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ICYMI: Florida education news in review, week of June 3, 2019

A collection of news and views from the past week in Florida.
 
Students are dismissed from Spoto High School in Riverview on May 28, 2019. [OCTAVIO JONES | Times]
Students are dismissed from Spoto High School in Riverview on May 28, 2019. [OCTAVIO JONES | Times]
Published June 8, 2019

Florida has put a high price on student performance. High school graduation rates are a key metric in the formula. But how far are schools willing to go to make the state grade? At one Hillsborough County high school, one teacher has been removed after posting test answers on his classroom walls. His principal was also replaced and remains under investigation. It remains unclear just how deep the problem runs. • Don’t miss our weekly highlights of the news, views, reports and more. You can keep up daily with our conversation on Facebook, hear our podcast, and follow our blog to get all the latest Florida education news. All tips, comments and ideas welcome. Send a note to jsolochek@tampabay.com.

Top of the Times

Some test scores at Spoto High were too good to be true. The answers were on the wall., Marlene Sokol

“Isaac Anderson didn’t know he was not supposed to leave test answers on the walls of his social studies classroom. That’s what the 40-year-old teacher told Hillsborough County School District officials when they were called to review his students’ surprisingly high test scores.”

Could an armed teacher be arrested like Parkland cop Scot Peterson?, Emily Mahoney

“The sponsor of this year’s bill which allowed classroom teachers to carry guns said Wednesday it’s possible armed teachers could similarly be on the hook, legally, if they don’t do everything required of them to keep kids safe during a shooting.”

Who wants changes to Florida’s Common Core standards?, Jeffrey S. Solochek

“As part of the ongoing effort, which now includes educator experts drafting replacement language, the Department of Education has solicited input from the general public on both the current and draft standards. One of the key questions has been, should each item be replaced, removed or kept unchanged? One thing stands out in a report of the results through May 28: Regardless of the type of standard, or the role of the respondent, the clear top answer to the question has been, ‘No change needed.’”

Hillsborough School Board wants to weigh in on Native American mascots, Marlene Sokol

“Weeks after announcing a more respectful approach to Native American culture, the Hillsborough County School District is putting a pause on its mascot changes at a half-dozen schools.”

Show me the money: Florida prepares to offer a new high school class in personal finance, Jeffrey S. Solochek

“Simone Billington found plenty of value in the 12-day section of her economics class that focused on financial literacy. She learned to plan a budget and prepare for unexpected expenses. Still, the Wiregrass Ranch High graduating senior wanted more. She said she could have used an in-depth course on practical finances, such as how to avoid scams and maintain strong credit.”

Visit tampabay.com for more education news from the Times staff.

Around the State

Parkland shooting commissioners: Embarrass school districts into complying with state security law, Sun-Sentinel, David Fleshler

“Ten Florida school districts fail to comply with the state requirement to have an armed guard on every campus, and now they may face public embarrassment from the state commission investigating the Parkland school shooting. ‘I want their names public,’ said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, a, member of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission.”

Are metal detectors coming to Manatee schools?, Bradenton Herald, Giuseppe Sabella

“The school district is vying for a grant from the federal government that would pay for metal detectors, radios and other security measures, but the details are largely a secret. Manatee wants to install three walk-through metal detectors per high school, two metal detectors per middle school and four machines for special events, according to a document on page 335 of Tuesday’s school board agenda.”

Equity Plan update: On track, so far, Gainesville Sun, Sarah Nelson

“Now, with the first year of the plan under its belt, the [Alachua County] district appears to have achieved four of the five goals laid out in the plan. The remaining goal will be determined once FSA scores are released and analyzed. And while the plan seems to be on track, the district’s equity office says the work to eliminate the gap by 2028 is nowhere close to finished.”

Florida adds new voucher program, more schools receive public money as participation declines, Orlando Sentinel, Annie Martin

“The number of students using state vouchers to attend private schools has dipped for the first time in recent years as corporate contributions have slowed. At the same time, the number of campuses receiving state-backed scholarships continues to grow. The funding allows children to attend largely unregulated and mostly religious schools.”

