Dem. lawmakers jump on FCAT scores, urge reform

Outgoing Minority House leader Dan Gelber and Democratic Rep. Martin Kiar jumped on today's release of FCAT scores to urge further reforms to the FCAT grading system implemented by former Gov. Jeb Bush.

Kiar says the law passed this session that bases high schools' grades not just on FCAT but on grad rates, AP and IB exam participation, etc. is a good first step. But not the last.

Said Kiar, D-Davie: “Instead of limiting the reforms passed last session to high schools, we need to apply a similar grading formula to all grades. Only then will we know how our schools are performing overall.”

And Gelber, running for the Senate, pointed out that while FCAT scores are up, Florida still has among the worst graduation rates in the nation. (60.8 percent vs the national average of 70.6 percent, according to Education Week's annual report.)