All the talk about falling scores on Florida's FCAT tests has prompted the state's education chief to hold a series of public forums. The first one will be in Tampa tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Hillsborough Community College.
Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson defended the FCAT after the dramatic decline in student writing scores released last week but conceded that the state could have done a better job of explaining changes to parents.
It's called "Conversations with the Commissioner." It's billed as an opportunity for "parents, teachers and local communities to talk about education in Florida."
Robinson will be joined by Kathleen Shanahan, chairwoman of the State Board of Education, and MaryEllen Elia, superintendent of Hillsborough County Schools. It will be held in Room 106 of the Library Building at HCC's Dale Mabry campus, 4001 W. Tampa Bay Boulevard.
