Superintendent of Broward Vickie Cartwright urged lawmakers on Thursday to follow through on Gov. Ron DeSantis promise to end the standardized annual tests for Florida students.

Last monthDeSantis said it plans to end the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) and replace it with a progress monitoring program. On Wednesday, the Broward Legislative Delegation held a workshop with the Broward County School Board to discuss the school district’s program for the 2022 legislative session. Cartwright attended and discussed the planned changes, which are still in the works. in their early days.

“We expect the legislature to address the governor’s new test proposal, ending the annual statewide administration of the FSA, allowing a full transition to monitoring progress,” Cartwright said. “While many educators and districts have advocated for such a change, we have yet to see the full proposal, and we have not been involved in state-level conversations related to this proposal. “

The state said the proposed new curriculum would be more customizable for students and pass information faster to school officials. These evaluations would take place three times a year and the results would be communicated during the school year. Proponents say these changes would allow teachers and parents to adapt more quickly to student needs.

Cartwright added that the Superintendents Association has submitted to the state a list of superintendents who would like to be involved in the formulation process as the plan is finalized. Cartwright’s name was on that list.

The state’s largest teachers’ union, the Florida Education Association, supported the DeSantis plan despite being often an enemy of the governor. Other school districts have also expressed support, and Cartwright said Broward was behind a change in the state’s assessment regime.

But she called on lawmakers to completely break away from the existing FSA system while formulating Florida’s new watchdog program.

“We are asking the legislature to ensure that this is indeed a full transition to tracking progress and not just the same statewide test that is currently administered once a year at several times three times a year, which would continue to have a negative impact on our students. and our teachers, ”Cartwright said.

Lawmakers will work through legislation to solidify these changes during the 2022 session, which officially begins in January.

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