Tag Archives: Jackie Johnson

Alachua County Public Schools began taking standardized tests with the new Florida Assessment of Student Thinking less than a month into the school year. Students in voluntary prekindergarten through 10th grade will participate in this assessment three times a year. Florida Assessment of Student Thinking replaces the end-of-the-year Florida Standards Assessments and monitors student progress in the fall, winter and spring. Each cycle tests students’ knowledge of the entire year’s material in English Language Arts and mathematics, according to the Florida Department of Education. But critics of the new assessment say more time spent testing means less instructional time.

The Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative announced Wednesday progress made in the six months since they unveiled a blueprint for Gainesville to become a welcoming city.

Though the motion’s proponent Gunnar Paulson argued the renovations could end up saving the district money, the pressing needs of other schools, especially Hawthorne Middle/High, caused other board members to say it was not the right time for the project.

Teaching shortages in grades K-12 have been prevalent since before the pandemic, according to north central Florida school administrators. However, they say COVID-19 has increased issues for educators.