a letter responding to five former Republican Party of Florida chairmen.
Earlier this week we published an email sent to Florida Republicans urging their support for Common Core State Standards fully adopted by Florida and 44 other states. The letter was signed by five former Republican Party of Florida chairmen, including American Conservative Union chairman Al Cardenas.
Common Core opponents have written a rebuttal.
“It is quite astonishing to see supposedly conservative Republicans argue that a centralized ‘solution’ to education problems is better than one crafted at the state and local level,” Jane Robbins with the American Principles Project wrote. “But that’s the case with the letter written by former Republican leaders in Florida, urging the GOP to support the Common Core national school standards.”
Below is the letter from Jane Robbins with the American Principles Project. You can read the full point-by-point response to the former party chairmen here.
John O'Connor / StateImpact Florida
The exhibit hall at FETC, an annual education technology conference in Orlando.
The August issue of Scientific American takes a look at the possibilities of high-tech education.
The magazine’s editors argue that the rising demand for higher education and shrinking budgets are forcing schools to deploy new tools and methods for students.
From the introduction to the special report:
What is driving this digital revolution? One factor is that schools and universities are under greater pressure than ever before. More and more students are pursuing higher levels of education at a time when budget-strapped principals and universities cannot hire the staff they need. At the same time, governments and institutions (prodded by employers) are raising standards for what students should know at every stage of school.
Many see technology as a solution. But skeptics think it improves little on what teachers can do and poses a threat to student privacy.
John O'Connor / StateImpact Florida
Sarasota County middle school students work on math problems in a "classroom of tomorrow."
Florida schools are gearing up for new education standards and accompanying online testing. Schools must also prepare to deliver half of all classroom instruction digitally by 2015.
So what will this mean for students, teachers and schools? It’s the subject of this week’s Florida Matters on WUSF radio.
Senate Education Committee chairman John Legg, Hillsborough County schools technology specialist Sharon Zulli and Gulf Coast Community Foundation consultant Chris Pfahler discuss how schools are using technology now, what the coming changes mean and what needs to be done — and spent — to get students, teachers and schools ready.
Legg also discusses why Florida lawmakers don’t like what they are hearing about PARCC, a next-generation test intended to replace the FCAT.
Click the link to listen to this week’s show, hosted by WUSF’s Carson Cooper.
Ron Sachs / DPA/Landov
American Conservative Union chairman Al Cardenas is one of five former Republican Party of Florida chairmen urging support for Common Core State Standards.
Five former Republican Party of Florida leaders have sent out an email asking state GOP members to support new education standards adopted by Florida and 44 other states.
The letter is signed by state Sen. John Thrasher and four other former state party chairmen. When Florida has raised its standards in the past, Thrasher wrote in the email, it has resulted in better scores on international tests and gains from black and Hispanic students.”
The new standards, known as Common Core, will continue that progress, Thrasher wrote in the email.
“Every leading indicator – test scores, graduation rates, national rankings, participation and achievement in Advanced Placement – continues to rise thanks to higher standards,” the email states. “But, we have to continue the fight. Common Core does that.”
Mark M. Murray / The Republican/Landov
Massachusetts education commissioner Mitchell Chester, right, says PARCC is in good shape even if Florida leaves the partnership.
Florida Legislative leaders left no wiggle room in last week’s letter to Education Commissioner Tony Bennett: They want Florida to pull out of a multi-state partnership developing a next generation standardized test to (mostly) replace the FCAT.
Florida is not the first state to consider withdrawing from the group, known as the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC. But Florida is the most significant state so far.
That’s because Florida is managing the money for the new test, which is tied to Common Core State Standards fully adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia. Florida is also a national trendsetter in education policies, such as evaluating teachers based, in part, on test scores and assigning schools and districts A through F letter grades for their performance.
Florida’s potential departure means other states might follow — and whether enough states will remain to allow PARCC to finish its work. PARCC is funded with a $186 million federal grant, which requires at least 15 states remain PARCC members.
“I don’t think any single state is going to make or break the PARCC project,” said Mitchell Chester, Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education and chairman of PARCC. “It doesn’t surprise me that there are states that are questioning their commitment.”
Courtesy of Laura Zorc
Florida Parents Against Common Core protested a national meeting discussing the standards in Orlando last month.
When Gov. Rick Scott and Education Commissioner Tony Bennett met with school superintendents in April, Florida’s new education standards led the questions.
“Let’s start with Common Core,” said Martin County superintendent Laurie Gaylord. “We recently held a Common Core workshop for our school board and our community and we got picketed…So I guess I’m reaching out so that we can have the same message for all of us throughout the state — if there’s a marketing-type plan to be able to help us.”
Common Core is supposed to prepare students better for college or a career. Teachers will cover fewer topics, but spend more time on each one. And students will spend less time memorizing facts and more time learning to analyze and explain things.
Florida is one of 45 states that has adopted new math, English and literacy standards known as Common Core.
A poll last year by the nonprofit group Achieve found just one in five people had heard at least “some” things about Common Core.
Common Core supporters are trying to educate parents about what’s new in the standards and why they will improve schools.
Opponents are trying to halt the new standards before they are used in every state classroom when the school year begins in 2014. They say the standards are no improvement and worry the multi-state project will mean the loss of local control. Others worry Common Core will increase testing and cost more.
Both sides are in a public relations race to reach those who don’t know about the standards first.
Meredith Geddings / myfloridahouse.gov
Speaker Will Weatherford and Senate President Don Gaetz have asked education commissioner Tony Bennett to withdraw from PARCC.
Both leaders of Florida’s legislative chambers are asking Education Commissioner Tony Bennett to withdraw from a coalition of states developing a new standardized test.
The Tampa Bay Times is reporting House Speaker Will Weatherford and Senate President Don Gaetz, both Republicans, have sent a letter to Bennett requesting the state withdraw from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC.
Weatherford and Gaetz are concerned PARCC would increase the time Florida school spend testing students, that PARCC can’t say how long it will take to receive results, that many school districts don’t have the bandwidth and computers needed for the online test and that PARCC still has not said how much the test will cost.
“Consequently, it is our view that Florida should withdraw immediately from PARCC,” they wrote, “in favor of a Florida Plan for valid, reliable and timely testing of student performance, including assessments for the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.
therogerbacon / Flickr
Florida spends a total of $41 per student on testing each year, according to a Brookings Institution report.
On Monday we explained the options Florida has in choosing its next standardized test.The new test is part of Florida’s move to shared Common Core education standards.
Florida could stick with the Partnership for Assessment of College and Careers — or PARCC — one of two multi-state consortia designing tests for Common Core. Florida could also design its own test or go with a test designed by a testing company, such as the ACT Aspire.
Education Commissioner Tony Bennett will consider test quality, whether the test is comparable to the current Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test and whether the test has a pencil and paper option in addition to an interactive online exam.
One other big question is cost.
skuds / Flickr
The State Board of Education approved a "safety net" proposal for school grades.
Florida school grades will drop by no more than a single letter grade this year after the State Board of Education approved temporary changes to the school grading system.
But the issue revealed a divide among board members about the value of the state’s school grading system.
Board member Sally Bradshaw said the changes would only protect the self-esteem of adults leading school districts while ignoring students receiving a substandard education. Other board members said the school grading system needed an overhaul.
“We’ve overcomplicated the system,” said board member Kathleen Shanahan. “I don’t think it’s a statistically relevant model.”
The board adopted two changes proposed by Education Commissioner Tony Bennett: No school grade can drop by more than a single letter; and students who attend special education centers and have not attended a traditional school will no longer count toward the grade of their “home” school.
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