Community leaders worried about Florida's new race-based education goals

New benchmarks approved by the Florida State Board of Education to help close the racial achievement gap has community leaders worried about stereotyping.

The Sunshine State's BOE set the guidelines for K-12 students in math and reading Tuesday. While all students face the same finish line in the future, a lower percentage of Hispanics and blacks are expected to be at or above grade level in reading or writing than whites and Asians in five years.

"It's, what do they say? 'Soft bigotry of low expectations," said Hilary Shelton, Washington Bureau director of the NAACP, referring to a phrase coined by former President George W. Bush several years ago. "They're really letting the educators off the hook playing it this way. We have to challenge our educators to meet the standards of every child."

Florida Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart called the criticism over the new guidelines a "growing misconception" about a plan that will help Florida achieve a "world class education system" with all students proficient in reading and math.

By 2018, the Florida BOE aims to have 74 percent of African-American grade school students at or above grade level in reading.

Eighty-one percent of Hispanic students are expected to achieve the same goal by 2018. The same goes for 82 percent of American Indian students, 88 percent of white students and 90 percent of Asian students. For the economically disadvantaged and English language learners, it's 72 percent; for students with disabilities, it's 78 percent.

The goals for grade level proficiency in math have a similar trend: 74 percent of African-American students; 80 percent of Hispanic students; 81 percent of American Indian students; 86 percent of white students; 92 percent of Asian students; 78 percent of economically disadvantaged students; 74 percent of English language learners; 72 percent of students with disabilities.

From the Florida Board of Education's Strategic Plan for 2012 - 2018.

/ Florida Board of Education

Stewart told reporters Thursday in a conference call that the new guidelines "do not set lower standards for any subgroup."

"It sets higher expectations for those subgroups who are behind," she said.

Because a much lower percentage of blacks of Hispanics are currently at or above grade level in reading in math, according to statistics reported by the Florida BOE, they have to make bigger jumps to reach the 2017-18 goal. For example, 68 percent of white Florida students are at or above grade level in math and must make a 18 percent jump by 2018. Because only 40 percent of black Florida children are at the appropriate level right now, they must make a 30 percent jump to reach their goal.

"One-hundred percent of our students should be reading [at or above grade level]" Stewart said. "The strategy targets a more rapid rate of improvement in the percentages of students" who are already behind.

The math and reading subgroup goals do not actually affect Florida's A to F grading system, which judge a school's success based on the progress of the student body as a whole. By law, school districts are required to report back math and reading proficiency levels by these demographic subgroups. But community leaders are particularly worried about the message Florida's 2018 new benchmarks send.

Both Shelton of the NAACP and Allie Braswell, president and CEO of the Central Florida Central League, said that the achievement gap is a problem, but Florida's tactics may discourage some students.

"I have a 16-year-old and he's just as smart as he wants to be, but the key thing is that all his life he's been told to succeed and do his best. That's something we should tell every student -- to succeed and do their best," Braswell said.

Local officials are also worried about the expectations the benchmarks put on Asian students. Winnie Tang, president of the Asian American Federation of Florida, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Karen Yi that they "have a lot of students that are average and below average. Being [perceived as] a higher achiever really hurts a lot of students."

Florida is not the first state to employ similar goals. Washington D.C. and Virginia also created controversy over the summer for creating 2018 benchmarks for math and reading based on racial subgroups.

The Virginia Dept. of Education annual math objectives, as listed in VDOE news release.

/ www.doe.virginia.gov

Virginia's move prompted former Florida governor Jeb Bush, chairman of the Foundation for Florida's Future and the Foundation for Excellence in Education, to write a passionate op-ed in the Washington Times decrying the strategy last September.

"By what calculation do you speed up learning by lowering expectations?" he wrote. "This delivers a devastating message to African-American, Hispanic and low-income children that they are not as capable as other children."

In the same op-ed, Bush praised the Florida system for its A through F grading scale that didn't adjust expectations for different demographics. When reached out for comment after the Florida BOE approved its 2018 math and reading goals, the former governor reiterated his commitment to helping "every child gain the knowledge and skill they will need to achieve their God-given potential," but would not specifically comment on Florida's new strategy.

