The state Board of Education will likely decide Wednesday whether to raise the bar on tests students can take to graduate.
To get public school diplomas, Florida teens must get minimum GPAs, amass enough credit hours, and pass two tests: the 10th grade Florida Standards Assessment in reading and the Algebra I end-of-course exam. But students who don’t pass the tests can make a “concordant” score on the SAT, ACT or the state-created Postsecondary Education Readiness Test, called P.E.R.T.
That’s where the change comes in. The state is considering more rigorous standards for the SAT and ACT while completely axing the P.E.R.T. for this purpose.
Duval’s School Board is against the proposal, estimating it will trigger a huge drop in the graduation rate. District staff said the change could cause graduation rates to decline between seven and 11 percent. They also said the change would disproportionately impact high schools in high-poverty areas.
Board member Ashley Smith Juarez pleaded the district's case to Jacksonville City Council last week during its regular meeting.
“I want you as council members to understand the potential impact, not just to graduation rates, but to our city and to the economy,” she said.
Smith Juarez said if the changes are approved, there could be 850 fewer students graduating at the end of a year.
“Over a 30-year span for this one graduation cohort, this could amount to $250 million in lost economic productivity to the City of Jacksonville -- that’s just one cohort and this will happen year after year after year,” she told City Council.
City Council passed an emergency resolution, telling the state it also opposes the changes. Council members also encouraged her to go to the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce with this information.
The state commissioned a study of the current concordant scores, which determined them to be too easy.
However, district staff disagree. They argue the new replacement tests would measure college readiness, which is a higher bar than the 10th grade Florida Standards Assessments they’re meant to replace.
- Read more about the proposed changes: Duval Says Grad Rate Could Fall With DOE Proposals
Photo: used under Creative Commons.
Reporter Lindsey Kilbride can be reached at lkilbride@wjct.org, 904-358-6359 or on Twitter at @lindskilbride.
