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School grades released School grades releasedFor teachers and administrators across Florida today was like Halloween. It was going to be either trick or treat when the Department of Education released their annual grades for individual schools.
The controversial grades are based on student scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, a series of exams in math, reading, science and writing. The grades are calculated based on student achievement and improvement from the previous year. Critics claim the FCAT provides only a partial picture of a school's performance. However, lawmakers passed legislation earlier this year that downgrades the importance of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test as the sole measure of how well the state's high schools are doing. Baker CountyBaker County Middle School continued to excel with another solid A. Principal David Davis and his staff should be commended for maintaining the first district school to receive an A grade. But according to Principal Davis it was concentrated effort to not just maintain the A, but to improve it. "We talked about how not to become complacent and rest on our laurels, so to speak," said Davis. "We all made the decision to "raise the bar" for ourselves–to be dedicated and work harder than ever before. We have a very professional and dedicated staff and a great group of students all working together." Call it the year of the comeback for Baker County High School. The district received good news when the high school improved from a "D" last year back up to a "C." BCHS received straight C’s since school grades were established in 1998 except for D’s in 2001-2002 and last year, 2006-2007. The percentage of students scoring above 3.5 went up in both reading and math compared to last year increasing the percentage of the students making learning gains at 50 percent for reading and 74 percent at math. The increase from last year’s 46 percent reading and 73 percent math helped raise the grade. Keller Intermediate School maintained a C. There was even more positive news. The Baker County School District improved to a B district from a C for the first time since district grades were established. "All our employees in the district have worked hard and worked together to accomplish a lot of positive things," said Superintendent Paula Barton. "Overall the district has done fantastic." DISTRICT SCORE - B Bradford CountyOnly one of Bradford County’s schools dropped a grade this year. Starke Elementary School dropped from a B in 2006-2007 to a C this past year. A significant drop in the percentage of students scoring 3.5 or above on math lowered the score. *Changes:
DISTRICT SCORE - C Clay CountyClay High School, Grove Park Elementary, and Ridgeview Elementary each dropped a letter grade from a B in 2006-2007 to a C this past year. It was celebration time at Ridgeview High School who got a double jump in score from and C to an A school. "We are just extremely pleased," said Ridgeview Principal John Westmoreland. "We were hoping it would be good, but had no idea how good." Ridgeview High implemented a new idea this last year with a 50 minute lunch break for the whole school allowing students time for club activities and tutoring sessions without having to worry about after-school transportation. "The kids love it and if they enjoy school, they will do better in it," said Westmoreland. Teachers also gave up their planning periods for a month and mentored individual students on a one-to-one basis in addition to hosting tutoring sessions during the extended lunch period. "The teachers and good teaching practices make the difference," said Westmoreland. *Changes:
DISTRICT SCORE - A Columbia CountyColumbia High School is the only D school in the county, but in spite of a 36 point increase in the points earned this year, the score remained the same. Four other Columbia County schools saw changes this year. *Changes:
DISTRICT SCORE - B Duval CountyThe most impressive successful turnaround in Duval County was at Rutledge H. Pearson Elementary in Northwest Jacksonville who jumped from an F in 2007 to a B this year. Seven local elementary schools increased their grade two levels from a C to an A; Arlington Heights Elementary, Garden City, Oak Hill, Ruth Upson Elementary, San Jose, Timucuan Elementary, and West Jacksonville. The number of Duval schools receiving F’s went down this year to eight from 11 in 2007. DISTRICT SCORE - B Nassau CountyWith ten of their 12 school A schools, Nassau County has a solid reputation. This year’s biggest winner was West Nassau High School who improved two letter grades from a D school to a B in 2007-2008. In fact, they only missed getting an A by 13 points, one of the largest improvements in the area. "Math has always been our strength and this year we focused on reading," said Dr. Cynthia Grooms, assistant principal at West Nassau. "We implemented new reading strategies across the board including P.E. and Social Studies. Everyone was committed to working together as one unit to make the improvement." In other changes, Fernandina Beach High School and Hilliard Middle-Senior High improved to an A. Yulee High School was the lone drop from a C to a D. DISTRICT SCORE - A Union CountyUnion County High School dropped to a D this year after across the board decreases in the percentage of students scoring 3.5 or better on the FCAT. In addition, the percentage of students making learning gains from the previous year also declined. Lake Butler Elementary garnered another A and the middle school retained a C grade. DISTRICT SCORE - C *Individual county schools not listed retained the same grade as last year. Grades across the state improved this year improved this year, with more schools than ever getting A's and B's and fewer getting a C, D and F. The number of F schools dropped to 45 statewide from 83 last year. "The school grades this year indicate that Florida's teachers and schools are going above and beyond to meet the needs of their students," said Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith. Schools who improve a letter grade or maintain an A grade will receive $85 per student in school recognition money, which can go to faculty bonuses or school supplies. For schools who receive an F grade, the Department of Education will assign a team to review the school results and determine the cause for the lower performance.
The Florida Department of Education has posted the 2007-2008 school grades on its web site. For all districts and individual grades and points check out http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/default.asp
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