On Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran announced that the Florida Department of Education finished up its review of Florida’s K-12 academic standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics and called for some revisions.
The proposed Florida Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards are expected to be released in the coming days.
These new standards are a result of the governor’s continued opposition to Common Core. At the start of last year, DeSantis issued an executive order “outlining a path for Florida to improve its education system by eliminating Common Core and paving the way for Florida students to receive a world-class education to prepare them for jobs of the future.”
DeSantis took aim at Common Core on Friday.
“When I took office, I made a pledge to the citizens of Florida to overhaul our educational standards to remove all vestiges of Common Core and return to the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic,” said DeSantis. “I am pleased that this historic task has been completed and we are well on our way to making Florida the best state in the nation for education. My deepest thanks to Commissioner Corcoran and Department of Education staff, Florida teachers, parents, subject matter experts and stakeholders for their participation in this transparent, in-depth and comprehensive process.”
“Governor DeSantis has proven once again that he is the Education Governor,” said Corcoran. “Under his bold leadership, these new standards represent the highest quality knowledge-based standards in the nation. They not only incorporate civics throughout every grade, a first of their kind in the nation, ensuring that our students are well versed in the United States Constitution and the responsibilities of citizenship, they also provide educators with clear and concise standards. I am confident our students will thrive academically and be well prepared for success.”
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.
