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"The issue today is the same as it has been all throughout history, whether man shall be allowed to rule himself or be ruled by a small elite." 

    ~Thomas Jefferson~ 

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2022 NAEP Results Show Benefits of Keeping Kids in School: Highest NAEP Rankings in State History

Resilient Florida ranks 3^rd in the nation in Grade 4 Reading and 4^th in Grade 4 Mathematics

Last week, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the results of the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which demonstrate once again that keeping kids in school throughout 2020 and 2021 has put Florida students well ahead of their peers, especially with younger and educationally at-risk students who were harmed the most from distance-learning in other states. In 2022, Florida’s 4^th and 8^th grade students earned the state’s highest ever rankings in each assessment and demonstrated historic achievement gap closure for at-risk students at all levels. Florida’s Hispanic students, black students, and students with disabilities all scored in the top 10 in every category. 

NAEP Background

NAEP is a congressionally mandated program that is overseen and administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences. Results are available for the nation, states, and 27 urban districts, and are used to provide critical information about student achievement and data for improving educational practices. The current NAEP assessments were scheduled for 2021 but were postponed one year due to the pandemic. The next NAEP results will be reported in 2024.

NAEP assessments are the only assessment taken consistently across the nation and therefore serve as the nation’s report card. Last administered in 2019, the NAEP is administered every two years, although the 2021 assessments were delayed to 2022.

“We insisted on keeping schools open and guaranteed in-person learning in 2020 because we knew there would be widespread harm to our students if students were locked out. Today’s results once again prove that we made the right decision,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “We also knew that younger and at-risk students would be the most impacted if schools were closed, and the results speak for themselves. In Florida our 4^thgrade students rank #3 in Reading and #4 in Math, achieving top 4 in both English and Math for the first time in state history, while lockdown California and New York aren’t even in the top 30.”

“If we are meant to measure our impact by how we elevate our young generation, especially those most at-risk, Florida is clearly the #1 state in the nation in elevating its young people,” said Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. “Florida’s Hispanic and black students, students with unique abilities, and students on free and reduced-price lunch massively narrowed achievement gaps and proved the value of being in school in a classroom with their peers and learning in-person from Florida’s world-class teachers.”

These 2022 NAEP results affirm the predictions from national and Florida student learning indications over the last two years:

• Florida’s Spring 2021 Grade 3 Reading results showed early indications that school districts with higher rates of in-person instruction had more consistent learning outcomes and achievement gap closure between Spring 2019 and Spring 2021.
• Education Week’s 2021 Quality Counts rankings, which ranked Florida #3 for K-12 Achievement, further validated those early indicators with a long list of high rankings and student gains for Florida students.
• A November 2021 National Bureau of Economic Research report, “2021: Pandemic Schooling Mode and Student Test Scores: Evidence from US States,” found that the decline in students’ 2021 test scores as compared to prior years was significantly larger in districts which offered less access to in-person schooling. The same study cited Florida as an exception, as a state with a high in-person learning rate.
• A May 2022 Harvard study, “The Consequences of Remote and Hybrid Instruction During the Pandemic,” similarly found “that gaps in ‘math achievement by race and school poverty’ didn’t widen in school districts in states like Florida and Texas that mostly kept schools open.”
• In June 2022, Florida’s Math and English Language Arts (ELA) test results showed that African American students, students from economically disadvantaged families, and Hispanic students had gains on all Mathematics and ELA metrics.
• In July 2022, Florida’s school grades defied all expectations when 53 schools exited the School Improvement Support list in 2022; 100% of schools graded F in 2019 improved their grades in 2022, including one that earned a B and six that earned a C; and 84% of schools graded D and F in 2019 improved their grades in 2022.

Overall, the nation’s NAEP results show a national decline in Reading and Mathematics for 9-year-old students (Grade 4) and America’s most vulnerable students. In many states, this decline was due to government-imposed lockdowns and school closures. Yet, under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, Florida avoided widespread learning losses and Florida’s students are far exceeding the nation’s expectations. 

