The Urban League of Palm Beach County and the Southern Poverty Law Center have filed a civil rights complaint against the Florida Department of Education. The groups say that Florida’s race-based goals for math and reading scores discriminate against students.
The complaint accuses Florida of holding some students to a lower standard.Almost a year ago, the Florida Department of Education laid out a strategic five-year plan that included goals for student achievement in math and reading. It was a controversial plan because the goals were differentiated by race.
For example, by the 2017/18 school year, the Florida Department of Education expects 92% of Asian students will pass their math tests at grade level.
For Hispanic students, the passage rate goal is 80%.
For blacks, it’s 74%.
At the time, supporters of the race-based goals said yes, the goals are lower for blacks and Hispanics, but they’re actually more demanding because those student groups have more catching up to do.
The complaint charges that the goals will actually worsen the achievement gap—and points to research that says low expectations result in low achievement.