Education Legislation Fails...For Now

Education legislation proposed by Jeb Bush's Foundation for Florida's Future passed the House a few weeks before the end of the session, but reportedly will not be heard in the Senate this year. The bill would have increased the 10th grade FCAT score required for high school graduation from 2 to 3. It also would have phased in curriculum changes requiring all high school students to take algebra II, geometry, biology I and chemistry.

Supporters of the legislation say the increased standards ensure students will graduate better prepared for college or the workforce. Opponents, however, argue that increasing standards without increasing school quality and funding won't work, and they liken the changes to an unfunded mandate, especially in a year when per-pupil spending is remaining flat after two years of reductions.

CIVIC expert Sherman Dorn, Professor of Education at USF and author of One-Blog Schoolhouse (2009) has studied the history of Florida's school accountability system for years. "There is troubling research this spring from California, which bumped up high school graduation requirements in ways that might have reduced graduation, especially for minority teenagers. It makes good sense for the Florida legislature to look more closely at the research and fine-tune graduation requirements another year." Dorn said. "In addition, I was worried that several versions of the bill excluded physics and earth sciences. Florida needs to move high school testing to end-of-course examinations, but we need to do so without narrowing the curriculum."

CIVIC has sponsored several academic studies of Florida's schools with a special focus on the FCAT and the accountability system. Some of the recommendations from the studies were implemented at the high school level last year, including widening the grading of high schools to include a variety of factors beyond FCAT scores. And in late 2007, top-level state education leaders and legislators began considering the idea of moving to end-of-course examinations, also recommended by many experts, including Dorn.

While this legislation did not pass this year, its supporters intend to work with legislators over the summer and fall before next session. CIVIC will ensure that alternative reforms, recommended in extensive expert studies, are considered in the debate.

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