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A Testy Senate Chairman Gives A Nod To 'Opt-Outs'

The chairman of the Senate education spending committee says he’s determined to continue cutting back on testing in public schools.

Republican David Simmons of Altamonte Springs is issuing the call as more parents join the “opt out” movement and refuse to let their children take the standardized test needed for advancement to the fourth grade.    

“We’re going to review it. We’re going to hear what the stake holders, which are the districts, have to say in this, how efficient are they given the fact that they’ve been given the obligation of testing as much as they’re testing.”

Simmons says time wasted on over testing causes, “tremendous, tremendous collateral damage.” Lawmakers last addressed the issue in 2015 after a flawed rollout of the Florida Standards Assessment.

A Miami native, former WFSU reporter Jim Ash is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of experience, most of it in print. He has been a member of the Florida Capital Press Corps since 1992.