[chirag32]

Anyone wants to join me for a petition against this absourd rule, please let me know. email me and lets fight together for our children of this Country. Its a free country, the may of teaching and scoring do not add up.

[Jonseen]

I remember there was some complaining awhile back because some people thought educational standards were too high or too difficult, and they wanted the standards adjusted or even eliminated so more students could feel ok about themselves. I can't remember exactly what it was about, but I do remember there was some whining and complaining.

So if some subgroups could not keep up, it seems this plan is intended to help them CATCH up.

Maybe the media should look into the reasons WHY these standards were established. Nothing is EVER as simple as the stupid, inflammatory headlines. This is in interesting and complex plan, there must be some complicated reasons behind it.

[Lerianis4]

The focus should be on getting ALL mentally normal students up to grade level. If some students are mentally disabled/deficient, there comes a time where in all honesty we have to say "We cannot shortchange the intelligent and normal students to get the slow students up to speed!"

That time has been and passed a long time ago.

[playerr34]

You know what it's ignorant @$$ people like you as to the reason why the USA is going under now. Did you forget that there is a lot of different learning styles;

;Visual (spatial):You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.
;Aural (auditory-musical): You prefer using sound and music.
;Verbal (linguistic): You prefer using words, both in speech and writing.
;Physical (kinesthetic): You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch.
;Logical (mathematical): You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems.
;Social (interpersonal): You prefer to learn in groups or with other people.
;Solitary (intrapersonal): You prefer to work alone and use self-study.

So with that being said schools need to focus on teaching from these styles vs. the color of a person skin. This is one of the clear signs that we as a country are going backwards. Why are these leaders trying to come up with anything to keep these children of color back. When it comes to math in the real world all you need is addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, and percentages in which most of don't even use that in our day to day work skills. They put to much focus on dumb $hit then expect a better outcome. My 7 yr old gets school work that a 3rd grader should be doing. They just throw the work in front of him, and expects him to figure it out on his own, and get frustrated if he needs assistance. When I was growing up we learned through play and repetition, nowadays your only on a particular subject for a day or two, and if you don't get it your considered to be mentally disabled. Here what's the real problem is; It's the impatient teachers who are only trained to deal with children that do learn at a fast pace, they have no time with FCAT and all the other bias testing they do throughout the year, to teach in depth, so you either get it or you don't. It's easier to say a child has a disability than to say the school district hires teachers that truly can't teach. Teaching is not all about teaching those who are born smart anyways, it's about mastering the art of teaching students of all different backgrounds so that all can learn equally. This country ain't **** and the state of Florida is most definitely a Republican Racist @$$ State. You ignorant @$$ person you.

[derekclontz]

The plan is brilliant - win-win-win-win-win-win for blacks, whites, Hispanics, Asians, the challenged and the un-challenged. In a world that's truly post-racial, or at least trying to get there, we can and should look at race, fearlessly, and then discuss and address - without any apologies - the facts and figures we find in our investigations. Forget color for just a minute - if I were to tell you I wanted to execute a plan to improve from 50 percent to 70 per the number of children who are reading at or above grade level, would you really want to stop me from trying? Look at the numbers now. Look at the goals. Forget race. This plan has merit. And if it fails, as have many such plants, we pick ourselves up off the ground, dust ourselves off - and try something else. That's what I like to think of as "the American way."

[etexpat]

So asking less from a group of students, expecting less from a group of students and accepting less is your idea of a win win. Just tell them that since they are not white, they are not expected to live up to their own potential. That's a great idea.

[pkinetics]

This is treating the symptom and not the actual problem. The plan would have merit, except IT DOES look at skin color.

1. Students are motivated to the degree that they can create their won internal motivation. This says that if you are Black you should only have to meet low standards, while the Asians are held to high.
2. Fairness. This says one group is better than another. One group may perform better, but this flat out says one group IS BETTER.
3. Lowers standards. Students perform to the level they want. So what happens in 5 years when the lower performing group is performing lower? Lower the standards? Create an even further gap?
4. So the schools have lower standards. What ends up happening if the child pursues college? Now the college has to make up for the deficiency in the student. They will push for higher test scores, they will review applications more closely. They will push to weed out underperformers.
5. Real world expectations become skewed. What students learn in school shapes the perception of the world. Rather than mold them into potential useful tools, you have handicapped them by saying they are special and they will be coddled.
6. So when these kids graduate, and apply for jobs, they will be looked at and rather than giving them a fair shake, they will be considered inferior.
7. People will game the system. Classify your kid in a lower minority and have the expectations lowered. When the kid does well, he / she can qualify for better scholarships. Hey win win. Lose lose for the losers.

