Posted on October 7th, 2014 by
Thomas Kennedy
Resolution on School Grades Accountability in a Transition Year for Standards & Assessments
At the October 14th, 2014, school board meeting I put on the agenda a time for discussion of recent resolutions on School Grades Accountability during a transition year for the new Florida educational standards and assessments. These results are directly connected to students’ final grades and grade advancement as well as teacher and administrative evaluations.
These resolutions speak of Florida’s over-reliance and lack of consistent data on high-stakes standardized testing in state and federal accountability systems is undermining educational quality and equity in public schools by limiting educators’ ability to focus on the broad range of learning experiences that promote creativity, problem solving, collaboration, critical thinking, and deep subject-matter knowledge that will allow students to thrive in a democracy and an increasingly global Society and economy. Further they are asking that the Florida Department of Education, and the state legislature to provide a three-year transition to July 1, 2017 for full Implementation of Florida standards and accountability, with no impact on students, teachers, school administrators, and school district assessment and evaluation changes. Further, the Legislature should delay the use of Florida State Assessment results in determining school grades, student promotion, graduation or for teacher evaluation until July 1, 2017.
Each time I visit schools and talk with teachers, educational administrators and leaders I hear about the daily challenges that are strangling public education. Regardless of whether educators are in favor of these changes or not, what you will always hear them saying is that the State’s required time frame and implementation is moving at an unacceptably fast speed that it is harmful and irresponsible to our students and the teachers whose evaluations will be based on the students’ assessment scores.
At this time many schools boards around the state have or are getting ready to pass resolutions. These include Sumter, Seminole, Palm Beach, Duval and Lee Counties who have passed resolutions against the time line and are asking for a delay of the implementation with this 2014-2015 school year. Other school boards, whether individually or as a whole, are also looking to adopt similar resolutions.
A resolution does not suspend or stop any state required implementations or mandates but it is a way to state publicly that as an entity we are opposed to the manner of the of the implementations and its potential harmful effects on our students, teachers and schools. In addition it
In 2012 I was proud to be a part of the Citrus County School Board that unanimously passed a resolution opposing to the overemphasis of high-stakes testing. (Follow this link to see that resolution: https://thomastalks.org/ccsb-on-high-stakes-testing/) After Citrus School Board passed its resolution other counties around the state followed suit and thus continued a formal stand against the overemphasis of high-stakes testing. This action in part lead to changes at the Florida Department of Education, including the then Florida Commissioner of Education, resigning from office.
It is my hope that our school board will seriously consider passing a similar resolution.
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The School Board is developing a resolution to speak out against the state required mandates that are harming public education and to ask for a three year delay on the use of Florida State Assessment results in determining school grades, student promotion, and graduation or for teacher evaluations. These new standards and assessment were never field-tested with Florida students rather with students from Utah, which does not mirror the demographics of Florida. In 1998 before issuing school grades using the FCAT, the FDOE properly field tested the FCAT. At this time there have been over 32 changes to the accountability system over the last three years.
