SCHOLASTIC OFFERS FREE ONLINE COURSES AS SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY SHUT DOWN DUE TO CORONAVIRUS

From The Hill

BY REBECCA KLAR - 03/16/20

Scholastic offers free online courses as schools across the country shut down due to coronavirus. The company's digital learning hub is accessible on all devices, including smartphones, and requires no sign-up, the company announced Friday.  READ MORE

FLORIDA STUDENTS WON’T BE BACK IN CLASSROOMS UNTIL AT LEAST APRIL 15 AND WON’T HAVE TO TAKE STANDARDIZED TESTS

From SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL |MAR 17, 2020

By VICTORIA BALLARD and BROOKE BAITINGER

Florida’s public school students won’t have to take standardized tests this year, and they’ll remain out of school buildings until at least April 15 because of coronavirus.

Gov. Ron DeSantis canceled Pre-K and K-12 testing, such as the Florida Standards Assessment. At a news conference in Tallahassee, he said that even if disruptions from the coronavirus have died down by next month, the state still won’t hold testing.  READ MORE

TURNAROUND SCHOOLS, STANDARDIZED TESTING BILL PASSES HOUSE

From FLAPOL

By Sarah Mueller  March 9, 2020

House lawmakers passed legislation that gives low-performing schools less time to turn themselves around. The bill advanced out of the lower chamber by a 105-11. It heads now to the Senate. The bill (HB 7079), sponsored by Rep. Vance Aloupis, helps the state achieve the goal of testing students less and...READ MORE

SCHOOLS WRESTLE WITH FAIRNESS OF CLOSURES DURING OUTBREAK

From The Gainesville Sun  Updated Mar 9, 2020

By Michelle R. Smith And Collin Binkley, The Associated Press

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) ” When the new coronavirus surfaced at Saint Raphael Academy after a school group returned from a trip to Italy, officials decided to close the Rhode Island Catholic high school for two weeks.

Instead of cancelling classes, the school in Pawtucket instituted ‘virtual days’ where students are expected to work from home, check for assignments through an online portal and occasionally chat with teachers. READ MORE