Florida Gov. orders less testing in state’s public schools

LEE COUNTY, Fl.a- Governor Rick Scott says it’s time to reduce the number of tests Florida students are taking.

The governor was in Southwest Florida Wednesday when the announcement was made public.

Scott has already taken executive action to eliminate a test he says is unnecessary for high school juniors. He said Florida schools have a lot to be proud of, but there’s too much testing and not enough learning.

“Last year I asked our Department of Education to go do a test investigation, because when talking to students and parents and teachers, they’re saying that we do too much testing, we need to do more learning. So we did an investigation, we’re using that as our guideline,” said Scott.

Last week, parents and teachers held signs throughout Southwest Florida, protesting the amount of state-mandated testing students are required to take.

Governor Scott echoed their concerns saying there is too much testing on Florida students and things need to change.

“Look, I’ve visited schools here. I’ve talked to parents, teachers and students here and I’ve done it around the state, but you have individuals around the state that care about these students, they want their students to be ready when they finish K-12, state college or whatever, that they’re ready for a career, and so it’s always good to look at what you’re doing and always try to improve and that’s what we’re doing with this.”

The governor will hash out the details with the state legislature when the session begins in March.

“I am encouraged that they are talking about fewer assessments, I think the piece that parents are still going to wonder about and what educators are going to wonder about–what are we going to do about the high stakes,” said Lee County Schools superintendent Dr. Nancy Graham.

National education expert Kevin Baird also explained to Lee County teachers and parents the brand new florida education standards which he says will hold students to an even higher standard.

“The standards require that the students not only know a fact, but they have to apply them and apply them in a real world setting,” said Baird.

Baird says, in some cases,  the new standards will increase the difficulty level of reading and math.

“Now we have fewer standards so that students have more time to study and really comprehend,” said Baird.