Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order Tuesday that suspends the requirement for high school juniors to take a Florida Standards Assessment for English language arts.
Just last week, the governor called for a reduction in testing after an investigation by the state’s education commissioner showed there was too much testing in Florida’s public schools.
Cindy Hamilton’s 17-year-old daughter already opted out of the test that’s now no longer required.
“So she was able to spend time being instructed by a teacher, instead of taking practice tests,” said Hamilton.
But Hamilton, who co-founded the Opt Out Orlando group that encourages parents and students to opt out of standardized testing, said the governor’s move is not enough.
“I think this move is a parent pacifier. Now they’re able to say we investigated, we listened, and we took away one test,” said Hamilton.
Former Orange County School Board member Rick Roach agrees. He’s fought against standardized testing for many years, and said the suspension of the one test doesn’t take care of the problems the rest still pose for schools and students.
“The governor’s going down the wrong path with these tests," Roach said. "He may be taking the 11th grade one off, but it has very little to do with the whole program, which is just a plethora of tests with absolutely no educational value.”
The governor’s move stops the 11th grade English test until the Florida Legislature can decide whether to keep the cut permanent.
We reached out to Scott’s office Tuesday to see if the governor plans to cut any more standardized tests. A spokesperson said the governor looks forward to working with the Legislature to reduce testing, but wouldn't specify if or how many more tests would be cut.