Lee County School District Superintendent Nancy Graham said Thursday the district is in “uncharted territories” since the board decided to opt-out of state mandated testing.
The three-to-two vote Wednesday came after Graham and the school board attorney advised against making the historic move, which places the district as the first statewide to opt-out.
Graham is in communication with the Florida Department of Education, and has met with principals in the district.
Much of what happens next remains unknown, with over 30 assessments throughout the year to be thrown out, including an end of the year test that’s replacing the FCAT.
Based on Graham’s conversation with FLDOE – students can graduate without having taken the state standardized test if they obtain a sufficient score on the SAT or ACT.
Lee County schools are accredited right now.
Top administrators don’t have answers for what’s next. And the board members that made this possible don’t either. The vote to opt out of state-mandated testing brings up major questions as to what happens next.
“I’m done with the talking. It’s time to take action,” school board member Don Armstrong said.
Armstrong, along with Thomas Scott and Mary Fischer, voted to get rid of state-mandated testing. Other than saying students will take fewer tests, they couldn’t explain exactly how this will happen or who is directly impacted.
Even with all the unanswered questions, the three board members who voted for the motion don’t think their decision came too soon.
The Education Revolution was has begun in Lee County School System, let’s see what the revolution brings next.