Florida Gov. Rick Scott has signed an executive order suspending new 11th grade exams in English language arts,
the Tampa Bay Times reported.
The move came in response to a growing backlash from parents and teachers about the state's standardized testing program.
"Florida public school students have become little more than 'test drones' being bombarded with an array of standardized high-stakes tests which eat up as much as 45 school days per year," Thomas James, an association spokesman and Miami-Dade history teacher, recently
told the Miami Herald.
Criticism about Florida's testing system comes against the backdrop of a national debate about Common Core testing standards.
One of the likely 2016 GOP presidential contenders, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, has long defended the need to use tests to make schools accountable. That position has landed him in hot water with conservatives in the party and
diverges from the position taken by most of the other potential GOP contenders.
Scott announced his plans to sign the order last week, according to the Times.
Meanwhile, legislators in Florida are also working on a plan to overhaul testing, the Times said, and specifically whether to reduce the number of hours that students spend in testing.
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