Gov. Scott: Raising the Public Education Bar Works

Governor Rick Scott issued a statement today on Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test grades for Elementary and Middle Schools. Test standards were raised by the Florida legislature and student grades fell significantly.

Commissioner of Education Gerard Robinson said in announcing the school grades, “This has been a year of tremendous change for Florida’s students, teachers and schools. The high standards we have in place today will help our students prepare for college, the workforce and life.” Robinson added that he was “confident we are on the right path.”

Governor Scott noted, “Florida is raising education standards because we know from past experience that students and teachers consistently rise to occasion when challenged. In just two years, Florida will move to a new testing standard that significantly reduces our reliance on the FCAT and moves to Common Core State Standards. This new system will allow us to compare our students with those in other states so that we can benchmark results, measure progress, and adjust curriculum to better prepare students for college and the workforce, so that they are better able to compete in the global marketplace.”

Governor Scott states, “As part of our ongoing accountability efforts, we’re constantly reviewing the level of and kinds of testing occurring in our classrooms. Our goal is to make sure we’re not testing for testing’s sake, but working to ensure our students are prepared for college and the workforce. Common Core assessments are an example of that kind of tool.”

“It is never easy to raise the standards for excellence in education. This year is no exception. But every time we raise the expectations of our students and teachers, they ultimately get better in later years. Simply put, raising the bar works,” Governor Scott said.

The Florida Board of Education voted to lower the school passing scores for the 2012 tests. This led to many saying lowering of the public education bar is harmful to future student achievement. According to Dave Weber of the Orlando Sentinel:

“Statewide, 46 elementary and middle schools earned Fs, compared to 32 last year, and 238 earned Ds, more than doubling last year’s 117. The totals of As, Bs and Cs slipped, too, with A schools showing a marked slip from 1,480 statewide last year to 1,112 this year.

To cushion the blow, the State Board of Education agreed several months ago that no school would be dropped more than one letter grade from last year’s score, regardless of how its students performed. That likely has saved some schools from slipping to Ds or Fs.”