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Monday, September 28, 2015

Florida Superintendents Join the Voices of Parents & Teachers | The Opt Out Florida Network

Florida Superintendents Join the Voices of Parents & Teachers | The Opt Out Florida Network:

Florida Superintendents Join the Voices of Parents & Teachers



The Opt Out Florida Network


The Opt Out Florida Network, and its 40 Opt Out groups across the state, would like to thank the Florida Association of District School Superintendents(FADSS) for making a bold statement about the failures of our education accountability system.
Excerpt from the Superintendents’ statement:
The superintendents of Florida acknowledge the Commissioner’s role and the difficulty of the tasks set before her. Florida superintendents have consistently defended and supported accountability, the new Florida Standards, and the need to accurately measure student performance. At this time, FADSS is compelled to provide a position regarding the recent actions of the Department of Education (DOE) and the State Board of Education (SBE).
Florida district school superintendents have lost confidence in the current accountability system for the students of the State of Florida.
FADSS Recommendations:
  1. Suspend any application of the results from the spring 2015 administration of the FSA to students, teachers and schools.
  2. Issue an “I” (Incomplete) if necessary, to all Florida schools for 2014-2015, based upon the availability of limited and flawed data.
  3. Reject the concept that the standards set for the FSA mirror the levels of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
Teachers, parents and students have been experiencing this crisis first hand and are grateful that the Superintendents have added their voices to the outcry for a complete overhaul of how we test and how we use that data.
We ask that FADSS further their inquiry into the validity study and that they urge Legislators to release the burden of high stakes in their test and punish policies;  not just this year, but permanently.
To read the full statement from FADSS (September 25, 2015):
FLORIDA SUPERINTENDENTS HAVE LOST CONFIDENCE IN THE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM
To learn how you can become a stronger advocate for your child’s education by understanding your parental rights and options, please join us at The Opt Out Florida Network on Facebook.
To find your district Opt Out group, please click HERE.
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