Population loss, housing shortage impede rebuilding Florida Panhandle schools, WKMG, Nadeen Yanes

“Outside a damaged Springfield Elementary School is a small painted star hanging on the fence that reads, ‘Never Give Up.’ It’s a message of reassurance Bay County School Board Chairman Steve Moss said anyone affected after Hurricane Michael needs to hear. ‘We are about seven or eight months, give or take, from the hurricane and, if you drive around the community, there are parts of it that look exactly as they did a day after,’ Moss said.”

For the latest roundup of Florida education news, visit the Gradebook weekday mornings.

Other Views

Why Democrats must choose between teachers and charter schools, Alternet, Jeff Bryant of Independent Media Institute

“For years, the safe havens for education policy debate in the Democratic Party have been expanding pre-K programs and providing more affordable college, but in the current presidential primary contest, another consensus issue has been added to the party’s agenda: salary increases for K–12 classroom teachers. Kamala Harris has gotten the most press for coming out strongly for raising teacher wages, but other frontrunners including Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, and Bernie Sanders have also called for increased teacher pay. But what will happen when a consensus issue like teacher salary increases comes into conflict with a lightning rod issue like charter schools? That’s a scenario currently playing out in Florida.”

School ‘choice’: Parents say public schools failed their kids, and that’s why they left, TC Palm, Gil Smart

“Some kids had special needs that weren’t being met. Several talked of disorder in the schools, insensitive (or worse) teachers and administrators. Many worried public education has become too reliant on technology. And many, many talked of how their public school spent so much time “teaching to the test,” the Florida Standard Assessments or FSAs in particular, that it made parents wonder if the broader educational experience was being sacrificed for the short-term goal of getting a good mark on the exam.”

Education spending in Florida: A decade late and many dollars short, Sun-Sentinel, Randy Schultz

“As critics prepare what should be a successful lawsuit against Florida’s expansion of school vouchers, more evidence shows how little the Legislature values public education.”

Richard Corcoran Off to a Strong Start as Florida Education Commissioner, Florida Daily, Kevin Derby

“Having turned 54 this year, It’s certainly not unreasonable for Corcoran to be in mix for future statewide elections. Serving at the Education Department could pose a problem if Corcoran has further ambitions. While it’s admittedly early, so far, Corcoran has proven very successful in his new post and his start has been impressive to say the least.”

High stakes testing is unfair to children and teachers. Here’s why., Fort Myers News-Press guest column, Susan Block of the Early Learning Coalition of Southwest Florida

“Young children, under the age of eight, do not always exhibit their strengths and weaknesses on a consistent basis. This is why assessment, the gathering of information repeatedly over time, is preferred over one-time testing. Child assessment provides a snapshot of current abilities and is not intended to be used for accountability purposes.”

Reports of Note

Student-Teacher Race Match in Charter and Traditional Public Schools, Thomas B. Fordham Institute

“Traditional public schools and charter schools serve the same proportion of black students, but charter schools have about 35 percent more black teachers.”

Where Credentials Meet the Market, Foundation for Excellence in Education

“Earning a credential is associated with an increase in the probability of graduating from high school on time in Florida, Indiana, and Kentucky. This effect is stronger for female CTE students as compared to male CTE students. • In Florida, earning a credential is associated with an increase in the probability of CTE students enrolling in and graduating from community college and enrolling in university. There is no effect in Florida of earning a credential on CTE students graduating from the university system.

Maybe They’re Born With It, or Maybe It’s Experience: Toward a Deeper Understanding of the Learning Style Myth, Journal of Educational Psychology

”In two experiments, the present investigation explored the role of psychological essentialism in people’s beliefs about learning styles. It tested the possibility that learning style beliefs may reflect essentialist thinking about how people learn. Our findings reveal that belief in learning styles among both educators and noneducators is far more complex and variable than previously recognized."

Coming Up

June 12: Education Practices Commission, conference call, 3 p.m. Phone Number: (605) 313-4486 Passcode 841279

June 11-13: Florida Board of Governors, University of South Florida, Tampa

July 17: Florida Board of Education, Polk State College, Lakeland

Sept. 16-20: Florida Legislature interim committee week

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The latest: Native American mascots revisited in Hillsborough County schools

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