[hypnotoad72]

"We have to challenge our educators to meet the standards of every child."

A fair assertion.

Even in colleges, people are getting mixed bags - some instructors will let anything go through, because students don't want to take the initiative... I've seen that firsthand... other instructors DO care and work toward getting more student involvement, and they are worth cheering for - absolutely! (That doesn't mean the student won't turn him/herself around, it is a two-way street...)

In general, what will the system be like in 20 years... teachers are being aimed at from both directions, they aren't seen as doing anything useful (but the "administrators" are somehow deemed more important and for no stated reason...)

*sigh* So many problems these days... :(

[BigRedDog2222]

But there were snakes on that plane, signseeker. :)

[shenboe]

The one reasonable idea Obama had was to support charter schools, but he backed off in deference to the teachers' union, particularly the gang from Chicago. Family, family, family. If anyone thinks that the 180 days insisted upon by the teachers' union can undue the lack of care by the ghetto family, they are delusional. Some poor black families will provide the needed support. Most cannot or will not. Forced sterilization of these people who are profligate reproducers (black, white and others) are needed or another generation of kids will suffer.

[hypnotoad72]

Link?

He also backed off of letting people cash in their retirements early with no penalties, and broke a promise re: lobbyists... that doesn't mean he won't regain what he he sacrificed earlier, I don't know either way...

Source: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2009/mar/17/obamas-lobbyist-rules-promise-broken/
(Politifact mentioned the 401k-sans-penalty bit as well)

So, speaking of sources, where are yours? Especially with the usual stereotyping of teacher unions, forgetting there are teachers who are not unionized who also let poor quality work through and every other people being aimed squarely at unions for the sole, cheap purpose of scapegoating...

[pcfpgarty]

AS a former educator from the State of Maine : extreme north on the map and at opposite ends of the racial divide . I don't mind saying that I understand what the Florida Board of Education is trying to accomplish. In the world of education controversy is the greatest stimulator and also the greatest barricade to any kind of improvement in our educational system , if I might be so bold as to call it a system . A system in order to function has to be built out of parts designed to interact with each , not interfere . I hold little hope for the educational future of those in our schools as long as we keep wrangling over what to teach and how it should be done . I know that the Earth goes around the sun as it revolves giving us 24 hour days and 365 day years . I hope there are none to dispute that. Maybe we should start there and work our way up rather than our way out .

[HonestAbeLincoln]

It's really a complicated process for children to be able to read english very well when they have a very shallow knowledge of speaking English correctly....illegal aliens have an excuse....the black community does not

Martin Luther King..."I have a dream that one day my children will be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin"

Race problems will never go away when third world mentality and actions exist in a majority of our minority {hispanic..black} communities

Clean up your neighbor-hoods and then you might see racism sharply decline.

[pcfpgarty]

I understand your views on the matter of race and the differences .
Your thinking is ; that if the minorities , ie. future majorities , clean up their act they will be more likely to be admitted into your world , or your world as you believe it should be . I can understand your thinking . But is it that if they , meaning those you see as lesser than yourself , were accepted , as they are now , that they may want to accept you as well and immitate some of your ways . Thw Christian Hymn " Just as I Am " is a reflection of that which I just stated .

[Repubs_R_Fiscal_Liberals]

Oh, yes. All blacks live in bad neighborhoods with no education. Come take a peak at some of our trailer parks here in the South.

Jack - why are you always agreeing with racist statements?

[antoniof123]

After reading these comments I see why this country is going down hill. Stop the hate it isn't necessary, the school my son goes too like my daughters had high standards, and it showed in their life. Of course you have to work with your kids and convince them it is their idea to study and do well in school.

If parents would spend as much time getting their kids to study as they do taking them to play sports the kids would excel.

[hypnotoad72]

Not disagreed...