Local Viewpoint:
Raise level for Florida Standards test.
The State Board of Education is currently deciding what is considered a passing, or proficient, score on the new Florida Standards Assessment. This is an important decision, not only for our state, but also for our future national security.
Right now, 71 percent of young people in Florida are not qualified for military service, according to the Department of Defense. This is because they are too poorly educated, they are physically unfit, or they have a criminal record.
In fact, 24 percent of Florida high-school students do not graduate on time. And among those who do graduate and try to join the military, 21 percent cannot pass the military’s exam for math, literacy and problemsolving.
In short, we have two choices: We can lower the standards for joining the military, which would be unacceptable, or we can raise the education standards for America’s children.
That is why the retired generals and admirals of the national security organization Mission: Readiness, of which I am a member, support the Florida Standards Assessment.
The Florida Standards set the bar for what our students should know at each grade level. They are essential for ensuring that more students graduate from high school prepared for college, civilian careers or the military for those who choose to serve.
Standards alone, however, are not enough. To have an impact on student outcomes, there must be accountability. If we do not know how students are truly performing, we can neither know the scope of potential problems, nor make informed efforts to solve them.
It is standard operating procedure in the military, and among many successful businesses, to have concrete measures of performance. The military uses the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery to assess recruits to determine if they meet its criteria to serve.
Educational standards and assessments give parents, schools and districts a clear sense of student achievement based on clearly defined benchmarks for learning, and for measuring that learning.
Unfortunately, there is currently a lot of confusion about student achievement levels because each state sets its own bar on what is considered a passing or proficient score on its own state test.
Comparing state test scores to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which every state participates in, reveals how state tests can set the bar too low.
For example, in 2014, 61 percent of Florida’s fourth-grade students scored as proficient readers on the state test, versus only 39 percent on the NAEP test.
That’s a huge disparity, and it’s bad for students who are led to believe they are on track to graduate with the skills they need for getting that first job, entering college or getting into the military — only to find out later they’re not ready.
Think of it this way: Up until now, kids throughout Florida and across the country have been shooting at a 3- or 4-foot-high basketball hoop, and thinking they must be Michael Jordan. Then they are going out into a 10-foot world, and finding out the hard way they can barely dribble or pass the ball — much less shoot and score.
As grownups, we need to anticipate that raising all the baskets to the same height is going to cause a little wheezing at first. Because these assessments are aligned with morerigorous standards, we should expect that proficiency scores are likely to decrease in the beginning. But this process will uncover those areas in need of reform and ultimately result in better student performance.
Setting the proficiency score on assessments is so important because it is an indicator of whether or not Florida’s students are on pace to have the necessary skills to be college- or career-ready.
The State Board of Education should raise the proficiency score for the Florida Standards Assessment.
Just as it is unacceptable for the military to lower its standards, it is also unacceptable for our state to lower its educational standards.
The State Board of Education should raise the proficiency score for the Florida Standards Assessment.