Sorry I haven't posted-I intended to yesterday and the day before, but when I tried to get onto Blogger, it didn't work. Anyways, here is a new law in the state of FL and I really don't know what to say about it...... other than it will affect my job a lot.
Jun 5, 5:05 PM EDT
Bush signs education bill requiring high school majors
By KELLI KENNEDY Associated Press Writer
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida high school students will be the first in the nation required to declare majors and minors like college students, as part of a sweeping education overhaul bill that Gov. Jeb Bush signed Monday.
The provision, to begin during the next school year, is designed to bolster poor graduation rates by allowing students to study subjects that excite them.
A major could include traditional academic subjects like English and math or a vocational field such as carpentry or auto repair. Students still have to pass a core curriculum.
"Not all students are the same," the governor told a group of students from McFatter Technical High School in suburban Fort Lauderdale, where he signed the bill. "Some struggle with certain subjects while others excel. Our education system should not be a one size fits all system for every student, but it should adapt to meet the needs of each student."
Students are making great strides academically in elementary school, Bush said. But by the time they reach middle school, their interest starts to wane. By the time students are in high school test scores start to plummet.
"We see major declines in reading and math in 10th grade and that is not acceptable," he said.
The governor said all the provisions in his "APlus-Plus" plan will increase rigor and relevance at the middle and high school levels.
Yorlenis Rodriguez, 16, who has decided to spend her senior year studying nursing at McFatter, praised the program.
"It's better because you get an opportunity to work outside (high school) and make money, and I get a start on my college career," Rodriguez said.
Critics contend the education bill does little to address the real problem - a system that relies too heavily on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.
"Florida has the worst high school graduation rate in the nation and it's only gotten worse under the A- plus plan," said Rep. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, who voted against the bill. "Rather than repair a flawed policy, we simply continue down the same wrong kind of path. I thought there was very little in the bill that would meaningfully change anything."
Rep. Shelley Vana, D-Lantana, applauded the vocation component of the bill, but said the plan overall is still fundamentally flawed.
"The A-plus-plus is attempting to remedy the fact that long term the A-plus plan doesn't really work," Vana said.
The bill (HB 7087) requires high school students to take a fourth year of math, as well as career planning instruction for middle school students.
Additionally, middle and high school students who perform poorly on the FCAT, must enroll in an intensive reading course. Teachers who fill vacancies at low performing schools or in subjects where there are shortages will receive higher compensation.
The bill also prohibits local school districts from starting the school year earlier than two weeks before Labor Day.
The starting date limit is a response to complaints from parents and the tourism industry about starting dates steadily creeping into early and mid-August, instead of later in the month - a move prompted by a growing emphasis on standardized education.
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Here is the link to the article. I just don't get why we have to push students to pick a major in high school-they can't even pick one in college b/c they are so many opportunities.... I don't know if many 15 yr-olds know what they want to do until they are 60 yrs old. : ( Opinions????
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The complete DEATH of a liberal arts education!!! Thanks, Bush!! I had heard about this, but thought it died in committee - wishful thinking. Well, if they want to start doing this then they better look at European models that have students tested to see if they should go on to college or technical school. This is just plain stupid! Pushing someone into something that they may not like will only hurt the students more. Are they going to educated them about majors such as Interior Design, Art Education, Art History, Humanities, Classics, Religion, etc...? I highly doubt it. Those who do not study education should NOT make laws concerning education. Just because they went through K-12 and then college they are NOT experts in the field of education. Ah, I shall step away from my soapbox now.
Umm
The British School System kinda forces you to chose early (age 13 and this is highschool for us). I really think it is good to help students keep focus and not dilly dally around too much...
It's especially useful in Developing countries where jobs are so competitive and education is so important.
At no time did I feel pushed into somethingI didn't want to do, I haven't really heard any of my friends complain either. I knew i liked science a lot and that was that.
The track that you chose had a variety of subjects to chose from so within a Science track for example you have Bio Chem phys, food, nutrition, writing, english etc etc....
It tries to streamline while giving you varied opportunities....
Having been through this system...I can say that I benefited greatly.
This is their way of fixing the poor performance on FCAT tests. Now they can let the kids they can't teach opt out of learning. The system will allow the strugglers to go for vocational training sets - we'll end up with a lot more mechanics and hair dressers this way.
They've had problems with meeting the standards they've set for years - I think this is just a politician's way of skirting the real issue by claiming the whole system needs revamping.
Choosing a major is difficult enough in college. Does anyone think that Florida can prep the kids to choose a major when they can't even get them ready to pass (relatively easy) standardized tests?
Thanks for the thoughts! Agreed Mr. Pins and Rene! Not with Marsha. LOL
Ahhh
Disagree with the ONLY person who actually experienced what they are talking about hahahahahha
:)
Well you also grew up in a better atmosphere for these things to take place (I could list why)... and you were also a very smart kid who know what they wanted and liked from an early age. Not many are like that! Oh well.
You are SOOO RIGHT hahahahah....
A different perspective I guess...
Whatever yu guuys think is ok for your children is fine with me!
I remember in high school, we had sequences listed on our records. Basically, if you took more than 2 years of any subject, it was a sequence. I guess it helped the guidance counselors figure out what we were interested in and guide us, but I sequenced in so many subjects (honors nerd that I was - math, science, english, social studies, music), it didn't really help.
Part of the problem New York is having with shoving more Regents exams down kids' throats is that they have no time to explore other options besides the core subjects. Not every kid is a brainiac and when they have to take math A (or whatever they're calling it these days) 5 times before they pass it because a Regents diploma is the only hs diploma you can get, they aren't exposed to other options and just go with dropping out.
I am not against such a system if thought through and implemented correctly. The system that Marsha went through was done as such and was tested through time. The problem with Florida and the rest of the U.S. is that legislators THINK they know about education because they went through school. That is not the case. Studying education for years, I have found that there are many things that people do not understand, but believe they do. This is true of any subject, but seems to rear its ugly head more within the realm of education. If the government wants to do something like this they must study it, understand it and model it AFTER another design. Ah, but in Florida, as always, it is done 1/2 ass. It's really very sad.
I teach 10th grade English and reading for students who have low FCAT scores. This is NOT an easy test to pass; it's also not easy to keep students motivated enough to care about the test. The standards are fine, and I am glad they are raising them. The FCAT is a well-designed test but the results are used poorly in this state. Some of that article is not correct either. The students don't have to pick majors. There is enough freedom for students to try out a few different areas. This will benefit those students who are already on the college track, but will hurt those students that don't want to go to college. There are positive and negative aspects to everything... Another thing to ponder is this: the Florida universities and colleges are some of the best in the nation and they pull a majority of their students from Florida. That means the FL educational system is doing something correctly.
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