OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — While a Florida Department of Education emergency order Monday gave school districts more time for standardized testing, some parents and teachers are still wondering why the testing is even happening in the first place.
What You Need To Know
- A Monday emergency order from the Florida DOE extended the state standardized testing window by two weeks
- Some teachers and parents, though, say testing should be canceled this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic
- State officials say the extra time will allow schools to safely test students in person
Osceola County teacher Amy-Lynn Vanacore says getting her 8th graders ready for the Florida Standards Assessment is always difficult, but this year has been especially difficult.
“And it’s just been like an uphill battle all year,” Vanacore said.
She says because many of her students struggled last year when the latter half of the semester went virtual, she’s had to cram in some material from last year they might’ve missed, on top of the standards she's required to teach this year.
“So, I’ve been working on a standard in one of my classes for two weeks, because my students didn’t get it last year,” Vanacore said.
Despite pleas from teachers like her and a petition signed by almost 13,000 parents, the state Department of Education says testing will happen.
In the emergency order he issued Monday, State Education Commissioner Richard Corcorann said testing is "now more critical than ever" to assess where students are at, and offer additional services where needed.
But Vanacore says they don’t need a test to tell them how many students are behind.
“I get the state’s point, like they want to track where we are, but you can also ask," she said. "We have plenty of testing going on and I know where all of my kids are based on the standards."
And then there’s the concerns about safety, because the state says all testing still has to be done in person.
But many parents are keeping their kids home to learn out of concerns about the coronavirus.
Corcoran’s emergency order has given school districts two extra weeks to conduct testing to allow for “more continued social distancing during test administration.”
The state said they made this decision in frequent collaboration with school superintendents.
And said if school districts need more flexibility, they can request it.
But Vanacore and others are wondering why parents and teachers weren’t consulted.
While many of her students are motivated to succeed, Vanacore said this year has stacked the deck against them.
“The emotional stress of this year is taking a toll on every person and every student is the same way,” she said.