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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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May 14, 2012

FCAT Writing Scores Plunge, State Department Wants To Lower Passing Score

Florida’s Board of Education has called an emergency meeting tomorrow to talk about state writing test standards. According to materials the board has posted online, the state Department of Education is recommending lowering the required score needed to pass the test to 3.5 from 4 (out of six). That might be because the percentage of […]

May 11, 2012

Feedback Loop: Writing About Reading Requirements

Students will find out in June if they’ll be required to take an extra hour of reading instruction next school year because of low Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. But we didn’t have to wait long to get your reaction to the new law. Jose likes the idea, citing the benefits of additional class time in […]

Hispanic Students Boost Florida Scores In 8th Grade Science Assessment

Florida’s Hispanic students played an integral part in boosting 8th grade test scores in a national science assessment. Gains made by Hispanic students on the Nation’s Report Card (NAEP) bolstered Florida’s overall scores. Florida 8th graders showed significant improvement in science – an increase of 5 percent from 2009. That means 62 percent of students […]

May 10, 2012

Florida Schools Get One Year To Transition Into Tougher Grading Standards

With a tougher grading formula looming for Florida’s schools, state Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson is recommending a plan that would keep any public school from falling more than one letter grade this year. In a list of recommendations, Robinson asks the Florida Board of Education to “authorize a maximum one school letter grade drop for […]

May 9, 2012

Comparing Florida High School Rankings

U.S.News & World Report just released its most recent list of high school rankings. Seven Florida high school’s ranked among the nation’s top 50. But we thought it might be interesting to see how U.S. News’ ranking compared to the rankings the Florida Department of Education released last year. A handful of schools showed a […]

Extra Class Time For Florida’s Low Performing Schools

Florida elementary schools that don’t perform up to par in reading will have an extra hour tacked on to their day. A new law that goes in to effect this summer will target the worst 100 performers. Schools getting the extra class time will be determined based on reading scores from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment […]

May 4, 2012

Florida Community Colleges Compete For Cash And National Prestige

It’s sort of like making it to the Hollywood round on “American Idol.” Fourteen Florida institutions made it through the first round of competition and will go on to compete for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Given by the Aspen Institute, the prize goes to institutions that show outstanding academic and workforce outcomes. […]

In-School Suspension: a Better Alternative or Waste of Time?

There is a place on school campuses for students who break the rules. In some Florida schools, it’s called SCSI. Marcus Pryor, a junior at Miami Northwestern Senior High, thinks it stands for School Criminal Scene Investigation. SCSI actually stands for School Center for Special Instruction. And in Miami, it’s where students go when they […]

May 3, 2012

New York Officials Find Another Bad Test Question

New York education officials are throwing out a question on a state standardized test — the fourth time in a month the state has had to do so, according to the New York Times‘ Schoolbook blog. This time it’s a math question above above the heads of fifth graders that’s causing the problem. To solve […]

School Choice, By The Numbers

The folks over at redefinED have compiled the enrollment figures for school choice programs across Florida, including McKay scholarship for students with disabilities, dual enrollment in college courses, home schooling and other options. Their conclusion: That a growing number of Florida students and parents believe they should be able to choose the school program which […]

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