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by: Leslie Postal|Orlando Sentinel September 15, 2015 Florida’s new standardized test should be scored tougher than FCAT, but in a way that half or more of students who tackled it likely would pass most of its exams, according to recommendations from two panels released today. The two panels — one comprised of teachers, the…
by: Meghin Delaney|Bradenton Herald September 12, 2015 Manatee County students who failed the new state-mandated end-of-course exams in Algebra 1 — about 1,300 of them last school year — have the first opportunity next week to re-take the test, a graduation requirement. But some parents were surprised to discover only last week that their students…
Illustration by Robert Rendo No one is surprised that the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) was deemedvalid by the EdCount/Alpine study. What’s odd is that the equally important factor of reliability was not considered. Finding the FSA psychometrically valid does not address the terrible conditions under which the test was administered, nor does it resolve significant…
by: Leslie Postal|Orlando Sentinel September 9, 2015 If you want to weigh in on how Florida should score its new standardized tests, you can show up at any of three public hearings or join an online “webinar” next week. All the meetings — hosted by the Florida Department of Education — will focus on how…
by: Christina Veiga|Miami Herald September 7, 2015 The rollout of Florida’s standardized tests was so hampered by glitches that students “shut down” after having their answers lost over and over again, and others may have accidentally gotten a peek at questions a day before they had to answer them. A recently released survey of Florida…
by: Jeffrey S. Solochek|Tampa Bay Times Tuesday, September 8, 2015 Florida teachers thinking they can use their school transcripts to qualify for the state’s controversial Best and Brightest bonus system better think again. The Department of Education issued a memo late last week saying that teachers must submit an “official” record of their SAT or…
by: Kate Santich|Orlando Sentinel September 4, 2015 At Rosemont Elementary, fifth-grader Meagan Scott eyes a stack of groceries being passed out to students and beams. “My mom will be so excited,” the 11-year-old says. “They’re really helping us.” Like nearly all of the 900 students at Rosemont, north of Pine Hills, Meagan is eligible for…
Alberto Carvalho, Superintendent, Miami-Dade by: John O’Connor|NPR State Impact September 1, 2015 The superintendent of Florida’s largest district says an outside review of the state’s new test shows that Florida students weren’t being tested on what they were expected to know. Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho says a review of the Florida Standards Assessments released today…
by: Jeffery S. Solocheck|Tampa Bay Times September 2, 2015 Florida’s testing validity study, released Tuesday, seemed to have something for everybody within its 186 pages. “Independent review confirms Florida Standards Assessment is valid,” the Department of Education declared, saying the results would be used for school grades and teacher evaluations. “Superintendents stand firm behind their…
by: Micheale Auslen Michael AuslenMichael Auslen| Tampa Bay Times September 2, 2015 After an effort in the 2015 session eliminated some tests students have to take that lawmakers said were duplicates, state Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, the education budget chairman and former Senate president, says he’s going after even more. It doesn’t make sense for…