Tax credit scholarships. The House passes legislation expanding access to the program to students with higher incomes. Associated Press. News Service of Florida. It's among  a host of issues lawmakers expect to tackle after a week-long holiday break. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The Daytona Beach News-Journal scrutinizes the program in an article that states, incorrectly, that a failed 2012 state constitutional amendment would have "cleared the way" for private school vouchers. A second article also deals with religious schools. The program is administered by Step Up for Students, which co-hosts this blog.

Testing. Parents complain that FCAT conflicts with Passover. Tampa Bay Times. Students prepare to tackle the test one last time in English and math. StateImpact. Lakeland Ledger. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Tampa Tribune. Palm Beach Post. The stakes are high at an F-rated Miami-Dade middle school. Miami Herald. Collier schools are in a race against time to create new end of course exams. Naples Daily News. Lawmakers should get an earful from constituents on testing, including for students on tax-credit scholarships, Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell writes.

Virtual schools. A new blended learning model debuts in West Boynton Beach. Sun-Sentinel.

Magnet schools. A Montessori magnet in Fort Lauderdale marks a milestone. Sun-Sentinel. What was once a last-chance home for struggling students is now a career-education magnet program. Gainesville Sun.

Textbooks. A bill aimed at paring back the state's role in adopting instructional materials survives a narrow vote in the Senate. Associated Press. News Service of Florida. Gainesville Sun. Gradebook. Scripps/Tribune.

Student Privacy. A bill banning the collection of biometric data and other sensitive information is headed to Gov. Rick Scott. Scripps/Tribune. Ocala Star-Banner. Associated Press.

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Tax credit scholarships. Revived legislation expanding the program clears a House-panel on a party-line vote. Florida Times-Union. Capitol News Service. News Service of Florida. Times/Herald. Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. WFSU. The legislation could extend scholarships to middle-class families. Sun-Sentinel. A Washington Post blogger seizes on inconsistent uses of the term "waiting list." Answer Sheet. A Palm Beach Post columnist likens the bill to a "zombie that won't die." The program is administered by Step Up for Students, which co-hosts this blog.

Charter schools. Hillsborough schools officials raise questions about the non-profit organizations that hired Charter Schools USA to run three charter schools in the county. Tampa Bay Times. Charter schools compete with school districts for limited construction funds in the state budget. Times/Herald.

Extracurricular activities. The Florida Times-Union writes up a bill that would expand access for students in school choice programs.

Testing. School administrators say they need more time before the state switches standardized tests. Tampa Tribune. Duval's superintendent pledges to pare back the number of tests given in the district next year. Florida Times-Union.

Teachers.  A Lee County Schools program aims to bring new teachers into high-need areas. Naples Daily News. Collier schools turn to recent retirees to make up for a substitute shortage. Naples Daily News. A recent statewide teacher of the year criticizes the use value-added scores to judge teachers, among other state education policies. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)

Editor's note: About 200 people who support Florida's tax credit scholarship program, including many scholarship students themselves, attended yesterday's legislative committee hearing on a bill to expand the program. Many speakers made many good points, but a woman from Ocala stole the show. The audience applauded her, lawmakers praised her, reporters quoted her. Here is what Chanae Jackson-Baker told the committee. Her remarks were edited slightly for length and clarity.

I worked 12 hours last night in Gainesville. I drove to Ocala to get my kid to school, then drove to Tallahassee to be here. That’s how important this is to me.

We keep talking about money, we keep talking about the money. The children are an investment.  ... I pay $500 a month over what the scholarship covers. ... Because we’re putting in more, and investing more, we are willing to give more.

I don’t know about anybody else’s private school, but the one my children attend, they took the Stanford 10, which is actually a lot better ... than the FCAT. I keep hearing talk of the FCAT. When my son took the FCAT in third grade, he was doing horrible. He was doing horrible because he had auditory processing disorder. He has dyslexia. He’s on the autism spectrum. When he was in public school, and I hate to bash public school because I was the parent on SAC committee and PTO before I gave up on public school … He left public school reading at third grade, four month level in sixth grade. He’s now in seventh grade and he’s on level. I never thought I’d see my son read a book.

