Legislature to hold Special Session
In a joint statement yesterday, House and Senate leaders announced a special session to begin June 1st and conclude June 20th. They are divided on the issue of Medicaid funding from…
House, Senate and Governor face off over budget stalemate
The 2015 Legislative Session abruptly ended without passing a constitutionally required budget. Now, all sides are facing off as they decide how to proceed. The Senate Democrats filed an emergency…
Legislature passes one education bill this year
The House abruptly adjourned yesterday afternoon effectively ending the opportunity to pass additional legislation. HB 7069, a sweeping testing reform bill, was the only education bill that made it all…
Senate finds compromise on student testing
A Senate panel tweaked its testing bill Wednesday so that the results of this year’s Florida Standards Assessments would not be used to determine whether third-grade students can be promoted,…
Senator wants to halt high stakes until Florida gets testing right
Senator Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, has filed an amendment that would effectively pause 3rd grade retention, remediation, graduation decisions and school grading until the Florida can ensure the tests are valid.…
Districts respond to parents and cut local testing
Orange and Seminole Counties have drastically cut the number of required tests for elementary students. Both counties announced last week that they have eliminated end of course exams or “standards…
Florida Education Legislative Update – Bill introduced to eliminate 11th grade English Language Arts assessments
An update on testing legislation: The House passed their testing bill through a committee today. The bill “eliminates the statewide 11th-grade English Language Arts assessment, prohibits districts from administering final…
Glitches pop up in new state tests; first round postponed in Miami-Dade
More than half of the school districts in Florida experienced problems with the new FSA test today. As the Florida Legislative Session opens, we need to urge our lawmakers to…