Leon County School Superintendent Jackie Pons says he won’t use results on the state’s new exam to evaluate teachers. But he may not have a choice. A powerful state Senator is warning the district to properly implement the state's revised teacher evaluation law.Florida law mandates a third of a teachers evaluation be tied to test scores, and Senate Education Chief John Legg says if Leon County ignores that, it’s funding could be in trouble.
“He’s leaping without looking and not without reading the nuances of the report," Legg said of Leon County Superintendent Jackie Pons. " I would caution him not to violate the law and put the funding of Leon County in jeopardy."
Pons said earlier this week Leon County would not use the results of the new Florida Standards Assessment in its teacher evaluations. Teachers and school districts don’t trust the results of an independent review of the FSA which found the test valid.
But the study also found many test questions aren’t relevant to the state, or its standards. The Florida Department of Education says it will use the results on the exam to move forward with teacher evaluations and school grades.
