Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The passing grade for Florida's standardized writing test has been lowered by an emergency rule, keeping the failure rate basically unchanged, TBO.com reports.
Was this the right call? What are your thoughts on the FCAT? Post your comment below. The passing grade for Florida's standardized writing test has been lowered thanks to an emergency rule instituted Tuesday, keeping the failure rate basically unchanged from a year ago, TBO.com reports. "The State Board of Education unanimously passed the rule today after preliminary results showed only about a third of students would pass this year," according to TBO's story. That would have been down from 80 percent or better on last year's writing portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), TBO reports, a decrease that came after the test was made more difficult. The FCAT writing test is taken by 4th-, 8th- and 10th-graders. Read more …
Sunday, May 13, 2012
National championship second-place finish qualifies team for world finals.
Having built a C02-powered balsa car using computer-added design, Braden River High School's Pirate Racing won second place at the Formula One in Schools National Championship at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday. The team of four students also had to give a 10-minute verbal presentation and design a 20-page portfolio and pit display. They won for best portfolio. Having placed second overall, the team has been guaranteed a spot in the Formula One in Schools World Finals, which is scheduled for this fall in a country yet to be announced. "This has been an incredible experience for our team. We have worked so hard and coming up here to Michigan and competing against such great teams has made all of our work well worth the effort…
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Michael Long of Sarasota, and Lakewood Ranch High graduate, is one of 15 students in the U.S. selected as a Kremlin Fellow.
A New College of Florida student will be headed to Russia for a prestgious fellowship this month. New College of Florida student Michael Long was named a 2012 Kremlin Fellow, one of only 15 student leaders selected from colleges and universities nationwide, including Harvard. Long will represent the Florida Student Association (FSA) and New College when he meets with Russian government officials, entrepreneurs and student leaders in Moscow from May 25 to June 3, 2012. Long, a Sarasota native and graduate of Lakewood Ranch High School in Bradenton, was the youngest student elected to chair the FSA for a one-year term, which ends in May 2012. Long is an environmental studies major currently serving a second term as president of the New …
27.384661
-82.559112
New College of Florida
5800 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota, FL
/articles/new-college-student-heads-to-russia-as-kremlin-fellow
1641722
/locations/6984051
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Venice Resident Jacqueline MacPherson Named SCF Outstanding Graduate at the Sarasota Manatee campus
Graduation season has begun. First up: State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. Students there marched in their Spring 2012 commencement exercises Saturday in Neel Performing Arts Center at SCF Bradenton, 5840 26th St. West. Two ceremonies were held to accommodate the 279 graduates who participated. More than 800 students were eligible for graduation. In addition to associate degree graduates, 14 students received their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees. The Outstanding Graduate Award was presented to Jacqueline MacPherson, for showing superior leadership, academic achievement and community service while attending SCF. MacPherson served as a student state secretary and student delegate for the Florida Dental Hygiene Association and…
Friday, May 4, 2012
Chris Peterman of Bradenton ifiled and appeal to the Provost as set out in the handbook but has not heard back from the school.
In his four years at Bob Jones University Christopher Peterman of Bradenton learned a lot. But not all of the political science major's lessons were sanctioned by the college and for that, it seems, he will not graduate. Peterman has appealed his expulsion over racking up demerits for doing things like organizing a protest on campus, posting song lyrics by Contemporary Christian bands on his facebook page, watching the television show Glee and reaching out to outside authorities for help in being able to take his finals and graduate on Saturday. The college senior had interned with Congressman Vern Buchanan for a semester and asked him about his options as his demerits were piling up. He also reached out to Sen. Marco Rubio and the …
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Chris Peterman, a senior at Bob Jones University, racked up demerits after he created an activist group on campus, and ultimately was kicked out when his last demerits were issued for watching the television show "Glee" off campus.
A 23-year-old student at Bob Jones University from Bradenton has been kicked out of school after bucking the administration. But it's the act that resulted in his final demerits, that's causing a stir. It was a story first reported by WSPA, Chris Peterman said he was kicked off campus this week when he contacted the Department of Education and the university's accreditation agency, after he complained of being targeted by the conservative school's administration. In late 2011, Peterman formed an activist group on campus, "Do Right BJU," which raised awareness of sexual abuse and provided support to those suffering from sexual abuse. When the administration had a problem with a demonstration on campus, as well as the group's active Facebook…
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Winners from Sarasota, Bradenton and all around the world were honored at a reception Tuesday evening at the Ringling College of Art + Design for Embracing Our Differences art exhibit.
It's a project to celebrate people's differences, or to embrace them, and the winners of the "Embracing Our Differences" art and quotation contest are just as diverse. Take the Adult Best In Show winner Andrea Rankin of Sarasota — a student at Sarasota County Technical Institute. "I'm not used to being the center of attention," she said. "When I hear someone using the word inspiring on me tonight, I … I'm speechless. It makes me feel so good." Rankin and other winners from Sarasota, Bradenton and all around the world were honored at a reception Tuesday evening at the Ringling College of Art + Design for Embracing Our Differences, an exhibit that featured oversized art and quotations promoting inspirational art and has been displayed on …
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Armand Assante will participate in the Phil Galvano Golf Classic to raise money for Manatee County Schools.
Armand Assante has taken part in more than 100 movies and television shows, including American Gangster, The Marrying Man and The Mambo Kings. He's played a spy in the television series Chuck and has played John Gotti in a television movie. Now he's made the Manatee Education Foundation an offer they just can't refuse. The Emmy Award-winning actor will bring star power to the 16th annual Phil Galvano Golf Classic designed to raise money for Manatee County’s Public Schools through the Manatee Education Foundation. The Education Foundation is looking for sponsors for the event. Top sponsors will have the opportunity to meet Assante at an exclusive lunch. This year’s tournament will be held on May 18 at the Legacy Golf Club at Lakewood Ranch…
Monday, April 16, 2012
Schools are quiet zones as the annual FCAT gets under way. Are your kids feeling the pressure?
Every day, people in 19 Tampa Bay Patch communities talk to one another, exploring local, state and national issues through the lens of their neighborhoods. But some issues are big enough that we all can benefit from a broader discussion that includes a vast range of perspectives. One issue that's been getting attention in many communities is the start of today’s Florida Comprehensive Assessment Testing. With students in grades three through 10 pulling out their No. 2 pencils today, we’re hearing reports of youngsters cracking under the pressure. Some parents are reporting children who cried themselves to sleep last night. Others are saying their children are taking everything with a grain of salt. We’d like to know what you think about …
Saturday, April 14, 2012
The annual "Embracing Our Differences" exhibit at Island Park features artwork and quotes from local students celebrating diversity.
Oversized artwork on Sarasota's Island Park is out to celebrate diversity thanks to student and professional work from Sarasota and Manatee county students. The exhibit is called "Embracing Our Differences" and it's a project of Coexistence, Inc., a local non-profit that began in 2004. The project showcases a community-based outdoor exhibit promoting positive, inspirational artistic and verbal expressions of inclusion, tolerance, acceptance and respect. Ringling College of Art + Design will host the 2012 Artist and Quoters Reception for Embracing Our Differences honoring students and professional artists/writers whose work is included in this year’s exhibit at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the college's Ulla Searing Student Center and Exhibition Hall…
27.333182
-82.545728
Bayfront Park
1 Marina Plz, Sarasota, FL
/articles/viewfinder-embracing-our-differences-exhibit
1733548
/locations/6802630
Dennis M
7:22 pm on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
They are in the union....they don't have to perform....their jobs and benefits are protected.....why do taxpayers put up with this union bs for public employees. more ›