FLORIDA – Senate Bill 166 is proposing altering how testing impacts graduation requirements for students in Florida.
The bill, which has passed two committees unanimously this month, aims to lower the stakes for students taking the Algebra 1 and Grade 10 English Language Arts assessments by making these tests a percentage of the final course grade instead of a graduation requirement.
State Sen. Corey Simon, who introduced the bill, emphasized the need to reduce regulatory burdens on public schools.
“School districts must be given a chance to compete,” Simon said.
The proposed change would mean that the assessments would account for 30% of a student’s final course grade.
Simon further explained, “It really puts the focus back on our kids and their ability to advance throughout our education system, but well into our workforce.”
The bill was recently discussed in the Appropriations for PreK-12 Education Committee, where public comments were overwhelmingly in favor, minus one person who was against the bill but waived their right to speak.
Shane Soleski, a teacher at Royal Palm Beach High School, shared his frustration over the frequent interruptions students face due to testing.
“Many kids at my school are constantly removed from other classes to retake these algebra one and ELA exams since their graduation requirements,” Soleski said. He added that while the tests still matter, making them 30% of the grade would reduce disruption.
Sharon Batty, President of Sterling Park Elementary PTA, also likes what the bill is trying to accomplish.
“One thing we hear from our teachers and our students and our parents is there’s way too much testing, so we are in big support of minimizing that in any way that we can,” she said.
Sen. Shevrin D. Jones supported the reduction in testing but voiced concerns about math proficiency.
“I can’t stress this enough, every step of the way we have seen to where our students are not doing well in math,” Jones said. He called for a focus on improving math proficiency in the coming years.
Senator Simon assured the committee that schools will still be tracking students' understanding of math.
“We’ll have progress monitoring for that student, starting in Pre-K all the way up and through that 10th grade year,” Simon said. “So we’ll be able to determine what that student is being able to master.”
The bill is now in the Fiscal Policy Committee. If it passes a floor vote, it will go into effect by July 1.