Graduation rates: The U.S. graduation rate hit a record 82 percent in 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Education. That's up three points from 2011, when the department began calculating the rate by the number of students who graduated with a regular diploma within four years. Florida matched the national average with an 82 percent graduation rate. Minority and low-income students also show gains, but continue to lag behind the average. Education Week.
Retention issues: Sarasota School Superintendent Lori White says the problems with retention for third-graders this year is prompted by the difference in the ways parents are dealing with testing. Last year, she says, the parents complained about the state's standardized testing, and then their children took an alternate test, went to summer school or did more work to bolster a portfolio. This year, a few parents have rejected the options of further testing or submitting a portfolio. Gradebook.
Individualized learning: Patricia Levesque, head of the national Foundation for Excellence in Education and the state-focused Foundation for Florida’s Future, says Florida's leaders should alter education policies to accommodate individualized learning in schools. Her remarks came at an education summit in Orlando, hosted by the Florida Chamber of Commerce. Politico Florida. Also at the conference, hotel developer Harris Rosen encourages other philanthropists to offer free pre-K and college scholarships in low-income neighborhoods. He has financed such a plan in the Tangelo Park neighborhood for the past 22 years. Politico Florida.
AP computer science: Florida is below the national rate for students passing AP computer science passing the AP Computer Science exam, according to the College Board and the National Center for Education Statistics. Bridge to Tomorrow. (more…)
Job cuts urged: A consultant tells the Hillsborough County School District that it should cut 1,761 jobs over the next five years to save $404 million. More than 1,000 of those job cuts would come from the teaching staff, which the Gibson Consulting Group says is larger than comparably sized districts. The report does not include any cutbacks of administrators. School officials will begin conversations about the report with two labor unions this week. Tampa Bay Times.
School nurse shortage: Florida has just 1,300 school nurses for more than 4,170 public schools. It would need to triple that number to meet recent guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The group says every school should have a nurse. Orlando Sentinel.
Repairs needed: The Palm Beach County School District needs about $1.2 billion to make "critical" building repairs that were put off during the recession, according to a report by the Maintenance and Plant Operations Department. School roofs and windows, classroom lighting and fire alarm systems all reportedly need attention. The study comes as the district is asking voters to raise the county sales tax. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel.
Retention fallout: Manatee County School Superintendent Diana Greene says it would be a "massive understatement" to say she was "angry, frustrated and disappointed in the FLDOE's lack of leadership on this extremely important issue" of retaining third-graders who did not participate in state standardized testing. Greene also released an email she received from the Department of Education when she asked about retention. Gradebook. About 15 parents and students protest against the Sarasota County School District's promotion policies. Superintendent Lori White says third-graders who refuse to take the Florida Standards Assessments or an alternative test can be promoted if they show mastery of the state's benchmarks in several other tests. Some districts allow promotion through a student's portfolio of work. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (more…)
