The Florida House wasted no time Wednesday, unanimously passing a bill that limits repetitive testing and pushes up school-start dates.
HB 7069 tackles a number of pressing issues in the state education system, including scaling back standardized testing in public schools. Under the legislation, school districts would also be allowed to move their start dates up to Aug. 10.
Teacher evaluations would also be impacted as a result of the legislation -- student performance on assessment tests would also be scaled back in evaluating teacher progress as a result of the legislation.
One of the bill's amendments in particular drew a great deal of support from educators and education groups statewide.
The amendment, proposed by Rep. Mia Jones, D-Jacksonville, would have put a temporary pause on school grades for a year to allow schools, teachers and students adequate time to adjust to the state's new assessment test.
Under Jones' amendment, results from this year's test would be used as a baseline for further school grades, but the proposal ran into trouble last week during the House Education Committee and it was rejected by the committee.
The full House didn't end up being friendly to the amendment -- it failed by a vote of 36-80.
"We had an opportunity with this bill," Jones said. "We had an opportunity to do more and we failed to do that."
Another amendment would allow students to take paper and pencil tests until school districts can certify their readiness for online, computerized tests.
Even though today's students are well-versed in technology, Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee, said high-stakes testing puts a great deal of pressure to succeed on Florida's children.
"It's different when you have a test in front of you that is a make or break test where you go as a student," said Williams.
A great deal of support for the amendment, filed by Rep. Evan Jenne, D-Dania Beach, came as a result of a rocky roll-out of the FSA, which was plagued by technical malfunctions, leaving some students unable to begin or complete the test.
Jenne's amendment failed as well, however.
Supporters of the bill said it was a good step toward having "fewer, better" tests in the Sunshine State.
"This is a big step toward fewer and better tests that doesn't throw the baby out with the bathwater," said executive director of the Foundation for Florida's Future, Patricia Levesque. "Testing and cultivating a love of learning are not mutually exclusive. Testing that supports students, our hard=working teachers and the information, time and creativity they need in the classroom is a good thing."
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