School grades. A sharply divided state Board of Education votes to keep the "safety net" provision intact for another year, meaning no schools will see their grades fall by more than one letter grade. Coverage from Orlando Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post, Lakeland Ledger, Gainesville Sun, Tallahassee Democrat, Tampa Tribune, Bradenton Herald, Sarasota Herald Tribune, Fort Myers News Press, Associated Press, StateImpact Florida, Florida Current, TCPalm.com, Education Week.

A look at grade projections. Gradebook, Tallahassee Democrat. School grades are no longer an accurate barometer of school performance, the state admits. South Florida Sun Sentinel. Frank Cerabino: "When the going gets tough, the definition of success gets changed."

The Foundation for Florida's Future argued against the move. Gradebook, SchoolZone. The grading system needs some accountability of its own. Tampa Bay Times. Pinellas officials question whether school grades should remain in the district's strategic plan. Gradebook. Reaction in Duval. Florida Times Union. The view in Marion. Ocala Star Banner.

Charter schools. With 42 charters and counting, Hillsborough creates a new position: charter schools director. Tampa Bay Times. Pasco may consider a charter that seeks to offer "hands-on education with farm animals for children with mild intellectual disabilities." Tampa Bay Times.

Teacher conduct: Police say they found child pornography on the computer of a former private school teacher in West Palm Beach already facing charges of molesting fourth graders. Palm Beach Post.

Teacher pay. The Collier County School Board votes to give teachers a 1 percent bonus, but no raise. Naples Daily News.

Community support. The Ridgecrest community in Largo rallies to help its kids take advantage of a new summer school program in Pinellas. Tampa Bay Times.

Ed politics. The National Education Association lines up behind Democratic congressional candidate Gwen Graham, who is hoping to unseat U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Panama City. Florida Current.

Parent power. Gov. Rick Scott signs into law a bill that gives parents of disabled students more say over their kid's education. Orlando Sentinel, Associated Press.

Virtual schools. Scott also signs the digital learning bill into law. Florida Current.

Charter schools. The Lakeland-based Achievement Academy, a charter for students with disabilities, plans to double enrollment to meet demand. Lakeland Ledger.

Career academies. A new firefighters academy is opening at Wellington High School next fall. Palm Beach Post.

Schools and religion. Atheist materials censored by the Orange County School District contained criticisms of the Bible. Orlando Sentinel.

School grades. The state again considers revision to the system in the face of concerns that the results will be too harsh. Tampa Bay Times. Add Treasure Coast districts to those warning parents about a drop in grades. TCPalm.com. A new task force should retract the most "onerous" changes to the grading system. Miami Herald. Or "trash" the system altogether. Palm Beach Post.

School technology. New technology in the Miami-Dade district is boosting education for students with disabilities. Miami Herald.

School spending. The state approves Manatee's financial recovery plan. Bradenton Herald. Bay plans to remove 22 old portables this summer. Panama City News Herald.

School districts. Pinellas needs to be more transparent with public records. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)

Charter schools. They're becoming more involved in the political process, reports the Florida Times Union. The Bradenton Herald takes a look at the challenges ahead for Rowlett Elementary, the Bradenton magnet that's becoming a charter school. So does the Sarasota Herald Tribune. (Sidebar on other charter school conversions here.) The fledgling Ben Gamla charterschool  in Pinellas closes because of a dispute with its national board, reports the Tampa Bay Times. The Lake Wales Charter School system has more than 400 students on a waiting list for its middle school, prompting debate how to expand, reports the Lakeland Ledger.

Dual enrollment. Districts are chafing at having to pick up the tab, reports the Tampa Bay Times. More from the Northwest Florida Daily News.

School choice. The lottery process will be a topic for discussion at a school choice summit in Palm Beach County. Extra Credit.

Common Core. Training helps teachers instill love of math, reports StateImpact Florida. It's clear, concise and good for kids, says a teacher at a high-poverty school in this column by Karin Choweth at Ed Trust (H/T Tampa Bay Times).

Testing. The Happy Scientist raises questions about the science FCAT. Miami Herald.

Humanities. Don't forget them amidst the growing emphasis on STEM. Tampa Bay Times.

School technology. Hillsborough teachers like BYOD. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)

School counselors: Lee County schools' tight budget has left the district with one school counselor to every 532 high students, one to 565 middle school students and one to 923 elementary students. The recommended ratio is 1-250 at every school level. News-Press.

Ivy league: This senior and farmerworker's son might be the first kid from rural LaBelle to go to an Ivy League college. News-Press.

High marks: Duval County schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti gives himself high marks on a self-evaluation after seven months on the job. Florida Times-Union.

New Super: Polk County's new schools Superintendent Kathryn LeRoy lays out her plan to improve academic achievement and address the budget deficit. Ledger.

Imagine: Recently-shuttered Imagine Charter School in St. Petersburg performed better on the FCAT this year than many other neighborhood schools, though scores remain extremely low. Tampa Bay Times.

Fired: Scott Kimbrough, a Seminole County teacher accused of having sex with two female students, has been fired. Orlando Sentinel.

Suspended: A first-grade teacher in Hernando County was suspended after an investigation into allegations that she yelled at a student, made disparaging remarks about him and hit him in the chest with a backpack. Tampa Bay Times.

Accreditation: Miami-Dade public schools is looking for districtwide accreditation from AdvancedED. Miami Herald.

Common Core: Education Commissioner Tony Bennett on the new national education standards: “I do believe that Common Core will be the hinge point where we get our focus back, especially in problem solving and critical analysis at the lower levels.” StateImpact Florida. (more…)

Charter schools. Parents at Rowlett Elementary, a magnet in Manatee, say their calculations show a charter school conversion will bring in more money for fine arts programs. Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Virtual schools. Florida Virtual School holds its first ever graduation for full-time students, reports the Seminole Chronicle. Lee County's virtual school, the Lee Virtual Instruction Program, gets a  Bronze ranking from U.S. News & World Report's high school rating system, reports Fort Myers Beach Talk.

