Dive Brief:
- Florida Education Commissioner Pam Stewart announced that the state will investigate the use of standardized testing within schools, making good on a campaign promise by re-elected Gov. Rick Scott.
- Stewart has also unveiled the Keep Florida Learning Committee, which intends to scope out ways to remove restriction currently tying down the state's schools, increase parental involvement, assess curriculum tools, and track the implementation of the Florida Standards, which are a state-informed version of the Common Core.
- In September, Stewart dropped the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR) taken by the state's K-2 students in a move that highlighted growing state backlash against over-testing.
Dive Insight:
In August, Florida's Lee County District voted to opt out of Common Core-aligned tests and end-of-the-year assessments, but a few weeks later, it went back on the decision after Superintendent Nancy Graham asked the board to reconsider, saying a lack of standardized testing could hurt students.
While the district did eventually vote (3-2) to back out of the decision to block standardized testing in the school district, the initial move illuminated a growing frustration amongst concerned parents who feared increased emphasis on standardized testing was negatively impacting classrooms.
