Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jac VerSteegMay 20, 2015

Use-Like-Terms-in-Algebra-Step-3Bullet3-Large-1024x1024.jpg

An underlying purpose of public education reform is providing a clear-eyed view of student achievement. The system will not cringe from telling students when they need to do better. The system will not cringe from telling parents their kids need to do better. The system will not cringe from telling teachers they need to teach […]

Jac VerSteegMay 20, 2015

An underlying purpose of public education reform is providing a clear-eyed view of student achievement. The system will not cringe from telling students when they need to do better. The system will not cringe from telling parents their kids need to do better. The system will not cringe from telling teachers they need to teach […]

Guest AuthorApril 29, 2015

Kevin Ashton’s book How to Fly a Horse, the Secret History of Creation, Invention, and Discovery is a readable collection of anecdotes illustrating to his thesis that creation does not come in a moment of inspiration but is the result of hard work. Ashton’s claim to fame is that he coined the term “the internet […]

Guest AuthorMarch 8, 2015

Florida’s educational ship of state hit an iceberg last week. By the end of the week, Education Commissioner Pam Stewart was insisting that it was just a “small gash” and that the problem had been fixed. Legislators are rushing in to change the route and even suggesting that the ship return to port. The voyage […]

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 […]

Guest AuthorFebruary 22, 2015

When I met Edith for the first time and heard her stories about her kindergarten class, I realized that she is the poster child for what is happening in Florida education at the grass roots level. She is a slight woman in her early 30s, originally from Venezuela, an immigrant like most her students, who […]

Guest AuthorFebruary 15, 2015

The ironically named Student Success Act of 2011 mandated something called the Valued Added Model, which attempts to quantify each teacher’s influence on each student. The complicated formula purports to predict what a student’s normal gain scores on a standardized test will be from one year to another. If a student gains more or loses […]

Jac VerSteegJanuary 11, 2015

Florida’s national ranking by Education Week has dropped precipitously, to No. 28. In 2013, Florida was ranked No. 6. When Florida’s public education system rose to No. 6, politicians raced to crow and claim credit. The ranking proved, they said, that Florida’s encouragement of charter and voucher schools and the state’s accountability system were working. […]

Jac VerSteegDecember 15, 2014

If Florida lawmakers are such “school choice” advocates, they should give public schools the same choices enjoyed by the private voucher schools. The voucher schools never were required to give students the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test and won’t be required to administer the tests involved in Florida’s switch to a testing system based on Common […]

Tag: high-stakes tests
Lara Trump, DOnald Trump and Melania Trump. Image via AP.

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: State’s 30 percent decision on math tests is 100 percent bad

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: State's 30 percent decision on math tests is 100 percent bad

Catherine Martinez: To be creative, learn 'How to Fly a Horse'

Catherine Martinez: Florida's Titanic testing journey

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

Catherine Martinez: Welcome to the Common Core kindergarten

Catherine Martinez: 'Value Added Model' of no value to teaching

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: The 'They changed the formula' education excuse

Jac VerSteeg: Let public schools choose to give voucher-school tests