Fewer Florida schools earned an ‘A’ on the state’s annual report card, while more schools saw their grades drop to ‘C’, ‘D’ and ‘F,’ according to state Department of Education data released this morning. Last year 58 percent of Florida elementary and middle schools earned a ‘A’ grade. This year the percentage fell to 43 […]
We’ve heard about how kids tend to forget a lot of what they learn in school when they’re away from the classroom for a few months. But a Florida program is making sure learning doesn’t stop just because kids are out of class. A new report shows how afterschool and summer programs in Florida can […]
Senate lawmakers have pumped the brakes on a Department of Education plan to rewrite rules for grading schools, according to the Miami Herald. School officials, parent groups and advocates for the disabled have criticized the plan, which would have resulted in 230 additional school earning ‘F’ grades. Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson and the Board of […]
Florida’s Board of Education is meeting tomorrow to debate changing the state’s school grading system. The proposal has drawn criticism from educators and parents — particularly a proposal to include students with disabilities in the formula. Here’s seven questions about what’s being proposed, how it could affect schools and why it matters. 1. Why is […]
Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson says the state may not include schools that specialize in students with disabilities in the new school grading formula now under discussion. “One simulation, for example,” Robinson said in a statement released Thursday afternoon, “includes grading all schools that serve students with disabilities; however, we are reviewing alternative options for schools […]
One of the strings that comes with Florida’s exemptions from some No Child Left Behind requirements is that the state needs to include more students in its school grade formula. This includes students with disabilities and those learning English. Lawmakers are working on a bill and the state Board of Education will meet next week […]
So you’ve just been granted a waiver by the U.S. Department of Education — congrats on being one of the lucky 10. You’re ready to take your first steps toward Leaving No Child Left Behind, well, behind! But what does the waiver mean? How will it change things for Florida schools, students and parents? Here’s […]
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. […]
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