My name is Kelly Meo. I have been a Kindergarten teacher in Broward County Schools for 30 years. I would like to oppose the excessive testing required by the district. Kindergarten students are expected to take 59 tests online. This includes logging in using a 10 digit student number and password. Each test has different processes to maneuver to complete them. For example, Benchmark Advance unit test is a split screen, a story on one side and questions on the other. Students must scroll up and down to see all of the answer choices,story, and illustrations. There are buttons on the top of the screen to click to hear the story read, and another to hear the questions read. It often takes multiple clicks to mark their answers because they must click the bubble exactly correct.
This is one example of one type of test. All of these tests have their own processes required to complete, each different. Some are in excess of 30 questions.
Couple this with glitches in both the programming and the computers themselves, the students short attention spans, this leads to many of them clicking answers just to finish. ALL of it takes away valuable instructional time.
While some testing is necessary to show growth and drive instruction, this construct doesn’t provide an accurate account of students’ learning

Research also shows that children at this age learn through play, conversations, exploration, and intentional experiences.
I would ask that testing be reduced. Our students deserve an education that is developmentally appropriate and filled with authentic learning opportunities.

My name is Dr. Trudy Jermanovich.
After the incredibly insightful material presented by the North Area Advisory, I began looking for related items on social media. The following post was about the issue of over testing and I sent you additional information via email. The author posted a series of statements to which many responded:
“Japan removed standardized tests for young kids to reduce stress, pressure & comparison.
Everyone expected grades to drop...But something unexpected happened: Children became more curious, more confident, and far more willing to learn.

Teachers reported:
Higher creativity
Better problem-solving
More teamwork
Less fear of making mistakes

Parents noticed their kids were:
Sleeping better
Less anxious
More excited for school
More emotionally stable

Researchers found that removing early exams allowed children to develop intrinsic motivation - learning because they want to, not because they're scared to fail.
When pressure drops, the brain learns faster. Confidence rises. And children become their real selves again.
If kids feel safe, they grow smarter.
If kids feel pressured, they shut down.
Choose the system that protects their childhood.”

Although we were talking about elementary school students, testing is a problem for every grade level in Broward Schools.
In this country and from this School Board I’ve heard of the concern about increasing suicidal ideation in teens, especially in girls. Are the incredible amounts of testing leading to tragic results? It has happened in other countries like China and Japan.
Let’s start with Elementary levels and give back teachers the ability to be decision makers in their classrooms. If you look at Florida state law, you will see that the only requirement is that the Board provide the STATE tests to students IN CERTAIN GRADES. This means that all of the other tests are being prescribed by the Superintendent and upper level administrators, not the State. This incessant data collection may be profitable for testing companies, but it is not good for students or for teachers.
As a School Board, isn’t that who you’re charged to protect from harm?

I am registering in support because I believe the district has a clear opportunity to strengthen legal compliance and protect student access to educational materials. The recent federal ruling in Penguin Random House v. Gibson narrowed the definition of what can legally be removed from school libraries and confirmed that districts must evaluate materials under Florida’s “harmful to minors” standard as a whole, not by isolated passages.

Because Broward removed 55 titles before this decision, our current practice is now out of alignment with the updated legal standard. Updating our procedures will reduce litigation risk, improve transparency for families, and ensure that we are applying the law consistently and fairly.

I look forward to speaking at the meeting and offering a policy framework that is low-cost, operationally realistic, and aligned with constitutional requirements. Thank you for the opportunity to participate.

I am in opposition to the amount of testing which is being required by the district. My name is Jordanna Egan, and I am in my 19th year as an educator in BCPS. I also serve as a cooperating teacher for student interns from multiple universities. Our current testing demands are not sustainable, not developmentally appropriate, and not aligned with what we know about how children learn.

This is not “progress monitoring.” This is instructional theft.

Kindergarteners—five-year-olds—are required to take 59 tests. Research is clear: young children learn through play, exploration, movement, and conversation, not by sitting at computers clicking bubbles. Leading child-development organizations warn that excessive academic pressure elevates cortisol, increases anxiety, and reduces intrinsic motivation. We are not building confident learners; we are creating children who associate school with stress.

Teachers want meaningful data, but the data we’re getting—especially through Performance Matters—is unreliable. Glitches, inconsistent scoring, and errors requiring retesting or manual corrections steal instructional time. Across a year, these interruptions add up to months of lost teaching.

The results of this over-testing culture are visible:
• Children overwhelmed
• Teachers exhausted and leaving
• Families frustrated
• Enrollment declining

As someone who trains future teachers, it is heartbreaking that the message they receive is that teaching is now about collecting data points. That is not why they entered this profession.

Our students deserve classrooms where curiosity is encouraged, not interrupted for yet another assessment. They deserve teachers who have time to plan and teach. They deserve an educational experience grounded in sound developmental practice, mental well-being, and authentic learning opportunities.

I am asking you to reduce the testing load immediately and meaningfully. Return instructional time to our classrooms. Prioritize children’s mental health over excessive metrics. Allow teachers to teach. Our students are human beings, not data points, and they deserve an actual education—not an endless series of tests.