Florida schools roundup: Testing, school boards, GEDs and more

11/19/14
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Travis Pillow

florida-roundup-logoTesting. Some grades will take Florida's state writing assessment using paper and pencil. Orlando Sentinel. School boards take aim at testing in Pasco and Pinellas. Gradebook. A Palm Beach Post columnist criticizes testing.

Turnarounds. The State Board of Education approves new accountability rules and turnaround plans for schools, but members say the process needs to be strengthened. Gradebook.

School boards. New school board members take office and choose their leaders. Tampa Bay Times, more here. Tampa Tribune. Florida Times-Union. Florida Today. Bradenton Herald. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Ocala Star-Banner. Tallahassee Democrat. Brevard school board members lower their salaries to those of first-year teachers. Florida Today.

GEDs. A single mom goes back to school to get a GED as a first step in her climb out of poverty. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Safety. A feud among students leads to a shooting at a school bus. Tampa Tribune. A principal is suspended after a school lockdown drill that frightened students and parents. Lakeland Ledger.

Advanced Placement. A change to AP physics courses will dictate which college credits students can earn. Bridge to Tomorrow.

Teachers. Lee County's school board approves teacher pay raises. Naples Daily News. The statewide teacher of the year plans a visit to Bartow. Lakeland Ledger.

Lawsuits. Manatee County schools face lawsuits over recess and security contracts. Bradenton Herald.

Employee conduct. A teacher is suspended for making inappropriate remarks to students. Panama City News Herald.

About Travis Pillow

Travis Pillow is senior director of thought leadership and growth at Step Up For Students. He lives in Sanford, Florida, with his wife and two children. A former Tallahassee statehouse reporter, he most recently worked at the Center on Reinventing Public Education, a research organization at Arizona State University, where he studied community-led learning innovation and school systems' responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. He can be reached at tpillow (at) sufs.org.
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