Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Julie DelegalAugust 24, 2015

Former State Board of Education Chairman Gary Chartrand has issued an impassioned plea on behalf of Florida’s 78,000 voucher students. He wants the plaintiffs, namely the Florida Education Association, which represents teachers, to drop its lawsuit opposing the diversion of tax dollars to the voucher program. The FEA lawsuit is now at the appeal stage. […]

Dan GelberJune 22, 2015

Jeb Bush earned the moniker of Florida’s “Education Governor” because he made education his primary policy focus while in office and the area he most focused on since. And Jeb Bush was a very busy education governor. He force-fed unprecedented testing into public schools, did all he could to neuter the teaching unions, and apologetically […]

Dan GelberJune 21, 2015

Jeb Bush earned the moniker of Florida’s “Education Governor” because he made education his primary policy focus while in office and the area he most focused on since. And Jeb Bush was a very busy education governor. He force-fed unprecedented testing into public schools, did all he could to neuter the teaching unions, and apologetically […]

Jac VerSteegApril 15, 2015

The Florida Legislature has passed, and Gov. Rick Scott has signed, an education reform bill that is dishonest – and politically cowardly – at its core. The measure tries to appease parents and others sick of over-testing. It scales back the number of tests. That’s fine. It also reduces the weight given to tests when […]

Guest AuthorApril 8, 2015

Student privacy has been much in the news lately, given the revelations that Pearson, creator of the new PARCC tests and one time creator of the FCAT, is monitoring social media to look for breaches of test security. (PARCC is the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.) Not surprisingly, there’s a bill […]

Shannon NickinsonMarch 30, 2015

This is no way to run a railroad — or a state education system. In recent weeks, problems with the Florida Standards Assessment writing test made headlines. Schools in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties reported problems and testing was suspended for a time. After nearly three days of complaints from districts across the state about […]

Julie DelegalMarch 4, 2015

Rep. Debbie Mayfield, R-Vero Beach, has been listening to parent complaints about high-stakes testing. Mayfield, like most parents and educators, is so frustrated with the entire standards-based accountability system that she wants to give entire school districts the ability to “opt out” of standards-based tests altogether. Judging from an action alert obtained from a Tea […]

Julie DelegalMarch 3, 2015

And you thought the Obamacare web rollout had problems. Computer malfunctions, brand new curriculum standards and unparalleled stress have characterized the debut of the new Florida Standards Assessments. But could Florida’s testing debacle be alleviated by a stroke of the governor’s pen? On Monday, 36 of Florida’s 67 counties – more than half – experienced […]

Julie DelegalMarch 2, 2015

Part one of this two-part series examines one senator’s move to lower the stakes in Florida’s high-stakes education accountability system, and how the stakes got so high in the first place. For several years, parents and teachers have bristled against the centerpiece of education reform in Florida. “Teacher accountability” is the political term for it, but what […]

Gary FineoutFebruary 26, 2015

For nearly 2 million Florida public school students, the next few weeks could be a crucial moment in their education. The state is undertaking one of the biggest changes in its classrooms since former Gov. Jeb Bush pushed through his signature A+ school grading system nearly 16 years ago. Students will switch this spring to […]

Tag: FCAT

Julie Delegal: Other ideas follow defense of school vouchers

Dan Gelber: Beware of Jeb Bush’s education “revolution”

Dan Gelber: Beware of Jeb's education "revolution"

Jac VerSteeg: Fewer tests in school-grade formula is like less spit in milk

Catherine Martinez: Social media, data mining undermine test privacy

Shannon Nickinson: Educational testing in Florida: This is not good business

Julie Delegal: Tweaking the tests – Common Core pushback

Julie Delegal: Gov. Scott, give kids a break from computer-plagued tests

Julie Delegal: Tweaking the tests – what to watch in education legislation

Florida legislators under pressure to alter school testing