Florida Department of Education officials said they issued incorrect grades for 213 schools. Those changes mean nine school districts also earned a higher grade.
The Florida Department of Education released big news late Friday evening: 213 elementary and middle schools had received incorrect grades and would be revised upward.
After revising the scores, 116 more Florida school earned an ‘A’ grade on the state report card. Seven schools moved to a ‘D’ from an ‘F’ grade.
The revisions also mean nine school districts will earn a higher grade as well. Those districts are Collier, Desoto, Gadsden, Hillsborough, Okeechobee, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco and Union.
A higher percentage of charter schools earned an ‘A’ grade on the 2012 report cards than district schools, according to a StateImpact Florida analysis of grade data.
And the decline in ‘A’-rated schools was larger among district schools than charter schools.
But just as with district schools, the percentage of charter schools earning an ‘F’ grade increased this year. And a higher percentage of charter schools earned an ‘F’ grade than district schools in 2012.
The Florida Department of Education released grades for elementary and middle schools Wednesday. High school grades will be released later this year.
State leaders and school officials expected school grades to drop this year after education officials made changes to the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test and required students with disabilities and those learning English count toward a school’s grade.
But it isn’t hidden in Florida, which is one of a handful of states which tracks chronic absenteeism. Florida considers students who miss 21 or more days of schools as chronically absent.
Rural school districts tend to have higher rates of chronic absenteeism than urban district.
But Pinellas County is an exception. Nearly 18 percent of students in a school district of more than 125,000 students missed 21 or more days of school.
Those days stack up quick, according to Florida Department of Education data. Pinellas County students missed at least 467,586 days last year — or the equivalent of nearly 2,600 school years total.
Seven Florida high school’s ranked among the nation’s top 50.
But we thought it might be interesting to see how U.S. News’ ranking compared to the rankings the Florida Department of Education released last year.
A handful of schools showed a difference in the two rankings, but for the most part the rankings aligned. Florida’s top-ranked high school, Collegiate High School at Northwest Florida State College, does not show up in the U.S. News rankings at all.
One reason participation in college-level classes is low at rural high schools is because there isn't a lot of interest. Daniel Glawson, a senior at Sneads High in Jackson, Fla., wants to be a downhill pipeline welder for oil rigs. He welded this picture frame out of horse shoes in agriculture class. Glawson says he rather work with his hands than go to college.
In Florida’s rural counties, high school leaders say they can’t offer as many college-level courses as large urban high schools.
But rural students areĀ more likely to earn college credit for the college courses they do take, than urban students.
The Florida Department of Education has ranked more than 3,000 state schools.
Schools in Brevard, Miami-Dade and Okaloosa counties were the top rated elementary, middle and high schools, respectively, according to a school rankings the Florida Department of Education released Monday.
The agency followed up on its evaluation of state school districts by ranking all 3,078 schools from first to worst. Local school officials have criticized the district rankings because they are based solely on Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores.
The elementary and middle school rankings are based on FCAT scores. The high school rankings use FCAT scores, but also includes graduation rates, accelerated coursework — such as Advanced Placement — and college or career readiness.
[spreadsheet key=”0Av06TaO9jXYrdDlpVmlPSUZ1TEk3OFNJandSZGNOVlE” source=”Florida Department of Education” filter=1 paginate=1 sortable=1]
Children wait to shake hands with Florida Gov. Rick Scott during his January visit to the Florida International Academy charter school in Opa Locka, Florida.
Charter schools are an idea dreamed up by an obscure education professor in the 1970s which have grown into a primary alternative to traditional public schools.
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The wife of a Polk County Tea Party congressman led a failed effort to raise money for college counselors whose positions were eliminated.
Many students can no longer walk to catch the bus after districts merged stops.
School districts have been forced to make painful budget choices as state property values decline and the economy continues to sputter. More than $2.1 billion has been cut from state education spending since 2008, according to the state education department.
This year, districts are facing an 8 percent cut, or $542 per student.
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