CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Florida Gov. DeSantis announced plans Thursday to overhaul the standards taught in Florida schools and ditch the current system, which has roots in Common Core.
“This is going to be a process that is going to take the balance of this year and we will go to the Legislature next session and want to get that done,” DeSantis said during a press conference. “We don’t want to dillydally, but at the same time, do it right.”
DeSantis said a lot of parents complained to him while on the campaign trail about the current system.
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“I told you I was going to do something about this,” DeSantis said.
People attending the press conference started clapping before DeSantis could even finish the announcement.
He said parents were frustrated with all the testing and couldn't understand some of the math.
The standards are basically expectations of what students should learn and when.
The state’s system is called the Florida Standards, which is similar to Common Core.
Many states have adopted Common Core, but it also has its share of critics who feel the system was imposed by the feds.
DeSantis is now directing the education commissioner to come up with a new set of standards and overhaul the system.
“He's going to suggest innovative ways to streamline some of the testing and to make that so that it's something that's measuring success, but we're not just teaching to a test," DeSantis said.
The governor said parents and teachers would have a say in this process and he hopes to send proposed changes to the Legislature by next year.
Wendy Doromal, of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association, an education union, said teachers are happy to hear that they will be consulted on developing new educational standards.
"What we see happening in classrooms today is just memorization and teaching to the test, which sucks the joy out of learning in the classroom," she said.
Parent Brooke Wojdyla said she will be pleased if the program is phased out.
"I just found that it made things much more convoluted, more confusing and, quite frankly, I think it made (my daughter) dislike math," she said. "(We need to) get (students) back to learning in the classroom and connecting with teachers and not just being good test takers."
Orange County Public Schools declined to comment on the move, saying that district officials wish to see the executive order in writing first.
Common Core has failed teachers, parents, and our children. That’s why I am issuing an Executive Order to eliminate Common Core in Florida. We will streamline standardized testing, make civics a priority in schools and increase the literacy rate. pic.twitter.com/dp5mnabiit
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantisFL) January 31, 2019
WEIGH IN: Gov. Ron DeSantis says he wants to get rid of the Common Core education program. What do you think? READ MORE: at.wftv.com/2Gbp8AA
Posted by WFTV Channel 9 on Thursday, January 31, 2019
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