I have my step daughter … she came from a public school. She missed 85 days in kindergarten. No one stepped in. No one. She almost flunked out of kindergarten. She’s now in her school. She’s now excelling.

It’s not just education. It’s character. When my eight-year-old and my nine-year-old come to talk to me about integrity, when they talk about being good to people, when they talk about there being a family at school, that’s what this scholarship is all about. (more…)

Tax credit scholarships. The Orlando Sentinel editorializes against the proposed expansion, largely using the editorial written by its sister paper, the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Tampa Bay Times columnist John Romano calls it a continuation of the "systematic decimation of Florida public schools." The Tampa Tribune gives it a thumbs up, writing: "Supporting school choice is a smart policy that by no means diminishes the Legislature’s responsibility to adequately fund public schools, which will remain the first choice of most families." (Full disclosure: the program is administered by Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this blog.)

School choice. In an Associated Press rundown of Florida education legislation this year, the Florida PTA takes aim at bills to expand charter schools and tax credit scholarships, saying they amount to "chunks being broken away from our public school system."

Charter schools. The Orange and Seminole school districts consider whether to continue to try and fight the opening of four proposed Charter Schools USA schools in their districts. Orlando Sentinel. Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie ushers in a "new era of collaboration and cooperation" with charter schools. Education Week.

Catholic schools. Several schools in the Diocese of Venice system are looking for new principals. Fort Myers News Press.

School grades. Pasco Superintendent Kurt Browning pitches a more complicated system, not a simpler one. Gradebook.

School boards. Gov. Rick Scott fills a vacancy on the Broward board. Miami Herald. South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Superintendents. Interim super Hershel Lyons throws his hat in to the ring for the Alachua opening. Gainesville Sun.

Legislature. The Sarasota Herald Tribune highlights the major ed issues for the session that starts Tuesday. In their roundups, the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times erroneously report (as other outlets have in recent weeks) that lawmakers are for the first time proposing that tax credit scholarship students take standardized tests. (They've been required by law since 2006 to take state-approved standardized tests.) (more…)

State tests: The end of the much-maligned FCAT is no cause for celebration by critics, writes the Palm Beach Post. Sen. John Legg correctly recognizes there are too many standardized tests in Florida's public schools, but his proposed solution of a test-free period around state-required tests is impractical, writes the Tampa Bay Times.

Common Core: A state senator has submitted legislation to stop the Common Core State Standards from taking effect in Florida. The Buzz. The new state standards place more emphasis on cursive writing, but not everyone is on board as technology takes over the classroom. Fort Myers News-Press. Studies find textbooks are a poor match for Common Core standards. StateImpact Florida.

Teacher evals: The publication of teacher performance scores this week resonate in Leon County Schools, drawing criticism from school board members and fueling recruitment efforts by the local teachers union. Tallahassee Democrat.

Special needs: The state teachers union releases a video showing Polk County school administrators giving a standardized test to a blind child in a persistent vegetative state. Herald/Times.

State grades: The state Board of Education should listen to parents and educators who want to put the brakes on the grading plan, writes The Ledger.

Pay raises: Pasco County's superintendent recommends new salary schedules for administrators and non-bargaining personnel that would increase their pay by 4 percent and 4.8 percent, respectively. Tampa Bay Times. The roughly 6,000 Palm Beach school district service employees like bus drivers, custodians and electricians will get a 4 percent raise under a new tentative labor agreement. Palm Beach Post.

School boards: Pinellas County School Board members vote unanimously to change the time allotted for public comments from the beginning of their meetings to the end, despite initial concerns the switch would discourage public participation. The Tampa Tribune. More from the Tampa Bay Times. The Palm Beach County school board hears some tough talk on a still-sparse budget for next school year. Palm Beach Post.

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Vouchers: Sen. President Don Gaetz says he supports private school vouchers, but that students who participate in the program should be subject to the same or similar standardized tests that public school students take. Miami Herald. More from Orlando Sentinel. School choice is becoming more valuable for parents, who are turning to Step Up For Students and the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship  for help in finding the right fit for their children.  WEAR TV Channel 3.

