In video obtained by Javier Manjerres of Shark Tank, Governor Scott repeats his oft heard deflection and dissembling on the very controversial Common Core standards and tests. Here are several statements that are arguable at best and completely strain credibility at worst:
"I don't want the federal government to run our education system. So here's what we've done. About a year ago we opted out of PARCC, which is the national assessment test."
COMMENT He then opted the state into AIR, which is developing tests for the other national assessment, SBAC; has been involved with the federal government in data collection and other ways for years; admits Common Core is a national curriculum; is a behavioral and social engineering research organization; and promotes social and emotional learning and other controversial topics over academics. (See details).
"We said the federal government is not going to be data mining our students."
COMMENT This is particularly hard to swallow. Scott and the Legislature doubled down on linking Florida's data statutes to FERPA (The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), the dysfunctional federal privacy law gutted by the Obama administration and containing an entire section of regulations on collecting student data without parental consent. (See analysis). In addition, AIR, chosen by Scott's education commissioner for Florida's state Common Core test, is closely tied to the federal government and student data collection through its Center of the Analysis of Longitudinal Education Research (CALDER), even admitting that it is involved in mining the data of individual Florida students and teachers.
"...So we have Florida standards."
COMMENT - As we have extensively documented, many officials in the Florida Department of Education, Speaker Weatherford, and countless state and national media outlets have stated the truth changing 98 out of 11,000 (0.9%) standards and removing the name from statute Read more