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2/26/15 Press Release: For immediate Release
The Florida Education Stakeholders Empowerment Act has been filed in the Florida Senate by sponsor Senator Greg Evers (SB1496) http://goo.gl/tezOcM and Representative John Tobia (HB1121) http://goo.gl/S0TgAm in the Florida House 2/26/15.
GOOD NEWS! Senator Greg Evers and Representative Tobia have presented simple solutions for Florida’s Education problems with something for everyone to love. It increases our standards, restores control to the local school districts, improves accountability while eliminating state mandated testing, reduces costs and allows more time for students to learn.
- Issue 1: High Standards for what students are learning- The Commissioner will select several of the best standards from pre 2009 for the local districts to select. These standards for English and math are free and not copyrighted, well vetted and highly rated (higher than our existing standards). Districts will have local control to choose from this list based on their varied and diverse needs.
- Issue 2: Accountability and High Stakes Testing without the FSA- yes, we need to measure, but there are already nationally normed tests that will do a better job comparing us to the rest of the nation and the world. We don't need to reinvent the wheel or force our kids to be guinea pigs. We propose the districts should have local control to choose from a list of the best of these, such as the Iowa Basics and Stanford Achievement Tests. They would administer ONE test at the end of each year between 3rd and 8th grade and once in high school. These tests are less expensive and pre-common core versions are available. Teachers will not be teaching to the test if it is a nationally normed test and it is NOT used to determine graduation or promotion, but simply to inform us on our students' progress relative to other states and other school districts. Certified teachers and accredited schools have used a portfolio of work to measure student performance for hundreds of years. A single test should never be used for graduation or promotion.
- Issue 3: These tests can be administered on paper and taken at the student's own desk, eliminating the "musical chairs" now needed to address the lack of computers for testing. This has, by some reports, absorbed as much as 40% of class time for learning. By going to paper tests, we can reduce costs by BILLIONS of scarce education dollars, AND increase time for learning. It will also allow schools more control of the data to prevent data mining. Student data can be aggregated with individual identifiers removed to prevent data companies from collecting and using individual data. Another bonus is that all students will have equal opportunities to score based on their knowledge of the subject matter, not their keyboarding skills.
This bill saves money, provides more time for learning, and provides high standards and accountability. Hundreds of grassroots groups support this bill. We are having a "March for the Children" event in the Capitol March 5 with a press conference 11:30-12:45 on the 22nd Floor of the Capitol Building.
“This is truly a grassroots solution to the convoluted and oppressive testing and Federal overreach problems that have plagued schools and destroyed the love of learning,” states Keith Flaugh, one of FLCA Founding Directors.
“There is something for everyone to love in this bill,” says the State Chair for the issue of Common Core and co-founder of www.stopcommoncorefl.com, Chris Quackenbush.
“This is an exciting step forward in reclaiming our children’s education.” Said Charlotte Greenbarg, President of Independent Voices for Better Education.
“This bill is one small step toward re-instituting local control of Florida schools, and one giant leap for the right of children to be educated in a safe, non-ideological, and effective manner. Major congratulations to the families and activists who carried the ball this far, providing a model for Common Core weary states across the nation” says National Educator and Common Expert, Dr. Duke Pesta.
Contact: Chris Quackenbush
239-823-2980
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Getting these bills filed was a major victory, but there is much to do and we need your help to get this passed.There is something for everyone to love in this bill. It saves money, provides more time for learning, provides high standards and accountability. We can do this with your help. We CAN do better!
Use the button below to thank Sen. Evers and Rep. Tobia, as well as to encourage your local leadership to co-sponsor and support these bills!
Please forward this email to friends and neighbors to increase the volume of our voices!
In liberty,
“First, they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win.” -Mahatma Gandhi
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