Our friends at StateImpact Ohio have an interesting look at how Ohio comes up with the wording on its standardized tests. By committee, of course. A controversy over a question about the Arab perception of the creation of Israel prompted concerns that the questions might not be without bias. In Florida, though, the test contractor […]
Check out our interactive map on the proportion of college-level courses offered by county.
Editor’s note: This post was written by WLRN reporter Tasnim Shamma. Earlier this month, Florida Christian College in Kissimmee filed a lawsuit against the state for not being allowed to enroll in the Florida Resident Access Grant (FRAG) program because of a disagreement with the Florida Department of Education about whether the college has a […]
A charter school affiliated with Florida State University is building an online community to support the state’s more than 500 charter schools. The site, developers say, will serve as a hub for curriculum, instruction and assessment assistance tailored for charter schools. The hub will build off the current CPALMS site, which offers the same types […]
While we’re waiting for the White House and the U.S. Department of Education to say why they approved Florida’s No Child Left Behind waiver request, let’s review what they said about the application in December. Below is the December 20, 2011 letter to the Florida Department of Education outlining initial concerns. At the time, the […]
The White House has confirmed that Florida is one of ten states which has been granted a waiver from No Child Left Behind requirements. Of eleven states initially applying, only New Mexico was not approved today. In a statement, President Barack Obama said the move will give states the “green light to continue making reforms […]
Last month, Gov. Rick Scott told the Florida Department of Education to rank all of Florida’s 3,078 schools from best to worst. That list was released last week — to criticism that it relied mostly on FCAT scores and did not take poverty into account. So, my colleague John O’Connor and I wondered how U.S. […]
Rep. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, wants to grade parents, but readers gave her idea failing marks. Dirhart argues grading parents does nothing but generate ill will: This is a total waste of time, and will just lead to more teacher bashing. Yes, many parents are not doing a good job. There is little we can really […]
Schools in Brevard, Miami-Dade and Okaloosa counties were the top rated elementary, middle and high schools, respectively, according to a school rankings the Florida Department of Education released Monday. The agency followed up on its evaluation of state school districts by ranking all 3,078 schools from first to worst. Local school officials have criticized the […]
The folks at the Jacksonville Public Education Fund have a terrific post on their blog that adds some context to Florida’s controversial new district rankings. School officials have criticized the rankings as a simplistic measure considering only Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores, and ignoring a district’s size, relative wealth and other underlying factors. The Jacksonville […]
StateImpact seeks to inform and engage local communities with broadcast and online news focused on how state government decisions affect your lives.
Learn More »