It's the FCAT that's failing

Florida parents take note: If your child comes home from school and says teachers have identified him or her as a student brimming with "future" potential, it might be time to start worrying. Speaking in Palm Beach County last week, Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson was busy defending the FCAT -- nearly a full-time job for him these days -- when he said that, to him, the letter "F" stands for "Future." We're betting that "future" wasn't the first F-related word students and parents thought of when results from this year's Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test starting coming out last month. So many kids got a "Future" on the writing FCAT that the state board of education took a quick trip into the past and reverted to lower standards. Instead of just 27 percent of fourth-graders passing the writing FCAT, the state pretended that 81 percent passed. Robinson has been in Florida less than a year. He got his job not because he's familiar with Florida schools but because -- like the politicians who dictate state education policy -- he believes that charter and voucher schools are the future of education. Robinson wasn't around during the past decade while those politicians twisted the FCAT into a tool to bring about a future in which traditional public schools wither. Labeling public schools as "failing" based on FCAT results was a key feature of the strategy. It backfired when parents blamed politicians and education bureaucrats for putting too much weight on standardized testing. Robinson insists that the state is sticking with the FCAT-based school grading system. But what good is a standardized test when the education commissioner resorts to platitudes to explain away poor results? If the state doesn't use the FCAT regimen for its original purpose -- to identify areas where students need help -- it doesn't belong in Florida's future.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/editorials/its-the-fcat-thats-failing-2384941.html

Review FCAT writing standards

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20120520/OPINION/305200007/Editorial-Review-FCAT-writing-standards

http://www.bakercountypress.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1991:curiosity-is-killed-by-the-fcat&catid=75:opinion&Itemid=100

High-stakes testing protests spreading

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/high-stakes-testing-protests-spreading/2012/05/30/gJQA6OQX0U_blog.html

Teacher evaluation controversy in St. Johns (Dawn Chapman quoted)
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1666065735001

Bay School Board approves privatization policy change (Pat Martina quoted)
http://www.wjhg.com/news/headlines/Bay_School_Board_Votes_to_Approve_Policy_Change_Regarding_Privatization_156099115.html

http://www.newsherald.com/news/contract-103114-language-approves.html

Palm Beach teachers want raises; district says no money (Brian Phillips quoted)
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beach/fl-teacher-raises-palm-20120531,0,5093480.story

Pinellas School Board's proposed changes to health coverage bring worries (Kim Black quoted)
http://www.tampabay.com/news/pinellas-school-boards-proposed-changes-to-health-coverage-bring-worries/1233014

Highlands school union waits until next year (Dick Daggett quoted)
http://www2.highlandstoday.com/news/highlands-news/2012/jun/01/lanewso1-school-union-waits-until-next-year-ar-410342/

HCTA joins partnership to provide free books to students (Jean Clements quoted)
http://www.aft.org/newspubs/press/2012/053112a.cfm

Lee investigation into a top administrator continues (Donna Mutzenard quoted)
http://www.fox4now.com/news/156002755.html

Judge strikes down part of Florida's election laws

A federal judge on Thursday struck down a key part of Florida's recently revamped election laws, saying the Legislature's restrictions have made it "risky business" for third-party groups to register new voters. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle told the state it cannot require groups to submit voter registration forms within 48 hours or face $1,000 fines. Nor can the state force those groups to disclose names of volunteers who don't collect the forms, Hinkle ruled. "The short deadline, coupled with substantial penalties for non-compliance, make voter registration drives a risky business," Hinkle wrote. "If the goal is to discourage voter registration drives and thus make it harder for new voters to register, the 48-hour deadline may succeed." Hinkle's ruling came on the same day the Department of Justice told Florida to cease its search for noncitizen voters. Hinkle said voter registration activity is protected speech under the First Amendment. His injunction means that groups will have 10 days to submit voter forms, as they did before the law was changed. The judge's decision is a defeat for the Republican-controlled Legislature that enacted the new restrictions, and Gov. Rick Scott, who signed them into law in 2011. It's a victory for three grass roots groups that brought the lawsuit: Rock the Vote, the Florida Public Interest Group Education Fund and the League of Women Voters of Florida, which suspended all voter registration efforts after the law took effect.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/national/judge-strikes-down-part-of-floridas-election-laws/1232964

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/us/judge-opposes-restrictions-on-floridas-voter-groups.html

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-05-31/news/fl-election-law-partially-overturned-20120531_1_voter-registration-voter-registration-drives-registration-efforts

Justice Department tells Florida to stop looking for noncitizen voters

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/justice-department-tells-florida-to-stop-looking-for-noncitizen-voters/1233089

http://htpolitics.com/2012/05/31/state-says-it-may-not-be-able-to-double-check-182000-voter-identities/

http://www2.tbo.com/news/politics/2012/may/31/7/hillborough-officials-push-back-against-voter-roll-ar-410379/

Stop trampling voters' rights

http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/stop-trampling-voters-rights/1233011

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/opinion/floridas-discriminatory-voter-purge.html

Political storm looms as hurricane season begins

http://www.thefloridacurrent.com/article.cfm?id=27919703

U.S. added 69,000 jobs in May; jobless rate at 8.2 percent

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/02/business/economy/us-added-69000-jobs-in-may-jobless-rate-at-8-2.html

AFT calls for passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act

http://leadernet.aft.org/news/article_detail.cfm?ArticleID=3600