Superintendent Kurt Browning has cancelled the Pasco County Schools’ requirement for end-of-course exams, including second-grade and fifth-grade art, music and physical education exams.
While removing that requirement, the superintendent said each teacher must administer a standards-based assessment in each class in all levels.
To give teachers more flexibility, they are allowed to choose a teacher-developed and principal-approved instrument or a district-developed end-of-course exam, according to a school district news release.
“I realize that this decision may not meet everyone’s needs, but it alleviates the pressure associated with the current end-of-course assessments,” Browning said in the release. He also noted that it “allows our district time to develop a more reliable and balanced system of student assessment.”
Browning noted that he did not reach that decision easily and added that it came after extensive conversations with secondary principals across the district and district staff.
