{"id":18665,"date":"2013-05-21T12:52:12","date_gmt":"2013-05-21T16:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/?p=18665"},"modified":"2013-05-21T12:52:16","modified_gmt":"2013-05-21T16:52:16","slug":"board-of-education-wants-more-focus-on-common-core","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/2013\/05\/21\/board-of-education-wants-more-focus-on-common-core\/","title":{"rendered":"Board Of Education Wants More Focus On Common Core"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FL Dept. of Education<\/p>

Commission Tony Bennett told the Board of Education the state will aggressively roll out Common Core and fight misinformation about the new standards.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Florida Board of Education is meeting today<\/a> in Jacksonville.<\/p>\n

The panel heard an update from Education Commissioner Tony Bennett on three strategic initiatives being carried out over the next year.<\/p>\n

The initiatives are part of a reorganization<\/a> at the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) that involves analyzing every position. A lot of job descriptions may change to accommodate the new initiatives.<\/p>\n

For example, jobs related to the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) will change as the FCAT is phased out and new assessments are developed.<\/p>\n

But board member Kathleen Shanahan was less concerned about plans for\u00a0reorganization\u00a0and more interested in focusing on Common Core State Standards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis wave is coming to kill Common Core,\u201d Shanahan said. \u201cI don’t want to be seen as a board lost in reorg.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one is a more aggressive advocate for Common Core than I have been,\u201d Bennett said. \u201cThe department (FDOE) is going to deploy more aggressively than any department in the country on Common Core.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bennett says the following three initiatives are being carried out as planned, with FDOE taking great care to abide by state and federal statutes. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Common Core State Standards implementation<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Bennett believes this is the largest implementation ever for Florida or any other state. \u201cThis totally changes the landscape of education,\u201d Bennett said.<\/p>\n

It involves new standards, technology, and assessments.<\/p>\n

The new standards are designed to keep students on a par with international benchmarks each year and get them ready for college or the workforce.\u00a0The assessments, still being developed, will utilize computers and digital technology.<\/p>\n

Bennett acknowledged a backlash against the standards<\/a> that he says will be dealt with through a comprehensive communications plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to be certain the truth is out because there is a lot of misinformation out there around Common Core,\u201d Bennett said \u201cWe just need to say that. It’s not to attack anyone’s integrity, but there’s a lot of misinformation out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

736 implementation<\/strong><\/h5>\n

This refers to Senate Bill 736<\/a>, passed in 2011, that creates teacher evaluations and merit pay. Changes were made by lawmakers this year to clarify the criteria for how teachers are evaluated<\/a> and compensated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very much engaged in how we are working through what the new parameters around teacher effectiveness are and how we help districts develop their plans around educator effectiveness,\u201d Bennett said.<\/p>\n

90-60-90-60: Raising the level of expectation<\/strong><\/h5>\n