School technology. Foundations may need to help school districts shift into higher gear. StateImpact Florida.

Common Core. Crazy claim of the week: involves Glenn Beck, Common Core and eyeball scanners in Polk County. Oh, mercy. EdFly Blog.

Retiring teachers. A final farewell. South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Graduating seniors. A Pinellas teen with cancer finds the strength to walk with her class. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)

Teachers. Either masochists or saints. StateImpact Florida.

Teacher conduct. The Gilchrist County teacher  of the  year is put on leave following allegations of inappropriate conduct with female students. Gainesville Sun.

Teacher pay. The chair of the Marion County School Board says 160 first-year teachers will be spared their jobs if all teachers forgo their state bonus money. Ocala Star Banner.

Teacher protest. Two Manatee High teachers unveil a mural replica of Edvard Munch's "The Scream" - their version made from garbage because the district did not have money for materials - to protest budget cuts. Bradenton Herald and Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Subs. Recent graduates from a Palm Beach County high school give back - by returning as substitute teachers. Palm Beach Post.

Charter schools. A struggling charter in Deland is fighting to stay open. Daytona Beach News Journal.

Common Core. Will Common Core state standards undermine school choice? Jay P. Greene: Yes. Checker Finn: No.

School spending. Small towns in Miami-Dade chip in to pay for a school nurse. Miami Herald.

School districts. Manatee is in a crisis "more dire than anticipated," new Superintendent Rick Mills says, according to the Bradenton Herald. District officials release an economic recovery plan, reports the Sarasota Herald Tribune. (more…)

Bang for the buck. Florida's education system gets a lot of it. Florida Watchdog.

Charter schools. Broward sees its eighth charter school close this year, raising questions about accountability, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The Imagine charter schools network will close its struggling elementary school in Pinellas, but keep its middle school open, reports Gradebook. The C-rated Athenian Academy charter school in Pasco is suing the school district for barring its plans to grow enrollment, reports the Tampa Bay Times.

Career education. A Pasco student in Wiregrass Ranch High's information technology career academy highlights the potential of choice and career education. Tampa Bay Times. The Tampa Tribune writes up the changes in graduation requirements that put more value on career education.

Dual enrollment. The Palm Beach County school district and Palm Beach State College are hoping to hash out an agreement over dual enrollment costs in the wake of a legislative change. Palm Beach Post.

FCAT. More results coming this week. Gradebook. (more…)

FCAT. FCAT writing scores up. FCAT reading and math scores flat. Miami Herald. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Palm Beach Post. Orlando Sentinel. Florida Times Union. StateImpact Florida. Gainesville Sun. Ocala Star Banner. Associated Press. Naples Daily News. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald Tribune. Pensacola News Journal. Tallahassee Democrat. Panama City News Herald. StateImpact has more from Education Commissioner Tony Bennett.

FCAT success. How a Tampa elementary magnet school got traction. Gradebook.

FCAT retakes. Daytona Beach News Journal.

Vals and sals. Backlash is growing to Hernando's decision to ban vals and sals. Gradebook.

Nerds. Spelling bee champ Nupur Lala of Tampa helped make nerdy cool. Associated Press.

Turnaround schools. Hillsborough is proactive about trying to spark them. Tampa Bay Times.

Teacher training. The Hechinger Report uses Florida to base a story about reformers' aims with teacher training and recruitment. (more…)

Teachers unions. The rise of Fedrick Ingram, new president of the the Miami-Dade teachers union. Miami Herald.

Teacher conduct. Ocala Star Banner: "Teacher suspended for bonk with a banana."

Dual enrollment. A mandate that school districts pick up the tab for dual enrollment students is putting districts in a tough spot. Fort Myers News Press.

Rick Scott. Gov. Rick Scott must decide on several high-profile education issues, including virtual school funding and the future of state-mandated tutoring for low-income students, reports News Service of Florida. He's going to veto a proposed tuition hike, reports the Times/Herald.

School atmosphere. A Palm Beach County School District investigation finds an elementary school torn apart by a feud between the principal and a school board member, reports the Palm Beach Post. The Florida Commission on Ethics dismisses two complaints against the board member, including one filed by the principal, the Post also reports.

Bullying. State officials work with the Walton County school district to combat bullying, reports the Northwest Florida Daily News. Pasco Superintendent writes in this op-ed for the Tampa Bay Times that bullying prevention is a moral imperative.

School closings. Citing cost concerns, Manatee plans to close a small high school for struggling students. Bradenton Herald. (more…)

Charter schools. Excel Leadership Academy in West Palm Beach makes its case to stay open before an administrative law judge, reports Extra Credit. The Daytona Beach News Journal looks at a struggling charter in Flagler.

Virtual schools. The Palm Beach Post looks at the potential financial hit to Florida Virtual School from recent legislative changes. Education Week offers a short write-up on Florida's online expansion.

School rankings. Take some with a grain of salt, some with a truckload, writes Matt Di Carlo at the Shanker Blog. Three Marion high schools are among the best in U.S. News & World Report, reports the Ocala Star Banner.

School closures. Dozens rally against proposed closures in Brevard. Florida Today.

School spending. Increased funding from the Legislature still may not be enough to get Marion out of a hole, reports the Ocala Star Banner. The school board in financially troubled Manatee takes a closer-than-usual look at contracts and spending, reports the Bradenton Herald.

Teacher evals. The Quick & The Ed offers a legal analysis of the recently filed lawsuit. (more…)