Florida's A+ Plan for Education

Definition

Florida's A+ Plan for Education is a comprehensive education reform initiative launched in 1999 aimed at improving public school performance through accountability, school choice, and parental involvement. The plan introduced a grading system for schools based on student performance, providing parents with the ability to make informed choices regarding their child's education and fostering competition among schools to enhance educational quality.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The A+ Plan introduced a grading system that assigns letter grades (A through F) to public schools based on students' performance on standardized tests.
2. Under the A+ Plan, schools receiving an 'F' grade for two consecutive years face potential consequences, including the possibility of closure or conversion to a charter school.
3. The initiative emphasizes parental involvement by providing options for families to transfer their children from underperforming schools to higher-performing ones.
4. Florida's A+ Plan has been influential in shaping education reform discussions across the country, serving as a model for other states seeking to improve school performance.
5. The plan is part of a broader trend towards accountability and choice in education, reflecting a shift in how public education is perceived and managed.

Review Questions

• How does Florida's A+ Plan for Education use school grading to influence educational outcomes?
  • Florida's A+ Plan uses a grading system that evaluates public schools based on student performance on standardized tests. By assigning letter grades from A to F, the plan creates a transparent measure of school quality that informs parents and encourages competition among schools. Schools that receive low grades are motivated to improve their performance or face consequences such as potential closure or transformation into charter schools, thus aiming to raise overall educational standards across the state.
• Discuss the implications of Florida's A+ Plan for parental choice in education and its effects on public school systems.
  • The A+ Plan significantly enhances parental choice by allowing families to transfer their children from lower-performing schools to those with higher grades. This empowerment of parents shifts the focus of accountability from merely holding schools responsible to actively engaging families in their children's education. As a result, this can lead to increased competition among schools to attract students, driving improvements in teaching quality and resource allocation within public school systems.
• Evaluate the long-term effects of Florida's A+ Plan on educational equity and access across diverse communities within the state.
  • While Florida's A+ Plan aims to improve educational outcomes through accountability and choice, it raises important questions about equity and access. Wealthier families may have more resources to navigate school choices effectively, potentially widening disparities between affluent and low-income communities. Over time, this could lead to a concentration of resources in higher-performing schools while leaving struggling schools with fewer supports, thereby impacting the overall equity of educational opportunities across diverse populations within Florida.

Related terms

School Accountability: A policy framework that holds schools responsible for student performance, often through standardized testing and public reporting of results.

Charter Schools: Publicly funded independent schools that operate under a charter or contract, allowing for greater flexibility in curriculum and management compared to traditional public schools.

School Choice: The ability of parents to choose their children's educational institutions, including options such as charter schools, private schools, and magnet programs, rather than being limited to assigned public schools.