Latest news with #Algebra
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida Senate targeting ‘High Stakes' testing in schools
The Florida Senate on Thursday passed a wide-ranging education bill that includes eliminating a requirement that high-school students pass algebra and language-arts tests to earn standard diplomas. Senators unanimously approved the measure (SB 166), which would represent a major change after years of Republican leaders saying test requirements are an important part of evaluating student performance and holding schools accountable. Some senators, however, said Thursday it was time to move away from 'high stakes' testing. 'If all they (students) learn how to do is take a test, then I think we have failed in our education system,' Senate Education Pre-K-12 Chairman Corey Simon, a Tallahassee Republican who is sponsoring the bill, said. Halfway through this year's legislative session, it remains unclear whether the House will take up the proposal. Under current law, students must pass Algebra 1 and English-language arts standardized tests to earn standard diplomas. The bill would require that a student's performance on the English-language arts assessment make up 30 percent of the student's course grade — similar to an already-existing requirement for Algebra 1. Among other things, the bill would make a change in requirements for third-grade students to be promoted to fourth grade. It would expand what are known as 'good cause exemptions' for students who do not meet a test requirement. Many Republican leaders, dating back to when Jeb Bush was elected governor in 1998, have said testing is a critical part of measuring student and school performance. But Simon pointed to changes that have occurred in recent years, including a decision in 2022 by lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis to use what is known as a 'progress monitoring' system that tests students three times a year to measure how they are advancing. That decision eliminated the Florida Standards Assessments standardized tests. Simon said the progress-monitoring system gives educators years to evaluate students, as opposed to relying on individual tests to determine whether they should get diplomas. He said progress monitoring provides accountability. Senators pointed to easing what Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, described as 'so much stress and anxiety around these standardized tests.' Simon said the bill would bring balance. 'Its focus is the total child, not just the child who's going to be able to take a test,' Simon said. But as the bill moved through Senate committees, the Foundation for Florida's Future, an influential education group that Bush founded, opposed the measure. 'Public school deregulation remains a worthy goal, but reducing high school graduation requirements and weakening the state's fourth grade promotion policy isn't the way to get there,' Patricia Levesque, executive director of the foundation, said in a February statement. 'These proposals will make it harder for parents and teachers to know if kids are reading at grade level or if they're ready to take the next step after high school.' Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
CBS News
03-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Florida Senate unanimously votes to end high-stakes testing for high school diplomas, signaling shift in education policy
The Florida Senate on Thursday passed a wide-ranging education bill that includes eliminating a requirement that high-school students pass algebra and language-arts tests to earn standard diplomas. Senators unanimously approved the measure (SB 166), which would represent a major change after years of Republican leaders saying test requirements are an important part of evaluating student performance and holding schools accountable. Some senators, however, said Thursday it was time to move away from "high stakes" testing. High-stakes testing involves standardized assessments that have substantial implications for students, educators, and schools. "If all they (students) learn how to do is take a test, then I think we have failed in our education system," Senate Education Pre-K-12 Chairman Corey Simon, a Tallahassee Republican who is sponsoring the bill, said. Halfway through this year's legislative session, it remains unclear whether the House will take up the proposal. Under current law, students must pass Algebra 1 and English-language arts standardized tests to earn standard diplomas. The bill would require that a student's performance on the English-language arts assessment make up 30 percent of the student's course grade — similar to an already-existing requirement for Algebra 1. Among other things, the bill would make a change in requirements for third-grade students to be promoted to fourth grade. It would expand what are known as "good cause exemptions" for students who do not meet a test requirement. Many Republican leaders, dating back to when Jeb Bush was elected governor in 1998, have said testing is a critical part of measuring student and school performance. But Simon pointed to changes that have occurred in recent years, including a decision in 2022 by lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis to use what is known as a "progress monitoring" system that tests students three times a year to measure how they are advancing. That decision eliminated the Florida Standards Assessments standardized tests. Simon said the progress-monitoring system gives educators years to evaluate students, as opposed to relying on individual tests to determine whether they should get diplomas. He said progress monitoring provides accountability. Senators pointed to easing what Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, described as "so much stress and anxiety around these standardized tests." Simon said the bill would bring balance. "Its focus is the total child, not just the child who's going to be able to take a test," Simon said. But as the bill moved through Senate committees, the Foundation for Florida's Future, an influential education group that Bush founded, opposed the measure. "Public school deregulation remains a worthy goal, but reducing high school graduation requirements and weakening the state's fourth grade promotion policy isn't the way to get there," Patricia Levesque, executive director of the foundation, said in a February statement. "These proposals will make it harder for parents and teachers to know if kids are reading at grade level or if they're ready to take the next step after high school."
