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The Florida Board of Education has set new goals for students based on their race. The board has a higher bar for Asian and white students, and sets less lofty goals for Hispanic and black students. As Whitney Ray tells us, critics of the plan call the different standards demoralizing.

With this vote, the State Board of Education sealed a plan, laying out expectations for students based on their race.

The board’s strategic plan calls for 90 percent of Asian students and 88 percent of white students to be reading at grade level or higher by 2018. The bar is lower for Hispanic students at 81 percent and lower still at 74 percent for black students.

“It is demoralizing,” said State Representative Alan Williams.

Williams says the board needs to rethink its strategy.

“The Board of Education should probably go back to the drawing board as it relates to this and really get some more input from other constituencies,” said Williams.

The goals weren’t set haphazardly; they’re actually based on an equation involving how different races of students are performing right now.

Sixty-nine percent of white students read at grade level, 53 percent of Hispanic students, and 38 percent of black students hit the mark.

In a one-on-one interview with Education Commissioner Pam Stewart, she told me only the six year plan has goals based on race. By 2022 the board wants all students at 100 percent proficiency in reading and math.

“The board very clearly has a goal that 100 percent of our students will be proficient. It is in our mission, vision statement and so when we look at that we have to look at where our students are right now,” said Stewart.

Stewart also says students won’t notice a difference in the classroom, but critics say the message alone promotes division.

The board didn’t just set goals based on race. By 2018, the board wants large overall gains in math and reading. Right now only 57 percent of ALL Florida students read at their grade level and 58 percent are proficient in Math. The board is raising the bar to 83 percent for reading and 82 for math.