Florida paints more lipstick on test scores driven down by Common Core
One member of Florida’s state board of education called the state’s school accountability system a ‘farce’ after the panel agreed to extend for one more year a ‘safety net’ system that masks actual performance.
Florida, like scores of other states across the U.S., is grappling with the rough transition from existing curriculum to the new common national standards that has resulted in student test scores dropping through the floor during the first years of implementation.
The state’s so-called “safety net” prevents public school letter grades from dropping by more than one as the state phases in more rigorous teaching and testing standards.
The safety net was applied as an emergency action for a second time this summer for elementary and middle schools based on last year’s tests, the results of which were released in July. That meant, for example, that a school that actually went from a C grade to an F grade would fall no lower than a D on the Florida Department of Education’s statewide report card that also gets shared with parents and the public.
The move is in line with similar decisions being made across the country as states struggle to measure student
The state’s general fund remained in positive territory after the books closed on September collections, with cash $392 million ahead of projections made in July as part of the 2013-14 budget.