While Florida boasts historic rankings in all four NAEP tests, Florida’s achievement gap closures were profound across the board upon closer inspection, and these results are a clear indication that Florida’s strategy to focus its recovery on early grades and at-risk students paid off:

Grade and subject highlights include:

Grade 4 Reading

• 3^rd in the nation in average scale score — up from 6^th in 2019
•  Moved ahead of New Jersey, Utah, and Colorado from 2019.

• While Florida’s Grade 4 Reading Average Scale Score remained constant from 2019 to 2022, average scale scores actually increased for several Florida subgroups:

    -Hispanic students increased 1 point on average scale score.

    -Asian/Pacific Islander students increased 4 points on average scale score.

     -Students with disabilities increased 3 points on average scale score.

      -English language learners increased 3 points on average scale score.

• Florida is the highest performing large state; Pennsylvania is 9^th; California is 32^nd; Texas is 33^rd; and New York is 36^th

Average Scale Score National Ranks for Grade 4 Reading Among Florida Subgroups

• Black students are third nationally, up from fourth in 2019.
• Hispanic students maintained their number one rank.
• White students placed fourth nationally, up from ninth in 2019.
• Free/reduced lunch students maintained first place ranking from 2019.
• Students with disabilities ranked first, up from second in 2019.

Grade 4 Mathematics

• Fourth in the nation in average scale score.
• Only two points below the number one state in nation.
• Florida is the highest performing large state; Texas is 14^th; Pennsylvania is 17^th; California is 38^th; and New York is 46^th

Average Scale Score National Ranks for Grade 4 Mathematics Among Florida Subgroups

• White, black, and Hispanic students ranked second in the nation.
• Free/reduced lunch students rank first in the nation for the third time in a row.
• Students with disabilities rank first for the third time in a row.

Grade 8 Reading

• 21^st in the nation in average scale score, up from 22^nd in 2019.
• Among the largest states, Florida outperformed Pennsylvania (26^th); California (29^th); and Texas (41^st).

Average Scale Score National Ranks for Grade 8 Reading Among Florida Subgroups

• Black students ranked fourth nationally, up from sixth in 2019.
• Hispanic students ranked first nationally, up from second in 2019.
• Students with disabilities maintained second place ranking.

Grade 8 Mathematics

• 32^nd in the nation in average scale score, up from 35^th in 2019.
• Florida’s highest ever ranking in this category.

Average Scale Score National Ranks for Grade 8 Mathematics Among Florida Subgroups

• Black students ranked eighth nationally, up from 17^th in 2019.
• Hispanic students ranked fourth nationally, up from fifth in 2019.
• Free/reduced lunch students ranked 17^th nationally, up from 25^th in 2019.
• Students with disabilities maintained fourth place ranking. 

For more information about Florida’s 2022 NAEP results, visit NAEP Results or The Nation’s Report Card. 

ICYMI - DESANTIS/CRIST DEBATE

"We’ve accomplished an awful lot, but we’ve only begun to fight."

Governor Ron DeSantis addressed Floridians in the gubernatorial debate to outline Florida’s Freedom Agenda and the sweeping policy victories he has delivered for Floridians during his first term. While Charlie Crist votes with Joe Biden 100% of the time, enabling more headwinds from Washington, Governor DeSantis confidently stands on his proven record for education, public safety, immigration, and the economy.

LEADERSHIP: THE FREEDOM AGENDA DELIVERS RESULTS FOR FLORIDIANS

What the Governor said: 

GOVERNOR DESANTIS IS FIGHTING FOR YOU: 

“We will continue to fight the good fight. We will continue to run the race. We will continue to keep the faith. We’ve accomplished an awful lot, but we’ve only begun to fight.”

CHARLIE CRIST DOESN’T SHOW UP FOR WORK: 

“Do you know how many days [Charlie Crist] showed up to work in Washington, DC this year? 14 days. Imagine that deal for you. You show up 14 days and make over one hundred grand? That’s the type of effort this guy puts in.” 