Private schools: St. Thomas Episcopal in Miami gets on loan from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration a display of lunar rocks, soil and meteorites. Miami Herald. 

Charter schools: Oasis High School, part of the Cape Coral charter school system, win 14 awards at the International Model UN conference hosted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. Fort Myers News-Press. In Hillsborough County, more than half of the existing charter schools have banded together to create a choice fair for families to learn about their offerings. Tampa Bay Times. Palm Beach County School District officials are working with two local legislators to introduce a bill that would require new charter schools to put up a $250,000 performance bond before they can open. Palm Beach Post.

Magnet schools: Public school leaders in Miami and elsewhere are refocusing on magnet schools as traditional public schools come under increasing pressure from charter schools and vouchers for private schools. The New York Times.

District schools: Polk County principals work to bring improvement to local schools. The Ledger.  With a new writing coach and weekly boot camps, Hernando schools hope to pull up state test scores. Tampa Bay Times.

Collegiate high schools: Sen. John Legg proposes a bill to expand collegiate high schools, and spur community and state colleges to make more of an effort to engage high-schoolers in college-level courses. The Tampa Tribune.

Eric Cantor: GOP House Majority Leader Eric Cantor visits Academy Prep Center of Tampa to stump for school choice. redefinED. The Republican congressman from Virginia said the private middle school, which serves children in low-income families, is an example of how school choice can succeed. The Tampa Tribune. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

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Charter schools: Pinellas County School Board members give district attorneys the go-ahead to look into suing the state for a new law that creates uniform charter school contracts. The Tampa Tribune. 

Virtual schools: Starting next month, after 16 years of providing a distance-learning option to students in kindergarten through 12th grade, Florida Virtual School will offer several courses for adults. The Tampa Tribune.

Science ed: Polk County's public and private schools take different routes when teaching the concepts of evolution, creation. The Ledger. Even as politicians and educational leaders pledge allegiance to science, many Americans are skeptical about key tenets of scientific orthodoxy. The Ledger. A Cocoa science teacher is named by President Obama as one of 102 teachers in the country to receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Florida Today.

School safety: Since the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy and the 27 school shootings that followed, Escambia and Santa Rosa county school officials are trying to restore a sense of security to parents, teachers and students. Pensacola News-Journal.

Name change: An about-face decision by a new seven-member Duval County School Board to drop the name of a high school that honored a Confederate soldier and former Klu Klux Klan member leaves activists wondering what other changes are possible now. Florida Times-Union.

School grades: When the state reworks its school grading system, Collier County's superintendent is hopeful the bar will be raised and fairness also will prevail. Naples Daily News. All five Hernando County high schools saw their grades drop. Tampa Bay Times. It is time to overhaul Florida's school grading system, which has been so tweaked and massaged as to be divorced from reality, writes the Tampa Bay Times.

Pay raises: An increase in administrator pay recently approved by the Santa Rosa County School Board is not sitting well with some teachers in the district. Pensacola News-Journal. Treasure Coast school leaders struggle to overhaul teacher pay based on performance. TC Palm.

Tony Bennett: The Indianapolis charter school at the center of Indiana’s grade-changing scandal saw its grade drop from an “A” to an “F.'' Associated Press.

The best of 2013: StateImpact Florida looks at the year's top education stories.
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School grades: None of Broward County's high schools received poor grades, and all but three received A's or B's. Sun Sentinel. Fewer Palm Beach County schools got A's and B's this year and more got D's and F's. Sun Sentinel. Miami-Dade schools received many A's and no F's. Miami Herald. For the first time since Florida started grading schools in 1999, no Polk high schools got a grade of D or F. The Ledger. High schools across Central Florida and the rest of the state earned more A's and B's this year than ever before. Orlando Sentinel. Space Coast high schools earn A's and B's. Florida Today. Among the 44 high schools on the First Coast, 33 received an A or B. Florida Times-Union. More high schools than ever — 240, or 48 percent — earned A grades, while the number of F-graded schools rose from 3 to 8. Tampa Bay Times. All 16 Pinellas County public high schools got A's or B's. The Tampa Tribune. Fourteen of Hillsborough’s traditional high schools earned the top grade, nine received B’s and four received C’s. The Tampa Tribune.

