Florida moves to progress monitoring in schools instead of high-stakes tests

OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Governor Ron DeSantis visited Okaloosa County Thursday morning to talk about a new law signed earlier this week. The law will eliminate the Florida Standards Assessment test and replace it with progress monitoring.

The governor’s office says Florida is the first state in the nation to transition fully to progress monitoring for school accountability.

Starting next school year, 2022-2023, students will have three short check-ins instead of multiday, end-of-year, high stakes tests for English language arts and math. Governor DeSantis says the new system of testing will benefit students, teachers, and parents by allowing for informed instruction in a timely manner that can be tailored to each student.

“This has been the year of the parent, and parents have said that the FSA is not working for their students,” Governor DeSantis said. “We heard the call and are replacing it with timely check-ins that show how students progress in real-time. This will inform instruction in the classroom and at home. I am proud to sign this bill and know it will make a difference for Florida’s students.”