National PTA RESPONSE: Governor DeSantis use of a Common pen to erase Common Core in Florida

IMMEDIATE RELEASE:







February 1, 2019

Contact Information:
Linda Kearschner, President
president@floridapta.org
407-855-7604
FAX 407-240-9577
www.floridapta.org
Florida PTA is committed to ensuring all children receive a high quality education aligned to benchmarked standards, providing clear expectations of the skills students need for success in college and/or career.

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS), adopted by Florida in 2010, was a joint effort led by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers from 48 states to develop a common core of K-12 standards in English language arts and Mathematics. The goal of this initiative was to create internationally-benchmarked standards that ensure all students are held to consistent expectations that prepare them for college and career, regardless of where they lived. The standards were informed by the best state standards at that time, feedback from teachers, content experts, the business community, higher education, parents and the public.

In 2014, Florida updated the standards to include calculus and cursive writing as well as making other changes, and re-named them the Florida Standards. With each change to the standards comes a need to re-write and re-purchase assessments which are used to ensure students' mastery of skills. The need for assessments for certain subject areas and at different grade levels are written in statute, which can be changed by the legislature.

Whichever standards Florida uses, the goal should be the same: to ensure that every child graduates high school ready for college or career. Academic standards set a goal for what a child should know and be able to do at the end of each grade level, but higher standards cannot stand alone. Quality implementation of new standards will require aligning new curriculum and assessments, providing professional development for teachers, providing sufficient resources and support for students, ongoing communication with parents and balanced and comprehensive accountability systems.

We look forward to working with Governor DeSantis, Commissioner Corcoran, and other stakeholders to ensure parents and educators are given an active role in the process of developing new standards that are fully vetted to support student achievement.

For more information on college and career ready standards, please visit National PTA's College and Career Readiness resources found here: https://www.pta.org/home/family-resources/college-and-career-readiness


Linda Kearschner
President
Florida PTA
Florida PTA comprises hundreds of thousands of families, students, teachers, administrators and business and community leaders devoted to improving the lives of children/youth in our state. PTA is the oldest and largest child advocacy association in the state of Florida, as well as the nation. PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all children. More information is available by contacting Florida PTA (407/855-7604 or executive.director@floridapta.org).

For more information visit our website www.floridapta.org and/or our Facebook page for programs available in your community.

###



MacontheRock's response:

Speaking up and taking action is a critical step to improve the overall education system and ensure every child has the opportunity to reach his/her full potential. National PTA has always held that it is the right of parents to decide what is best for their children. As PTA’s mission is on behalf of all children, and we continue to support parent’s rights, it would be contrary to our mission to support or promote a strategy that does not consider the rights or consequences of that strategy for all children. February 11, 2016

-During our January 2016 meeting, National PTA’s Board of Directors adopted a new position statement on assessment
that was collaboratively developed by National PTA’s Legislation Committee with input and insight from volunteers.

Whichever standards Florida uses, the goal should be the same: to ensure that every child graduates high school ready for college or career. Academic standards set a goal for what a child should know and be able to do at the end of each grade level, but higher standards cannot stand alone. Quality implementation of new standards will require aligning new curriculum and assessments, providing professional development for teachers, providing sufficient resources and support for students, ongoing communication with parents and balanced and comprehensive accountability systems. -Linda Kearschner President February 1, 2019


If the Florida PTA is really interested in Parent deciding what best for their children's future as the above statement proclaims and this most recent immediate reiterates why are they opposed to Parent Guardianship of individual school's finances? After all, the law clearly states that Parents are the stakeholders as the pay the taxes and the School Bond debt year after year. School Administration and teachers do not have freedom of speech rights when comes to converting a district-run school to parental Choice school aka., Parent Trigger. The recent Federal civil rights case in Fernandez, Cristobol v. School Board of Maimi-Dade County the Court clearly defines such actions as a conversion effort that clearly permits Principals to seek a conversion effort as insubordinate staff. So what gives? My answer is to amend the law and eliminate the teacher's staff language from the voting guidelines requiring separate ballots for parent and teachers while having to win both elections. Transparent voting is the American way. Period!