Rather than fund the clss size amendment, legislature seeks to make it rational

From the Orlando Sentinel

by Leslie Postal

Florida’s strict, class-size rules would get altered so that fewer classes had to meet their tough requirements, under a proposal by a key Florida Senate panel.

Such legislation has been expected since voters in November defeated a ballot measure that would have scaled back the state’s 2002 class-size rules.

The rules set the number of children allowed in any “core” course — that is reading, math, science and social studies.

State Sen. David Simmons, R-Longwood, chairman of the Senate’s education budget committee, said he wants to craft a more “rational” class-size law. He wants rules that meet the requirements of the constitutional amendment voters approved in 2002 but give schools more flexibility.

The key item his committee is considering would delete from the current requirements many high school electives, including art courses, career education classes and ”courses that may result in college credit.” presumably AP, IB and dual enrollment classes.

The panel also wants class sizes to be counted once in October and then for school districts to be able to put more kids in certain courses, if they enroll later in the year.

Orange Superintendent Ron Blocker testified in favor of the proposals at this morning’s meeting in Tallahassee.

Orange met the class-size rules, but, he said, “It did not happen without pain.”

Meeting class size rules created disruptions to students’ academic year, a “frenzy” of competitive hiring as districts looked for new teachers after school had started and a cut in electives and “specials” as teachers of those courses were “repurposed” to teacher “core” classes, he said.

“In an effort to meet class size, we were canibilaizing the courses that allowed students to explore other interests,” he told lawmakers.

In short, Blocker said, meeting class-size rules may have hurt students’ academic progress.

More than half of Florida’s school districts did not meet the class-size requirements this year and now face financial penalities.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_education_edblog/2011/02/senate-panels-looks-to-make-fl-class-size-law-more-rational.html