Florida Board of Education to Set Lower Standards for Black Students
Last month, the State Board of Education in Florida approved a new set of student achievement guidelines that sets lower standards for Black youth.
Rather than closing the achievement gaps between students of different races, the guidelines simply accept them.
The Dept. of Ed. claims the guidelines acknowledge that “not everyone begins their education equipped with the same set of tools.”
But does that mean we should set lower expectations for our young people?
So, instead of trying to close the racial achievement gap which, in spite of its flaws, the No Child Left Behind Act set out to do, the board decided to use that gap to set goals for what it expects children of different races to achieve over the next six years. Rather than fighting the racism evident in educational achievement gaps, Florida is throwing up its hands and deciding that from now on, black children performing more poorly than Asian children will be the accepted rule, rather than an educational problem.
What does this mean for teachers? Should they create differing grading scales based on the color of their students’ skin? That could get pretty complicated: I currently teach classes with white, Hispanic, Asian, and Pacific Islander students. So do I have to come up with four different rubrics for each assignment
Thoughts on the Florida Dept. of Ed’s new guidelines?
Shouldn’t we expect all students to learn and achieve at a high level- regardless of race?
Sound off below!