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DeSantis Wants To End FSA School Testing, Switch To ‘Progress Monitoring’
September 15, 2021
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday s announced a legislative proposal that will eliminate the common-core based, end-of-year, high-stakes Florida Statewide Assessment (FSA) in classrooms across the state.
Instead, he wants the state to create a “progress monitoring” standard called the new Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (F.A.S.T) plan. By creating the F.A.S.T. Plan, Florida will become the first state in the nation to fully implement progress monitoring instead of end-of-year standardized testing, and fully eliminate common core.
“This is going to be more student friendly. This is going to be more teacher friendly. This is going to be more parent friendly,” DeSantis said. “This is a big deal.”
“Florida’s education focus should be students’ growth and how we restore the conversation between parents and teachers in support of students’ growth,” DeSantis added. “In this final step to eradicate Common Core from our assessments, our administration is implementing the lessons learned from progress monitoring both during the state’s recovery and from our districts and schools that were already showing how we can better support students reaching their own unique growth goals.”
DeSantis made the announcement with Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran at High Point Elementary School in Clearwater, which is already using the progress monitoring approach. At the school, every student is considered to come from an economically disadvantaged family. They used progress monitoring tools throughout the 2020-2021 school year to make actionable decisions in real time, and the school was able to make a turnaround from a D to a C grade.
“We started by creating more flexible pathways to teacher certifications, elevating the profession through massively increasing minimum compensation, providing relief to our teachers who kept education going throughout our recovery and across-the-board increasing our focus on professional development and instructional supports,” Corcoran said. “Florida is now taking the next great step — using what many districts and schools have already proven to be true — that progress monitoring is a school accountability system that puts great information in the hands of our teachers, early and meaningfully, so they can drive students’ growth.”
DeSantis said the plan will reduce testing stress with much shorter tests in the fall, winter and spring that will inform students, teachers and parents about students’ growth, rather than a single lengthy end-of-year assessment that halts learning and leaves zero opportunity for improvement.
In addition, the governor said schools will reduce testing time an average of 75% through progress monitoring, increasing time for teaching and providing more timely, usable feedback to help students reach their unique goals.
Additional details are in the graphic below, which was provided by the Governor’s Office:
Comments
9 Responses to “DeSantis Wants To End FSA School Testing, Switch To ‘Progress Monitoring’”
Maybe we can bring back teaching our kids how to write the correct way.
GOOD!!! Maybe teachers will actually teach children, instead of teaching a standardized test designed to make it appear that children are being taught.
@Scott I agree, not everyone has aspirations to go to college, I believe that a trade program in Highschool would help keep more kids in school, rather than dropping out.
I’m a HUGE supporter of this! Coming from education administration, I can attest to the amount of time, money and resources that are spent on these useless tests. Well done governor!
@Bill, the FSA is at this point and time what teachers focus on for state mandates..this FSA abortion is the only thing being focused on so “The school can get an A rating”
So much more in education is being bypassed by the teachers due to this FSA abortion.
The FSA is political period.
Standard testing you refer to is weekly.
Get the politics out of the schools and teachers can do what they are trained and educated to do.
Dont turn our teachers into political robots for political amusement.
Leave the politics to the losers and get back to education not political BS distractions.
In life u are tested everyday, whether prepared or not. A pre-planned standardized test is certainly not going to harm or hurt and student at any level. No need to change, just prepare better.
I hope this passes! It will be nice to once again be able to help my son with his homework!!!
That is alot of pressure off kids. Now let’s get the funding for trade classes. Welding, Sheetmetal, Wood Shop ….etc. Give the kids that ability.
The graphic provided by the governor’s office claims Florida is the first state in the nation to fully transition to progress monitoring – yet the governor has only made a legislative proposal for it!
Yes!
Students are tested to death and are no more ready for college (or the workplace) now than they were decades ago before the federal government got involved in education.
Teachers are forced to “teach to the test” and students spend more and more time out of the classroom each year to be tested.
It’s broken. It’s been broken. Sweeping changes need to happen, and happen now, because education in America is literally on its deathbed.