HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' proposal to cancel the Florida Standards Assessment starting in the 2022-23 school year is a great one, some Tampa Bay area teachers and parents say 


What You Need To Know

  • Some parents and teachers like Gov. Ron DeSantis' plan to end the FSA

  • The annual assessment testing adds to the stress of students, they say

  • DeSantis' proposal calls for assessing progress three times a year

  • Teachers already monitor progress throughout the year, one teacher said

Taking a test can be very stressful, and Chocochatti second-grade teacher Robert Russell understands that all too well.

“I feel that is more stress on the parents and the students themselves," Russell said. 

This past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more stressful for them, parent Julie Benitez told Bay News 9.

“If they don’t spend too many hours at school, it’s hard to remember everything when they don’t have time to review or have extra help during the school time,” she said. 

DeSantis’ plan, Florida Assessment of Student Thinking, promises 75% less testing and a greater reliance on monitoring progress three times a year, a decision that’s making at least some parents and teachers look toward a brighter future for their children and students. The plan, revealed Tuesday in South Florida, would have to be approved by the Republican-led Florida Legislature and would be the final step to end Common Core in the state.

Many parents and teachers said they hope the governor's proposal can alleviate some of that stress, beginning with the 2022-23 school year.

“I taught fourth grade last year," Russell added, "And in an open house, the first couple days, the first things that people are talking about is FSA, which is 8 months away, and so the stress and anxiety that comes with that is (there) at the beginning of the year.”

(Spectrum News/Katya Guillaume)

Teachers already assess a student’s progress throughout the school year, Russell said.

“We’ve been fighting for this, to kind of say, 'Why don’t we do checkpoints?' " Russell said. "Here they are at the beginning of the year, this is where they should be in the middle, and by the end of the year, this is where we’d like to see them.” 

Benitez added, “You can see how they improve and what they learn and what kid needs help.”