Monthly Archives: March 2010

House Education Policy Council to meet Monday on HB 7053 (and, oh yes, HB 7189, too)

Gradebook is reporting that the House Education Policy Council will meet on Monday, the day after Easter, to consider that chamber’s bill on assessment and high school graduation policy, HB 7053.  The bill includes a requirement that students pass a … Continue reading

Posted in Assessment, Florida Legislature, High School Graduation Standards | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Lakeland Ledger on SB 4: Yes, but…

This morning’s Lakeland Ledger editorial on SB 4, the bill on assessment and high school graduation requirements, is a thoughtful “yes.”  They correctly identify the challenges our state will face in raising expectations. If only the debate on teacher employment … Continue reading

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RTTT by the numbers: Florida finishes 4th

The Official US Department of Education score sheet shows Florida finishing fourth, behind winners Delaware and Tennessee, and behind third place Georgia.  Florida’s score in the preliminary round before the in-person shootout was 425.0 points, well behind third place Georgia … Continue reading

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Will Florida’s RTTT failure impact the progress of SB 6?

Check out stories from the Orlando Sentinel and the St. Petersburg Times.

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Florida’s Round 2 RTTT proposal will be limited to $700 million

The EdWeek Politics K-12 blog is reporting that the US Department of Education is informing Round 2 RTTT submitters that they will be limited to the grant amounts that were originally announced as “nonbinding estimates.”  As a result, Florida’s maximum … Continue reading

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Front-runner Florida stumbles in Race to the Top, Round 1

Delaware and Tennessee were named the first round winners in the Race to the Top.  Florida was widely considered to be the front-runner, but now Commissioner Smith and his team must pick themselves up and prepare for another attempt in … Continue reading

Posted in Florida Department of Education, Race to the Top | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Last call: Registration for Florida Section AAPT meeting closes Thursday, April 1

Last chance!  Registration for the spring meeting of the Florida Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers closes Thursday, April 1.  And yes, that ridiculous rumor you heard that registration is FREE is actually true!

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RTTT: Monday is The Big Day. And the SB 6 controversy goes national.

Gradebook and School Zone report that the first round winners of RTTT will be announced at 1 pm on Monday on the US Department of Education web site. Since my NCAA Men’s Basketball bracket is totally shredded, I’ll make my … Continue reading

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“Chemistry or physics” coming too quickly?

This morning’s Sarasota Herald Tribune included a story on the high school graduation requirement upgrade working its way through the Florida Legislature in which it was reported that “local educators” are “concerned that the changes are coming too fast for high schools … Continue reading

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House PreK-12 Policy Committee struggles with teacher personnel policy bill

The House PreK-12 Policy Committee, which set a high standard for constructive lawmaking when it considered its committee bill on assessment and graduation (HB 7053) in February, could not maintain its poise yesterday during a debate on the emotionally charged … Continue reading

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