CBS News
27-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Florida Senate advances bill impacting high school diplomas, teacher pay
A bill is headed to the full Florida Senate that would make wide-ranging changes in the public education system , including revising graduation requirements for high-school students. The Senate Fiscal Policy Committee on Thursday unanimously approved the bill (SB 166), sponsored by Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee. Among other things, the bill would eliminate a requirement that students pass a 10th-grade Algebra 1 assessment and a 10th-grade English-language arts assessment to earn standard high-school diplomas. The bill would require that a student's performance on the English-language arts assessment make up 30 percent of the student's course grade - similar to an already-existing requirement for Algebra 1. The 107-page bill addresses issues ranging from the graduation requirements to school facilities and teacher compensation. For example, it says collective bargaining could not prevent school districts from providing supplemental pay in academic areas identified as having "critical" needs for teachers. The bill earlier passed two other Senate committees.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Upcoming math policy for Maryland students gets mixed reviews as ‘one-size-fits-all approach'
With students' math proficiency rates remaining stubbornly low, the Maryland State Board of Education has revealed its plan to streamline math education. Presented during the board's all-day meeting in Baltimore on Tuesday, the proposal would standardize math instruction at the elementary level to ensure all students are meeting minimum grade-level standards. In high schools, the policy would restructure geometry concepts across Algebra 1 and 2 courses to create an 'integrated algebra pathway' — signaling a shift away from the traditional course order of Algebra 1, geometry and then Algebra 2. The policy would also provide professional development and new teaching resources for educators while establishing accountability systems to track student progress and share that data with parents and communities. Scheduled for full implementation during the 2028-29 school year, the plan would be rolled out gradually in the coming years, beginning with the finalization of new math standards next school year. The 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years would see an emphasis on teacher training and partial implementation of integrated algebra coursework, respectively. The proposal will receive final consideration at the board's March 13 meeting, according to President Joshua Michael. Some educators spoke favorably of the plan during a public comment session at Tuesday's meeting, commending its potential to ensure low-performing students do not continue to fall behind. Ellie Mitchell, director of the Maryland Out of School Time Network youth development organization, praised the idea of a minimum math standard and applauded the plan's desire to see 'students' identities' built around the subject. 'One of the things I was particularly excited about … was the importance of building students' identities around math,' Mitchell said. Paul Lemle, president of the Maryland State Education Association union, called the plan a 'thoughtful first step to course correction' in an environment where most students are not solving math problems at grade level. However, he expressed opposition to the idea of 'exclusionary tracking' at the elementary level, arguing students who need the most attention could be overlooked. 'While heterogenous grouping has its benefits, making it a mandatory, one-size-fits-all approach risks overlooking students who need targeted instruction,' Lemle said. A Howard County teacher who previously taught in Baltimore City, Ryan Powers, worried standardizing math standards could also neglect high-performing students. 'The quiet, capable students, the smartest or even those needing to be challenged more were instead given extra worksheets a lot of the time,' Powers said of his time teaching in the city. Manhar Dalal, a math teacher and coach at Baltimore's Western High School, opposed the plan to consolidate geometry instruction into Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 courses. Geometry should instead be grouped with trigonometry in precalculus courses because these kinds of math are more naturally related, Dalal suggested. 'The idea that we can just take geometry and somehow magically inject it into those, I think is going to be very difficult,' Dalal said, noting that Algebra 1 and 2 courses already struggle to cover all necessary concepts in the allotted time. Have a news tip? Contact Carson Swick at cswick@
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Whitehall School District teaches with AI
(WLAX/WEUX) – The Whitehall School District is bringing students into the future of learning, using artificial intelligence to teach 8th graders math. The superintendent says this method is different from traditional learning by allowing students to move at their own pace. The AI does not answer all the questions have about their work, and it still lets teachers help students where needed. 'I have about 13 kids now that have moved through the 8th grade curriculum and are in Algebra I,' Shannon Beighley said. The school district hopes to implement this to more grade levels in the future. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