What they are saying:

Red State: Ron DeSantis Takes Charlie Crist Apart in Heated Debate 

People will have to make up their own minds on that, but for my money, the beatdown by DeSantis was so thorough that I almost don’t even know where to begin. There are so many clips of him decimating Crist that I could easily cover a dozen different ones and still have more material left over. @RubinReport 

Really fascinating being at this debate. Crist is lying about literally everything he is saying. It’s endless. He has nothing else. DeSantis is moderate, calm and decent. People have had it with the endless lies. The choice is clear. @LisaMarieBoothe

FLORIDA’S ECONOMY IS OUTPACING THE NATION

What the Governor said:

GOVERNOR DESANTIS IS DELIVERING RELIEF FOR FLORIDA: 

“Crist votes with Biden 100% of the time, and he says that Biden is the best president he’s ever seen… Here’s what we’re going to do. One, we have the fifth lowest gas prices in the country right now, because we did do a gas tax holiday. We’re proud of that. What we’re going to do for Floridians who commute, we’re going to reduce tolls by 50%, statewide for all commuters in the state of Florida. We are going to make all baby items diapers, cribs, wipes you name it, tax-free permanently in the state of Florida, so you can raise kids and get by.”

CHARLIE WANTED TO LOCK YOU DOWN: 

“I can tell you as Charlie Crist and his friends in Congress were urging you to be locked down, I lifted you up, I protected your rights. I made sure you could earn a living. I made sure you could operate your businesses and I worked like heck to make sure we had all our kids in school in person five days per week.”

What they are saying:

Fox News: Laura Ingraham: Retaking America in 15 days 

Think about the insanity of Charlie Crist saying you’re an anti-business governor, when everybody in the country understands Florida is one of the two or three best places in the country to do business. I mean, Democrats are asking us to ignore our eyes, ignore our ears, pretend none of this is happening, and the country’s just too smart for that.

The National Desk: Crist slams DeSantis as ‘the shutdown guy’ despite Florida schools being among first in US to reopen 

However, Florida was in fact among the first states in the nation to bring kids back to school for in-person instruction during the 2020-2021 school year following the emergence of the COVID pandemic.

Washington Examiner: DeSantis pledges to implement permanent tax cuts in only debate with Crist 

DeSantis also highlighted the record $1 billion in tax cuts he and the legislature passed earlier this year; the gas tax holiday currently in effect; another 50% cut in tolls for commuters, which he plans to extend next year; Florida’s historically low unemployment rate, the second-lowest in state history; and the second-fastest GDP growth in the U.S. DeSantis also pledged to implement permanent tax cuts next year on a range of items including baby clothes, cribs and wipes, among others “so you can raise kids and get by.” His pledge came after he proposed last month to implement another $1.1 billion in tax cuts.

PUTTING KIDS FIRST AND PROTECTING PARENTS’ RIGHTS

What the Governor said:

FLORIDA IS THE EDUCATION STATE: 

“I think that teacher pay is really important, and when Charlie Crist was governor, he did nothing about it for four years. In fact, he cut education $300 million. What have I done? We’ve done the largest increase in teacher compensation in the history of the state of Florida. As you mentioned, Liz, we now rank much higher with the average minimum salary because we focused on that because we knew that was important to recruit good teachers.”

CHARLIE WILL LOCK OUR KIDS OUT OF SCHOOL: 

“We just got the nation’s report card, the results from all 50 states. Florida? Number three in 4th grade reading and #4 in the country in 4th grade math, and if you adjust that for demographics, we are #1 in the country in both. That would not have happened if we let Charlie Crist and his friends lock our kids out of school like they did in California and like they did in New York. We did it right.”

CHARLIE WANTS TO FORCE KIDS TO GET THE COVID SHOT: 

“I oppose allowing school districts to force students to get the COVID shot. Charlie Crist wants to force students to get the COVID shot. We passed a bill to prevent that. He opposed the bill when we did it. I think this is a parent’s decision. I think it’s wrong to force this on these kids. As long as I’m Governor, as parents, you’re going to have the ability to make that decision.”

