Florida Officials Defend Racial Differences In Post-Waiver Assessments.

The New York Times (10/18, Alvarez, Subscription Publication) reports on the lingering controversy surrounding Florida education officials' decision to "set different goals for student achievement in reading and math by race and ethnicity" under the state's NCLB waiver, noting that the "move was widely criticized as discriminatory and harmful to blacks and Hispanics. But the state, which has been required to categorize achievement by racial, ethnic and other groups to the federal government for more than 10 years, intends to stand by its new strategic plan. Education officials say the targets, set for 2018, have been largely misunderstood." The Times explains that Florida officials say that the goal of the policy is to reduce the achievement gap.

Most States Vary Benchmarks By Race.

CNN (10/18, Martin, Valencia) reports on its "Schools of Thought" blog that "civil rights groups and some parents are concerned that new proficiency targets in several states are selling African-American students short." The piece notes that Florida is among the "majority of US states and the District of Columbia" which "have set up different benchmarks for different groups, including racial and ethnic student populations." CNN adds that though it may seem like this is a case of less being expected of some classes of students, they are a reaction to the implausibility of NCLB's 100% proficiency mandate. "But the new benchmarks have been met with outrage from parents and civil rights groups, particularly in Florida, Virginia and DC."