Proposed education bill would reduce testing, lower graduation requirements

A trio of education bills passed by the Senate K-12 education committee, all priorities for Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, could ease the burden standardized tests place on students. However, critics say they don’t go far enough to address the state’s educational needs.

One of the bills would allow parents more power to determine whether their third-graders should move to the next grade. 

Florida law mandates that third-graders who do not score a Level 2 or above on the Florida Standards Assessment English Language Arts assessment, graded on a scale of 1 to 5, cannot be promoted to the fourth grade. However, a student can achieve certain “good cause exemptions” to move up — for example, if they do well on an alternative standardized test, earn grades that show their proficiency, or have a disability.

A Senate analysis of the bill says it will “expand parental rights” in line with the 2021 Parental Bill of Rights, legislation championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that states, “It is a fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their minor children.”