What they are saying:

Breitbart: Ron DeSantis: Charlie Crist Is Waging the Culture War in the Classroom 

Democrat Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL) on Monday was utterly unable to defend his support of opposing legislation that protects young children from being taught about sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms, as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) made it clear that it is Democrats such as Crist who are waging a culture war.

Newsmax: DeSantis Touts Florida’s Math, Reading Scores, Rips ‘Lockdown’ New York, California 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday ripped “lockdown” New York and California for shutting down schools during the COVID-19 pandemic while simultaneously touting his state’s performance in reading and math in the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress, considered the nation’s report card.

KEEPING OUR COMMUNITIES SAFE

What the Governor said:

GOVERNOR DESANTIS IS PROTECTING FLORIDA FROM BIDEN’S BORDER CRISIS:

“We’ve had millions and millions of people pour in across illegally, we’ve had record numbers of fentanyl come in. We now see it ravaging our communities like never before. I didn’t hear people like Charlie expressing outrage about that. We’ve had criminal aliens come into the country. We just had a sheriff’s deputy from Pinellas County killed by a twice-deported illegal alien who came across the border illegally six months ago. I didn’t hear any of the outrage about that. It’s only when they go to D.C., New York, or, of course, Martha’s Vineyard that all of a sudden…” 

CHARLIE WANTS TO DEFUND THE POLICE:

“Charlie Crist has endorsed the idea of ‘reallocating’ funding away from the police. I guess to get the social workers, but if someone is robbing your house, you don’t want a social worker coming up to help you. You need the police. That’s why all these police groups are endorsing me, and they have said that Charlie Crist’s crime policies are very dangerous. He used to be tough on crime, six political parties ago. Now, he has admitted he softened up on crime.”

What they are saying:

The Hill: Five takeaways from the DeSantis-Crist debate in Florida 

DeSantis, meanwhile, accused Crist of being an accomplice to illegal immigration, tying the former congressman to the Biden administration’s “open border” policies. One central topic in the debate was DeSantis’s decision to use state funds to fly dozens of migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, the elite Massachusetts resort town. Crist accused DeSantis of playing with people’s lives for political gain, while DeSantis said he succeeded in putting the country’s migrant crisis “front and center.” 

@RNCResearch 

Gov. @RonDeSantisFL: “I signed legislation raising the penalties for people who are trafficking fentanyl.” “If you’re trafficking that garbage, that poison, you are killing people in our state and we are gonna treat you like the murderer that you are.”

@FLVoiceNews 

At the debate, Charlie Crist falsely claimed crime is up under Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration A report from the FDLE in 2020 shows that’s false. 

PUTTING FLORIDIANS BEFORE POLITICS

What the Governor said:

GOVERNOR DESANTIS IS PROTECTING WOMEN AND GIRLS: 

“I’m the father of a five-year-old daughter and a two-year-old daughter, as well as a four-year-old son. But my daughters are very athletic, and we signed legislation to protect the right of women athletes. You should not have someone competing on the men’s team for three years and then switch to the women’s team. Charlie Crist opposed that bill. He said he would have vetoed it. I’m going to protect women’s sports in the state of Florida.”

CHARLIE WANTS TO MUTILATE MINORS: 

“When they say gender-affirming care, they mean giving puberty blockers, to teenage girls and teenage boys, they mean doing double mastectomies on young girls, they mean chemically castrating young boys. That is wrong. We are not going to allow that to happen in the state of Florida… We’re doing the right thing, it’s inappropriate to be doing basically what is genital mutilation.”

What they are saying:

Fox News: Florida debate: DeSantis vows to put Crist ‘out to pasture’ as Democrat defends gender surgeries for minors  

DeSantis pushed back, arguing young teens weren’t in a position to know enough to make such a decision, and referenced another law preventing teens from doing certain things to their bodies. “If you’re a 15-year-old, you can’t go get a tattoo in the state of Florida, yet we’re saying you could get a double mastectomy? Of course not. It is inappropriate to do this for minors, and in Florida, we’re not going to allow that to happen here,” he said.

