Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Jeb doesn't get the modern Florida Republican center of gravity
He, who at one time was touted as the "real conservative" in the Bush family, has been busy lately disparaging opponents of Common Core as backward-looking obstructionists. But recent moves by the Sunshine State's executive and legislative branches indicate it is the former governor who is out of step.
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Remember when they forced us to take those damn SATs?
ReplyDeleteEditorial re: this in today's Tallahassee Democrat:
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A step back
Scott puts the brakes on Common Core
The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) has been a headache. Teachers, students and parents stressed over the test every year, but the scores were a moving target and gave Florida no way to measure student accomplishment against other states.
Into that breach came the socalled Common Core Standards, a state-led effort to standardize goals across the country. Florida became one of 45 states (and the District of Columbia) making up the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), which was developing tests linked to the Common Core Standards.
But the Common Core Standards have come under fire from conservatives concerned about federal overreach. And this week, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said he wants the state to pull out of PARCC and seek bids to develop its own tests.
Call it “FCAT, The Sequel.”
This decision is bad financially. Florida’s educators have invested much time and money preparing for Common Core, with those preparations now on hold. It could cost Florida more to develop its own test, especially if it hopes to replace the FCAT for the 2014-15 school year. Ironically, PARCC conceivably could compete to handle Florida’s testing.
It confuses the issue and delays progress. Gov. Scott seems to be joining with GOP leaders in the state House and Senate who say they support the standards — but not PARCC. Yet Gov. Scott also is calling for public hearings that could change the Common Core Standards.
Certainly, the federal government has given financial support to the Common Core effort, but this initiative was conceived and developed by states working toward a common goal (not common curricula). And despite the argument that the new tests would lower standards, there is nothing to prevent districts or schools or individual teachers from striving for higher goals.
The decision appears to widen a rift between Gov. Scott and former Gov. Jeb Bush. On Tuesday, Gov. Scott praised Mr. Bush for his work to raise standards, but Mr. Bush has been a strong supporter of PARCC and Common Core. Two members of the state Board of Education, each of whom was chief of staff under Mr. Bush, have criticized Mr. Scott over his lack of leadership on Common Core.
As Gov. Scott gears up for a re-election campaign, some say his best hope is to shore up his support on the far right. It would be a shame if he is doing this at the expense of Florida’s students.
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