Of the 181 schools in the Duval County School District, 21 received failing grades while 38 received ‘A’s for the 2014-15 school year, according to a new Florida Department of Education report on the district. Hillsborough had 85 “A” schools, 46 “B” schools, 65 “C” schools, 31 “D” schools and 25 “F” schools. Under the final ratings, Palmetto High was graded a C school.
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Lake, Orange, Osceola and Volusia counties eached received a B grade.
School districts also got overall annual grades.
The individual school grades were exactly what the state released last December when the state issued simulated grades based on projected achievement levels set late past year for last spring’s testing session.
The FSA was a tougher test than its predecessor, one meant to judge whether students had mastered Florida’s new academic standards in language arts math. The standards are a version of Common Core. Grades haven’t yet been calculated for Hillsborough High, Hillsborough Virtual School and Florida Virtual Academy at Hillsborough County.
But 2015 grades closely matched the 2014 marks because the state made it easier for schools to earn As when it revised the grading formula last month.
Duval County School District, which serves the Jacksonville area, received a “B” rating. “They are for informational purposes only, carrying no sanctions but rewarding those schools that we know produced good results for children this past year”.
The grades largely rely on student performance on the Florida Standards Assessments, or FSAs.
She said many groups, like parents and Parent Teacher Associations, take the grades seriously.
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The grades are usually released in the summer, but were delayed while state legislators conducted a validity study for students’ grades on the FSA. When learning gains are included in 2015-16, a school’s grade may have up to 11 components.
