Janelle Irwin Taylor
A nonprofit public education advocacy group is asking supporters to throw their weight behind legislation proposed by state Sen. Bill Montford that would ban the use of standardized testing results against students during the transition from the current FCAT model to the new Common Core testing standards.
Senate Bill 774 introduced by Montford is an answer to a previous bill filed by state Sen. John Legg. The two bills seem to seek the same goal – ease teachers’ concerns about a tough transition and provide assurances to parents who are growing frustrated with the high-stakes testing mentality in Florida.
In an email, Fund Education Now leaders are asking people to support the Montford bill and not the Legg bill.
“Sen. John Legg is trying to control the discussion,” the group wrote. “He’s invited the Florida School Boards Association, the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, the Florida Educators Association and the lobbying group Foundation for Florida’s Future. Legg deliberately excluded parents.”
Legg’s bill also seems to fall short in some areas compared to Montford’s bill.
Legg’s bill would limit the weight of test scores on teachers’ evaluations from 50 percent to just 40 percent. It would also limit state and district-mandated testing hours to five percent of a student’s classroom time. The Montford bill, on the other hand, would go further by banning the use of test results for grade retention and graduation and would put on hold school grades until the next school year.
Montford’s bill would also do away with the state’s 11th-grade English language arts state exam and scale back local testing used in teacher evaluations.
Fund Education Now is a group established by three moms fed up with the state’s education system. Kathleen Oropeza, Linda Kobert and Christine Bramuchi created the group in 2009 in response to a series of aggressive funding cuts. Though not directly listed in their mission, the group has been outspoken in their efforts to curb education reform measures such as school vouchers and expanded charter school programs and serves as a counterpoint to Jeb Bush’s education foundation, the Foundation for Excellence in Education.
Here’s their entire email:
Sen. Montford (SB 774) wants to ban using results against children during transition and scale back high stakes. Sen. Legg (SB 616) reinforces the status quo of grade retention, remediation & denying diplomas. His bill mirrors the desires of lobbyists, not parents. Our children need your voice today.
Sen. John Legg is trying to control of the discussion. He’s invited the Florida School Boards Association, the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, the Florida Educators Association and the lobbying group Foundation for Florida’s Future. Legg deliberately excluded parents.
Please take action to support Sen. Montford and tell Sen. Legg to:
Hold students harmless during the FSA testing transition
Enlist parents as equal partners for every education policy discussion
Our children are at the center of this testing crisis yet we are repeatedly ignored. What Sen. Legg is doing is grossly unfair. If we don’t speak up, the contents of Sen. Montford’s bill might not even be considered.
No child should be hurt while Florida politicians struggle to fix their profound mistakes.
Share this alert. Use your voice. Our children need you to take action today.
