Panama City Reporter

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced legislation that would replace the Florida Standards Assessments with a progress-monitoring program called the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking.

The new program would replace the long, high-stakes testing at the end of the year with shorter assessments in the fall, winter and spring, WJHG reported. The goal of the new program is to reduce test-related stress for students and allow more room for learning and improvement once the tests have been taken.

“We wouldn’t have to progress monitor and do the FSA in the month of May, so it would be less testing for both students and parents as they support them,” Deputy Superintendent of Walton County School District Jennifer Hawthorne said, according to WJHG.

If the legislation passes during the upcoming legislative session, Florida would become the first state in the U.S. to move away from end-of-year assessments. This measure would reduce overall testing time by an average of 75%, allotting teachers more time to work with students towards their learning goals, WJHG reported. The new program would also eliminate Common Core curriculum from Florida classrooms.