I kinda love the idea that Florida says “Yea, we are going to track the progress of students of color, students with disabilities and those from low income households. But that’s not all… We wanted to track ANY kid in the bottom 25%.”
Thanks for bringing that to light in your latest piece in the Tampa Bay Times Lane Wright!
Florida’s plan wouldn’t explicitly factor these students into its accountability system, but they are still accounted for simply because many from these groups tend to fall into the lowest-performing 25 percent of students at a school. And if the day comes (and I literally pray that it does) when students in these groups no longer make up the bulk of the lowest-performing students, I think Florida, if it gets its way and works the plan, will be in the best position to help all students who are not performing up to grade level — regardless of race, income or disability.
