Is Florida testing students too much? Why there's not an easy answer

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — WPTV is continuing to dig deeper into Florida test scores just released from the state department of education. They show whether students are performing at grade level in a variety of subjects.

This was Florida’s second year of the progress monitoring testing style, measuring student success three times throughout the year.

Local school district leaders told WPTV education reporter Stephanie Susskind they really like it. But parents Susskind spoke to aren’t so sure yet.

“I just don’t get it. I truly don’t know how taking away one test to add three, there’s no logic to me. It doesn’t make sense,” said Palm Beach County mom of two Sheena Romano.

Romano shares a popular opinion with many parents Susskind heard from on Tuesday: there’s too much testing in school.

“You have the elementary school sitting three times a year for iReady to grade their progress. And then you have the [Florida Assessment of Student Thinking] to grade their progress. So it’s like, can we eliminate one?” Romano said.

North in St. Lucie County, Superintendent Dr. Jon Prince doesn’t disagree.

“Testing in Florida is rigorous,” Prince told Susskind. “I still say we’ve got a little too much assessment going on.”

But he does support the new style of progress monitoring testing using the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking, or FAST. It’s given at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year to measure what a student is learning and where they need to focus.

“It’s been a great blessing that we get these results back immediately. So we know exactly where these kids are weak,” Prince said.

Florida education leaders tout this state testing style as the first in the nation. It replaced the high stakes FSA exam, which was given once at the end of the year.

“We are finding there is a lot more interface between parents and schools,” Prince said. “OK, my kid didn’t do very well. What can I do as a parent? And what can we do to partner and help them perform better? So I think it’s helped not just student learning, but that interaction between parents and families and schools.”

While parents like Romano understand that perspective, they still feel there’s too much testing pressure on today’s students.

“I think a good teacher, just like a good parent, should be able to see the progress. If you are honed in on the children,” Romano said.

So why are these tests important? Not only do they measure student progress, but they are used to help determine school and district grades. Those are expected to be released later this summer.