Urban assessments: New testing data shows Hillsborough County schools beat the performance of other large urban school districts in math and reading. Miami-Dade fourth grade readers outscored other large urban districts, but were on par in eighth grade reading and fourth and eighth grade math. StateImpact Florida.

Charter schools: Supporters of a charter school for MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa plan to appeal the Hillsborough school board's decision to deny the proposal. redefinED.

Private schools: A Palm Beach Christian high school faces closure if organizers can't solve a financial dilemma. Palm Beach Post.

Magnet schools: JetBlue Foundation awards Polk schools, including the Central Aerospace Academy, with a $25,000 grant. The Ledger.

School spending: Lake County School Board members approve a plan to redirect $21 million of district cash over the next three years to help struggling students and improve teaching programs. Orlando Sentinel.

School safety: Hillsborough County School Board members approve having armed guards in elementary schools. Tampa Bay Times. More from The Tampa Tribune.

Common Core: The quick rollout of the new education standards in South Florida has some educators worried that students still trying to learn English could be left behind. Sun Sentinel. Catholic schools are quietly embracing the Common Core. The Tampa Tribune.  Religious schools are mindful of the new standards but some are also proceeding with caution. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

More on PISA: The stagnant results from the PISA test ought to be a warning that we are not getting the job done. And our kids deserve better, writes the Palm Beach Post.

School safety: Across the country, parents and educators are saying or thinking the same thing: How do we make schools and children safer? Florida Times-Union.

Funding: Hernando County  board members breathe new life into an effort to increase funding and challenge parts of the state's complex funding formula, the Florida Education Finance Program or FEFP. Tampa Bay Times.

Retention: The number of third-graders in Southwest Florida being held back a grade have decreased, yet, good cause exemptions are on the rise. Fort Myers News-Press.

Fine arts: Research shows the more arts courses Florida students enroll in, the more likely they are to take the SAT and score well on standardized tests. And conversely, students who appear to be struggling academically generally take fewer arts courses than their peers. StateImpact Florida.

AVID: The international program expects a lot from students, who take honors and Advanced Placement classes to prepare for college, a goal many of the students might not have considered otherwise. The Tampa Tribune.

Grad rates: While graduation rates at seven of the Treasure Coast’s 13 high schools worsened last year, the majority of schools have seen their rates rise since 2011. TC Palm. (more…)

Charter schools: Lee County administrators are putting greater scrutiny on charter applicants and state officials have tightened requirements to open schools. Naples Daily News.

School safety: The Broward school district has allowed police officers to live rent-free on some school grounds since the 1980s as a way to provide after-hours safety, but there's no proof the program is still effective. Sun Sentinel. A dozen educators from Pinellas and Hillsborough counties come to a martial arts studio to learn what they can do to stop a tragedy. The Tampa Tribune.

Teacher pay: It's time for the Palm Beach County school district and teachers union to sign an agreement for pay raises, writes Rick Christie for the Palm Beach Post.

Testing: Florida's next generation of standardized tests moves a step closer to adoption when the state gets a look at the players that want to create FCAT's replacement. Orlando Sentinel.  Are Florida high school students really as unprepared for the job market and college as recent PISA tests results suggest? Local and state civic and business leaders say yes, but educators are starting to address the problem. Tampa Bay Times. Changes to the GED are causing concerns. StateImpact Florida.

Teacher evals: Almost half of Polk County's classroom teachers receive a "highly effective" rating and the rest of evaluations that have been submitted so far are rated "effective.'' The Ledger. Rosy teacher evals contradict student progress. The Tampa Tribune.

After school: Pinellas County seeks college students to staff afterschool programs. Tampa Bay Times.

School spending: A group of community activists urges the Broward school district to reduce the costs of its in-house lawn mowing services by hiring an outside company. Sun Sentinel.

College prep: Too many students are arriving to college unprepared, writes Ed Moore, president and CEO of the Independent Colleges & Universities of Florida, for the Tampa Bay Times.
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