MY FAVORITE PART OF MY JOB IS VISITING OUR SCHOOLS. WE HAVE GREAT KIDS IN THIS COMMUNITY.
of setting are also using labs as an instructional room. It’s a big puzzle, but I am very blessed to have a supportive, cohesive team that wants to do what is best for our children and our teachers.” Tomyn acknowledges that the school board and his administration want to be able to provide an appropriate benefits package for MCPS’s employees, so that’s a priority. A program implemented last year using federal funds to provide breakfast and lunch for all MCPS students will continue through the 2014-15 school year as well. But perhaps the most recent and most notable change facing Tomyn is the changeover from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) to the aforementioned Florida Standards Assessment (FSA). “The Common Core State Standards are a set of standards to help guide instruction,” he says. “Common Core State Standards is not a curriculum. Florida has taken those core standards and amended them, calling it the Florida Standards.” The Mathematics Florida Standards and Language Arts Florida Standards will both be fully implemented across all grade levels during the 2014-15 school year.
“We as educators, parents and teachers have been waiting to see how we are going to be assessing our students on the new standards,” Tomyn adds. “The new assessment was designed and written by educators from the American Institute of Research, a non-profit organization. It was used for the first time in Utah and will be much more challenging and analytical than the FCAT.” Tomyn does admit, though, that the Florida Standards are much more strenuous and challenging even than the next generation of Sunshine State Standards. Tomyn stresses that it is not a mere regurgitation of answers. Instead, students are going to be expected to think critically and analytically. During the 2013-14 school year, kids were being taught the Florida Standards while prepping to take the FCAT. Now, with the elimination of the FCAT, students and teachers can focus on the newly implemented Florida Standards. “With this new assessment, we will probably see what looks like a drop in pass rates,” says Tomyn, “but eventually they will adjust and they will go back up. Our job is to prepare the students for
whatever direction they choose to take after graduation. I believe this test is a step in the right direction and will be good for our kids. Like I said, it’s going to be tough. We have to work together to prepare our children.” Tomyn adds that the countries that do well on international tests have already implemented standards similar to the FS. By introducing those critical-thinking skills here, America’s students will be better prepared to compete in the global job market. Failing is not an option for Tomyn. Although the standards may be tough, he believes our kids are intelligent, ready and up for the challenge.
“The school system here in Marion County means the world to me,” he says. “It’s important to me that we do well. I like seeing the educational system in action… the teachers doing what they do best, interacting with their students. My favorite part of my job is visiting our schools. We have great kids in this community. We may be facing some challenges in our future, but we have the people in place to rise to and overcome those challenges.”
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