Fla. House Passes School Accountability Revamp
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) — Despite protests from Democrats, the House on Wednesday gave final approval to a school-accountability proposal that includes changes to the state's school-grading system.
It means Florida's school grading system would be paused for a year under the bill and do away with the penalties schools could currently receive for the grades assigned in the 2014-15 school year.
The bill is now headed to the desk of Gov. Rick Scott.
The Florida House on Wednesday voted 76-42 for the bill (SB 1642) that overhauls the state's A-to-F school grading system. The legislation is backed by Education Commissioner Pam Stewart.
The move is being made as the state transitions to a new test replacing the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.
But a key portion of the bill would ensure that schools wouldn't receive any sanctions or penalties as a result of school grades issued in 2015. That's because the state plans to use the first year of the new test as a baseline to measure schools.
School superintendents had suggested a three-year pause on the grading system.
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