Hillsdale College Asked to Advise on Standards for Florida Public School Students
HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale College, a national leader in classical liberal arts K-12 education, has been asked by the Florida Legislature and Department of Education to advise in their review and release of standards for public school students.
In 2019, the Florida legislature passed Florida House Bill 807. The bill requires state test specifications, instructional materials, and state standards for civics education to be reviewed by the Commissioner of Education in consultation with external education entities. Hillsdale College was among the selected group of education consultants. As such, Hillsdale College offered feedback on the state of Florida’s current civics state standards, in addition to the feedback Hillsdale College provided on test specifications in fall of 2019. Florida is expected to review the civics standards themselves by the end of 2020.
Hillsdale College was also asked to review Florida’s new standards in English language arts and mathematics, which were released in February 2020.
“Hillsdale College and its Barney Charter School Initiative are leading the effort to prepare the men and women of this generation to again govern the American Republic according to the principles of liberty,” wrote Kevin Hoeft, Education Policy Development Director at the Florida Department of Education. “It is my confident hope that Florida’s revised civics education standards will contribute to this noble and essential work.”
“As a national leader in K-12 education, Hillsdale College is honored to offer its knowledge and experience to the state of Florida,” said Dr. Kathleen O’Toole, Assistant Provost for K-12 education at Hillsdale College. “This review of standards complements our efforts to promote excellence in classical charter schools across the country through the Barney Charter School Initiative.”
The Barney Charter School Initiative is an outreach program of Hillsdale College, dedicated to the education of young Americans. Through this initiative, the College advises and supports tuition-free, classical K-12 charter schools across the nation. The initiative is affiliated with 24 schools, including six in Florida.