School testing: The Lake County School Board is asking the Legislature to replace the Florida Standards Assessments test with another nationally accepted assessment test. Daily Commercial. Florida testing is putting a strain on high school marching bands in the Miami area. The state requires reading intervention for middle-schoolers with low test scores, which leaves less time for band classes. So fewer students are taking those classes, leading to lower participation at the high school level. WLRN.

Class sizes: The city of Miami Beach is asking Florida superintendents to help convince state legislators to close loopholes in the state class-size rules. "The Mayor and City Commission of the City of Miami Beach consider the education of its residents to be a top priority and has one of its key intended outcomes to achieve K-12 educational excellence," the resolution states. Gradebook.

Equal education: Lee County School Board members are considering changing the school assignment process to provide more equality in education throughout the district. Some members believe specialty programs are overtaking some schools, which is concentrating high-achievers in some schools and low-achievers in others. Fort Myers News-Press.

Racial disparities: Civil rights activists argue that the Hillsborough County School District should not be released from a federal investigation into racial disparities in teaching and discipline. They say the district has not shown that it's on the way to providing equity. Tampa Bay Times.

Schools reopening: Most school districts around the state are open today after missing several days due to Hurricane Matthew. Florida Times-Union. St. Augustine Record. Florida Today. WFTV. News Service of Florida.

Makeup days: Pinellas County school officials say they won't require students to make up the day lost to Hurricane Matthew. Gradebook. (more…)