Floridian Press: DeSantis Accuses Crist of Supporting ‘Sex-Selective’ and ‘Dismemberment Abortions’ 

When asked if he supported a ban on abortion after 1 week, Gov. DeSantis told the story of the mother of his recently appointed Florida Supreme Court Justice Renatha Francis. Justice Francis’s mother went to get an abortion 40-years-ago but didn’t follow through with the procedure and now Justice Francis sits on the highest court in Florida.

Click here for the Team DeSantis photo gallery.

 DeSantis Re-Election Campaign Announces New Ad Featuring Pro-Fighter and Florida-Native Jorge Masvidal

“It takes a fighter to know a fighter… We need Governor Ron DeSantis fighting for Florida to keep us free.”

Governor Ron DeSantis’ re-election campaign announced, “Fighting to Keep Florida Free,” the latest TV advertisement featuring Pro MMA Fighter and Miami-native Jorge Masvidal sharing how Governor DeSantis is a fighter for Floridians. This 30-second television and digital advertisement is being aired by the Republican Party of Florida.

Inspired by his father’s story of escaping communist Cuba, Masvidal has been an outspoken advocate against socialism and communism and is a fighter for freedom. In March,

Masvidal campaigned with Governor DeSantis at an event in Miami.

Click here to watch.

Watch Hannity: Season 2022, Episode 214, "Thursday, October 27" Online - FOX

ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHLEY MOODY

As Halloween approaches, the Attorney General is warning parents about the dangers posed by rainbow fentanyl. This week, she visited the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and met with law enforcement and parents who lost children to this deadly drug. Law enforcement nationwide is seizing bright-colored fentanyl that resembles candy—some of these deadly drugs are even being found in toy and candy boxes.

Fentanyl is a highly lethal synthetic opioid and just two milligrams can be fatal—extreme caution must be taken. Even the DEA is warning parents about rainbow fentanyl after recently seizing 12,000 pills in popular candy packages at the Los Angeles airport. Additionally, DEA has seized approximately 15,000 colored-pills in Nerds and Skittles candy packages, and another approximately 15,000 rainbow pills in Lego toy boxes—all within the last month.

While cases of dangerous substances in trick-or-treat baskets may be rare, parents SHOULD ALWAYS inspect Halloween treats before allowing children to enjoy the sweets.

To help keep your kids safe: throw away any candy that is already open or that appears to be tampered with; make sure children remain in eyesight of you or other adults in the group; and teach trick-or-treaters how to call 911 in case of an emergency.

To those who plan to celebrate at parties, AG Moody urges you to not use illicit substances. Just one pill laced with fentanyl can kill.

SENATOR MARCO RUBIO

Marco Rubio Receives the Champion of Freedom Award from the Christian Family Coalition

The Christian Family Coalition was founded with the purpose of serving as a voice for the pro-family citizens of Florida to ensure that our religious liberties are protected from government intrusion.

The Christian Family Coalition works to introduce pro-family legislation at the state and local levels of government. We inform and educate citizens on where candidates stand on the issues that affect the traditional family unit.

The Christian Family Coalition mission is:

• Proclaim our values in the public arena and in the media.
• Train Christian leaders for effective social and political action.
• Inform Christians about timely issues and pending legislation.
• Protest anti-Christian bias and defend the legal rights of Christians.

Unity - Come Together to Win in November

As we approach the 2022 mid-term elections and the 2024 presidential election, and in light of the abject failure of the Biden administration, we know that the very survival of our republic depends on the outcome of those elections. Therefore, we must stay unified. Never lose sight of who our political opponents are… the progressive left Democrats who are taking our country off a cliff with the active help of Big Tech and the old-line national news media. Our fellow Republicans are not the enemy!