Gov. Crist on Gaetz: 'education wizard'

Talk about a good day.

A Senate committee today approved Sen. Don Gaetz' proposal to tweak the way public Florida high schools are graded. And shortly after, the governor called him an "education wizard."

Gaetz's K-12 Senate schools committee endorsed the legislation (SB1908) that would - starting in fall 2009 - base half of a high school's state grade on factors including the school's graduation rate; students' performance on AP, IB and industry certification courses and exams; their SAT and ACT performance, and improvement in those areas.

Gaetz said the current practice of basing a high school's grade solely on the FCAT isn't fair, because in any given year the entire student body isn't taking the test. And measurements like the SAT and AP courses are important high school-level indicators of how well a school and its students and teachers are doing.

Talk about a good day.

A Senate committee today approved Sen. Don Gaetz' proposal to tweak the way public Florida high schools are graded. And shortly after, the governor called him an "education wizard."

Gaetz's K-12 Senate schools committee endorsed the legislation (SB1908) that would - starting in fall 2009 - base half of a high school's state grade on factors including the school's graduation rate; students' performance on AP, IB and industry certification courses and exams; their SAT and ACT performance, and improvement in those areas.

Gaetz said the current practice of basing a high school's grade solely on the FCAT isn't fair, because in any given year the entire student body isn't taking the test. And measurements like the SAT and AP courses are important high school-level indicators of how well a school and its students and teachers are doing.

"We have about the worst high school graduation rate in the country, it's abysmal," said the Panhandle Republican, So if we're going to use school grading as a way of pointing out things we need to work on, graduation rates should be considered. I think we ought to open every door in a high school before we render a judgement."

There is no House companion yet, but it's early in the session. And Gov. Charlie Crist said later on this afternoon that the proposal "sounds like a smart thing to do. I mean, Sen. Gaetz is like the education wizard."

Comments

More like Grand Dragon.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!

Gaetz rocks!!!

Rock star!!!!!

Crist is an idiot nuf said

[terminator]

I don't know if he's a wizard or not but he's one of the few lawmakers and policymakers around Tallahassee the last eight years that has any common sense about what needs to be done with Florida's dismal public education system.
And if Gaetz is the Wizard then I guess that makes Charlie the scarecrow.
Now every one sing along...."if I only had a brain" do do do doo doo do!

If this was the Wizzard of Oz and Gaetz was the Wizzard with Crist playing the scarecrow, terminator would have to be one of those flying monkeys.

High praise from the Governor, who was the last elected education commissioner, and implemented the Bush APlus program. Congratulations Senator Gaetz.

Golly gee willickers!

[Foots]

While Gatz bill does look good he should prepose to do away with FCAT completely. Fla schools was doing ok before Jeb Bush and the Republican Legislator begin their attempt to turn our schools over to private and religious organizations. Check the record and you will find this to be true. Thanks to ROD SMITH he was able to stop some of this and if he was Governor we would't be sending the millions of $ to California to grade FCAT test.

OMG did they clear this with Pat and Jeb first? Don't make Jeb come out of retirement to tell you how wrong you are.

[Mary]

Who isn't an 'education wizard' to a guy who had to take the Florida Bar exam three times to pass?

[Mary]

Oh, and who here really believes that Charlie implemented the APlus program? Charlie was an empty suit Education Commissioner. That's like saying your assistant implemented getting you coffee when you ask for it in the morning. Yeah, kudos!

Education Commssioner Gaetz

Thus begins the rapid descent of the grading system on its spiral towards becoming meaningless feel-good crap.

Democrats and teachers unions, you may gleefully applaud now.

7:10
"Meaningless feel-good crap" is what the FCAT gives A schools. Those schools already have the advantage of well-off students, more stability at home, veteran teachers, etc. Then because they make an A, they get MORE funds. Schools in poverty areas, with a lot of beginning teachers, and high student turnover can accomplish some good things, but they can't beat the already advantaged schools on one test.

[terminator]

gotta love it.

Gaetz has the stake and mallet and he's ready to drive it through Count Jeb and his mistress (Levesque) hearts!
The angels of death will no longer influence Florida public education.

7:10
sorry right wing nutjub. your days in Tally are numbered.

7:23
tough luck kid. there's winners and losers in life, it's called natural selection.
should the good kids be punished because their parents are successful, did a good job raising them and are involved in their education?
anyway, most the urban schools get MORE money than the suburban schools since they receive Title One money from the Feds and have much higher numbers of ESOL and ESE populations thereby generating more FTEs, so your so called theory doesn't hold water!

7:55:

You're right: Self-esteem, even when it's based on a completely artificial sense of accomplishment, is superior to real knowledge any day of the week. Look how far it's taken you in life.

Let's just go ahead and let the students vote on the grade they want and not pretend school grades will have any real meaning. In two years, Florida will only have all 'A' schools. Victory!

1:37 - more like future Senate President Gaetz!

BRILLIANT!

hate to do this, but got to do this - 10:02 - if you're gonna slam the education policies of bush, at least learn to spell and write sentences so the rest of us don't think you are a product of said failed policies.

[Alicia Godwin]

I am excited for Florida high schools if they have an opportunity to get out from under the pressure of FCAT being the sole predictor of school grades. But what about the elementary schools? We have just finished administering the FCAT and it disgusts me that we expect these children to know and apply math skills that most adults have never used in real-world living situations. The decline in Florida's gratuation rate is because we only offer "remediation" to low-performing kids-not an alternate plan to learn a trade that can make them productive. That's why they throw inthe towel. They are tired of people telling them they need remediation, when they already know they can't perform on FCAT! Instead of sending our monies to FCAT publishers, how about some funding for vocational programs, more supply money for our classrooms (I spend over $500.00 this year of my own money this year),and funds to make teacher salaries more competitive with the rest of the workforce. But that's another topic.

Floridians on Don Brown: Grand Wizard

Gaetz is a superstar. Not only is he a wizard on education policy, he is a health care wizard, and a financial wizard. I don't know of many who can match his debating skills, although some insurance lobbyists have tried. This man will be a very formidable member of the Senate for the next 7 years.

I personally have never met anyone, or even heard of anyone in the whole wide world who is as smart as Don Gaetz. He's just super fantastic terrific!!!!

Sincerely,
Don Gaetz

Thanks Paul...you serve your clients well by picking fights with Senators.