After years of adding requirements to earn a high school diploma, Florida lawmakers have proposed bills which would allow students more flexibility in how they earn a diploma. A House proposal (HB 7091) would create three diploma tracks: College and career; industry and scholar. All three diplomas require four years of English language arts. Students […]
A bill moving through the Florida Legislature would require districts to post the testing schedule not just for statewide assessments like the FCAT, but also for local assessments. The bill’s House sponsor says some districts require up to an additional 151 tests, and many parents don’t know when local assessments are being given. Rep. Manny Diaz, […]
A Senate committee has approved a bill which would change requirements for certain degree programs in Florida, designating some as “high demand.” The Career and Professional Education Act, known as CAPE, would also require high school students to take a financial literacy course. The bill is a priority for Senate President Don Gaetz. The legislation […]
Florida’s Senate President says the state’s teacher evaluation system is confusing and should be reworked so teacher ratings more closely match those of the schools they work in. Senate President Don Gaetz, a former school board member and elected superintendent, says schools should no longer evaluate some teachers based on test scores of students they […]
With no discussion or fanfare, the Senate Education Committee has approved a bill that would remove a small piece of red tape for students who want to receive Bright Futures scholarships. Under the bill, SB 680, students would not be required to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA requirement went […]
As parent trigger legislation again moves through the Florida Legislature, the group Fund Education Now is mad at the lawmakers who revived the bill after its narrow defeat last year. The Parent Empowerment in Education bill, better known as the parent trigger, would enable parents at chronically failing schools to petition the school board for […]
If Don Gaetz gives you a task, he will make sure you get it done. That’s how Cindy Frakes remembers Gaetz, whom she worked with in the Okaloosa County schools. Gaetz was the superintendent then, in the early 2000s. Frakes was, and still is, a member of the school board. Gaetz kept a list, Frakes […]
House Choice and Innovation subcommittee approved The Parent Empowerment in Education bill, better known as the parent trigger, Thursday. The bill (HB867) is making a return after passing the House last year but dying in the Senate on a tie vote the final day of the legislative session. Critics say the bill is designed to […]
The Hillsborough County school district website lists 38 different testing dates for high school students. They range from Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests and biology exams required to graduate high schools, to alternative tests for special needs students and personal fitness exams. Not every student has to take every test — those personal fitness exams, for […]
A year ago, Gov. Rick Scott drew a line in the sand for lawmakers listening to his State of the State speech. Scott wanted $1 billion added to the K-12 education budget. Nothing less. “And I ask you to please consider that recommendation very carefully,” Scott said, according to the prepared speech. “On this point, […]
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