Gov. Rick Scott Takes Aim at Standardized Tests

Parents up in arms over Florida’s standardized tests and new educational standards might have some relief in sight.

Gov. Rick Scott announced Monday both items have been added to his to-do list, along with raising the per-student funding amount $7,176. That number is about $50 above the pre-recession level, the Tampa Bay Times pointed out.

Scott taking aim at state educational benchmarks and the use of standardized tests comes on the heels of much public outcry over the state’s adoption and eventual revisions of the national Common Core Standards.

In regard to standardized tests, Scott wants to review the number of tests Florida students are asked to take since the state only requires the Florida Standards Assessment and certain end-of-course tests at the high school level, CBS Miami reported. He’s also called for a committee to look into further revisions of the “Florida Standards,” the state’s version of Common Core, according to the Naples Daily News.

While some are calling Scott’s educational agenda election-year jockeying, others are looking forward to the prospect of delving into the issues, especially in regard to standardized tests.

“This is not saying we don’t need assessments,” State Senate Education Committee Chair John Legg, R-Trinity, told the Times.” But we have too many assessments that are interfering with one another and may be having an adverse effect on students.”

Gubernatorial challenger and former Gov. Charlie Crist, however, isn’t impressed with Scott’s plan for education.

“What we ought to do is judge him by his deeds — the fact that he cut education by $1.3 billion when he first got in,” the Naples Daily News quoted Crist as saying. “If Rick Scott were to get re-elected he’d go back to old, bad Rick.”

What are your thoughts on this? Is it time for a full review of state standards and testing? Tell us by commenting below!