Florida

Florida has embarked on creating World Class Education Standards (WCES) to prepare students to compete at the highest levels internationally.

When Florida’s mathematics grade-level expectations (GLEs) for grades 1-7 were compared with Singapore’s, the average number of GLEs per grade in Florida was 83.3, while Singapore’s average number of GLEs per grade equaled 15. In other words, the mile-wide and inch-deep syndrome.

When researchers reviewed Florida’s mathematics standards they made the following findings and recommendations. There is a need to:

• Vertically align topics and address current system of too many topics, not enough depth and little coherence
• Improve on the vague, not sufficiently detailed curriculum; standards should be expressed succinctly, coherently and with optimum brevity
• Enhance rigor from grade 5 on
• Define GLEs for grades 9-12
• Increase rigor of middle through high school standards
• Increase specificity of standards, showing a progressive development across grade levels
• Increase the depth of knowledge required as grades progress.

To view Florida’s recent math standards, adopted in 2007, as well as the new science standards, adopted in 2008, visit their Web site at: www/fldoestem.org/page221.aspx.

To review recommendations from researchers, visit:
www.fcrstem.org/uploads/1/docs/Math%20Standards%20FINALC%20Aug%207%202007.ppt.