Florida schools roundup: Vouchers, fundamental schools, testing & more

Vouchers: Standardized testing would threaten private-school appeal, writes the Orlando Sentinel.  The president of the League of Women Voters of Florida says expanding private scholarships is a further abdication of the state’s responsibility to provide a high quality education to Florida’s children. Orlando Advocate.

Fundamental schools: Is St. Petersburg’s fundamental school within a school working? Tampa Bay Times.

District schools: Escambia County’s Warrington Middle School continues to fail its students – and improving the school will take a community-wide effort that must begin this week, writes the Pensacola News-Journal. Hillsborough County’s Brandon High celebrates 100 years. The Tampa Tribune. A Duval County high school hosts a conversation about volunteerism, bridging disparities and the community roll of a historic African-American school. StateImpact Florida.

Teachers: Hundreds of thousands of Florida teacher evaluation scores that measure effectiveness on student learning are released after the Florida Times-Union wins lengthy legal battle. The Department of Education sends teachers a message about the release of records. Florida Times-Union. This Duval County teacher’s class is all about goals. Florida Times-Union.

Ed leg: If the Legislature adjourns after its upcoming session without passing a single education-related bill, there will still be big changes coming to Florida classrooms this fall. Tallahassee Democrat. Pop-Tarts law is gun lobbying we don’t need at school, writes Sue Carlton for the Tampa Bay Times.

State testing: Florida’s students are getting ready to write the final chapter in a 17-year saga known as the FCAT. Sun Sentinel. FCAT season begins this week with a low-stakes writing assessment that over the years has seemed to have little purpose. TC Palm. Sen. John Legg aims to address over-testing in Florida public schools. Tampa Bay Times. This coming week marks the beginning of the end for the four most hated letters in Florida education: FCAT. Palm Beach Post.

Common Core: Why less is more for a rural Florida school preparing students for the new education standards. StateImpact Florida.

School boards: Hillsborough County School Board member April Griffin decides to seek a third term after all, citing issues within the school district’s transportation and special education departments that she believes have not been resolved. The Tampa Tribune. The Black Educators Caucus of Palm Beach County still backs the district superintendent, but wants progress report. Palm Beach Post.  For Polk County’s assistant superintendent, it’s all about the kids. The Ledger.

Health ed: Some elementary students in Duval County Public Schools are not getting their required health education, which violates state law. Florida Times-Union.

School safety: Today’s technology-savvy students need reminders about protecting their identity and especially their physical location, writes Terri Friedlander for Florida Today.

Engineering: Plenty of kids come to USF’s Engineering Expo on a Saturday to learn to make bridges out of balsa wood and how to measure their own blood pressure, among other things. Tampa Bay Times.

Science: An aeroponic tower garden goosts a Polk County school’s science curriculum. The Ledger.

Reading: The nearly 500 freshmen spent their day on blankets and sleeping bags, taking in the book, Night‘s full message of the horrors of war and genocide. Tampa Bay Times.

Conduct: The attorney for a former West Palm Beach private school teacher accused of sexually assaulting two 9-year-old students argues there are grounds for a judge to stop a jury from seeing potentially incriminating computer evidence. Sun Sentinel.