School testing: Pasco County School Superintendent Kurt Browning says he’ll lobby the Legislature to allow school districts to choose whether to administer the Florida Standards Assessments tests by computer or with pencil and paper. Browning thinks switching back to the old model will be easier on students and allow districts to shorten the testing time. Gradebook. Two Lake Nona High School administrators are reprimanded for not following school policies when preparing for Advanced Placement exams. More than 300 exams had to be retaken, at a cost of $14,715 to the district, because desks in the testing room were placed 4 feet apart instead of the required 5 feet. Orlando Sentinel.
Longer days: The school day will last an extra hour a day for 312 of the state’s elementary schools that posted poor reading scores. Thirty-four of the schools are in central Florida. Orlando Sentinel. Marion County has eight of the state’s lowest-performing schools. Ocala Star Banner.
School discipline: The Duval County School Board approves changes in the student code of conduct that are expected to cut back on out-of-school suspensions. The board also approved stiffer penalties for students who fight on buses. Florida Times-Union.
Laptop offer: Monroe County students have been promised a free laptop if they can pass the Advanced Placement computer science class from Florida Virtual School. WLRN.
School vouchers: A recent study of Ohio’s private school voucher program shows that its students do worse academically than their peers in public schools. But the program also helped public schools improve their scores, according to the study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. redefinED.
Fund-raising: A central Florida charity, Bridges of Light, is raising money to pay college tuition for 13 children whose parents were murdered or injured in the Orlando nightclub massacre June 12. Orlando Sentinel. Lake County’s “Red for ed” drive is underway. It’s an effort to collect school supplies and food for needy kids. Orlando Sentinel.
Superintendent search: Monroe County School Superintendent Mark Porter says he is applying for the same job in St. Johns County. Porter was hired in 2012 and makes $150,000 a year. The St. Johns job will pay $165,000 to $195,000 annually on a three-year contract. That district wants to hire a new superintendent by January, when current superintendent Joe Joyner retires. Keynoter.
School grades: The state’s largest district, Miami-Dade County, had the highest percentage of A-rated schools in the state and cut the number of F schools by more than 50 percent. Miami Herald. School grades are as much about poverty as performance. WLRN. Hernando County School Board members said too many school grades fell this year, even after taking into account the changes in the way they are calculated. Tampa Bay Times.
Teacher hirings: The Pinellas County School District will hold another job fair to try to fill openings at the seven lowest-performing elementary schools in the so-called “Transformation Zone.” The schools include Melrose, Maximo, Fairmount Park, Campbell Park, Lakewood, Sandy Lane and High Point elementaries. Gradebook.
School construction: Construction is proceeding for a half-dozen Manatee County school projects. Bradenton Herald.
School change: The Leon County School Board votes tonight on terminating its contract with the Woodville charter middle school, which shares space with Woodville Elementary. If it approves, it will then vote on making Woodville a K-8 school. Tallahassee Democrat.
School closing: The Tabernacle Christian School is closing due to what church officials say are financial problems and low enrollment. The Sarasota school had been open since 1976. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Sciences program: Fort Walton Beach High School and Fort Walton Beach Medical Center are collaborating to boost the school’s Lead the Way Biomedical Sciences Program. Medical professionals from the medical center will provide training at the school. Northwest Florida Daily News.
Opinions on schools: The latest school grades offer modest hope that significant improvement in student achievement in at least some of Pinellas County’s poorest elementary schools could be around the corner. But the leaps are going to have to be bigger and quicker. Tampa Bay Times. You might think school grades show regression, but there have been so many changes in the way grades are formulated that comparisons to previous grades are misleading. TCPalm. It’s high time that Duval County take advantage of the benefits offered by free play time for elementary school children. It is certainly paying off in other places around the world. Florida Times-Union.
Student enrichment: Maddox Hayles, a Destin Elementary School student, was the only third-grader in Okaloosa County to earn a perfect score on the Florida Standards Assessment test. Almost 2,500 students took the test. Northwest Florida Daily News.
