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Stories about students and the initiatives designed to improve performance. Are the many education reforms Florida has adopted having an impact?

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July 27, 2012

Panel Recommends Lowering Passing Score For FCAT Writing, But Will Education Commissioner Agree?

A team of educators and community leaders gathered this week to set standards for FCAT 2.0 writing. The panel went through a lot of data before settling on a school grade writing performance level of 3.5. That means students would need to score 3.5 out of a possible 6 to pass. The recommendation would lower […]

Feedback Loop: Debating Whether Principals Are Issuing Snap Judgments

Is 20 minutes enough time to figure out how well a teacher is doing his or her job? That’s what Miami-Dade teacher Karla Mats asked after she received a 20-minute observation from her principal — the minimum time required by the district. Mats was disappointed she was not among the highest-rated teachers and she questioned […]

July 25, 2012

The Florida Schools Which Raised Their Grade In 2012

Yesterday we told you about a Tampa charter school which improved its grade from an F to an A despite tougher state standards this year. We thought we’d give credit to the other 294 schools (after the state Department of Education corrected the list) which improved their grades as well. Here they are, by the […]

The Secret Lives of Students: Points For Good Behavior, But Not Enough For Busch Gardens Field Trip

For today’s installment in our series, The Secret Lives of Students, one student writes about being left out of school field trips.

Editor’s note: This post was written by middle school student Woodolph Myrtil.

July 24, 2012

The Secret Lives of Students: What Breakthrough Miami Students Have In Common With College Grads

For today’s installment in our series, The Secret Lives of Students, one student writes about the value of meeting people who came from poor neighborhoods and went to college.

Editor’s note: This post was written by high school student Katerina Sanchez who is participating in the College Bound program with Breakthrough Miami.

“Significant Gains:” How A Tampa Middle School Earned Its ‘A’ Grade

Last year Mount Pleasant Standard Base Middle School’s grade dropped to an F from an A. Principal Yolanda Capers says the grade stung because she saw her students improving. “It’s devastating because…our students were still learning,” she says. “58 percent of our students made learning gains in reading. That’s a lot of learning gains. However […]

Florida GED Goes Digital

Florida is modernizing its alternative to a high school diploma with a computer-based GED test. The GED Testing Service is partnering with five Florida counties to offer registration, scheduling and testing on a computer. The new GED is available in Alachua, Citrus, Escambia, Highlands and Walton counties. The goal is to make the process easier […]

July 23, 2012

Florida Officials Want To Remove Students With Severe Disabilities From School Grading System

Florida education officials are working to strip out a controversial change to the state’s grading system which requires students with severe disabilities to take the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, according to Education Week. State education officials and lawmakers approved the change this year in order to receive a federal waiver from portions of the federal […]

State Error Means More Than 200 Florida Schools Earned A Higher Grade

The Florida Department of Education released big news late Friday evening: 213 elementary and middle schools had received incorrect grades and would be revised upward. After revising the scores, 116 more Florida school earned an ‘A’ grade on the state report card. Seven schools moved to a ‘D’ from an ‘F’ grade. The revisions also […]

July 20, 2012

The Secret Lives of Students: How Students Are Motivated By No Homework Assignment

For today’s installment in our series, The Secret Lives of Students, we hear from one student about the methods she would like teachers to use to help her learn.

Editor’s note: This post was written by middle school student Angelica Carr.

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