More Florida high schools get top marks

Florida has more high-performing high schools and fewer failing schools, state education officials said Wednesday.

Statewide, 78 percent of high schools earned an A or a B grade, up from 71 percent last year.

At the same time, the number of failing or F schools dropped to six schools ? 1 percent ? from 11 schools, or 2 percent.

The state Department of Education issues each public school and school district a letter grade ? from A to F ? each year based on its Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores. The exams are given in reading, math, writing and science.

Overall, Miami-Dade County Public Schools saw 25 schools earn an A; 11 received a B; and 12 received a C. Three schools received a D. No Dade high school received an F.

In Broward, 17 high schools received an A rating; 12 received a B; and another seven schools earned a C. Boyd Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes was the only school to earn a D, and Parkway Academy, a charter school in Miramar, earned an F.

This marks the second year the state used a more complex formula for high school grades. In the past, the state based the grades solely on how students did on the FCAT. For the 2009-2010 school year, the state began factoring in graduation rates, the SAT and ACT and enrollment in college-prep courses and dual enrollment.

For 2010-2011 grades, the biggest boost in letter grades came from students taking accelerated college-prep courses and dual enrollment, state officials said.

?I want to commend Florida?s students, teachers and school leaders for their hard work in helping students achieve academically,? said Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson in a statement.

The high school grades came later than usual this year, released after the winter break and six months after their lower school peers.

The state released grades for middle and elementary schools and the school districts in June. The Dade district, the fourth-largest in the nation, earned a B. Broward, the country?s sixth-biggest district, boasts of being the largest district in the state to earn an A.

This year, high school students had to take a more rigorous standardized exams, known as the FCAT 2.0.

Next year, the bar will be raised higher for students, schools and districts. In December, the state Board of Education approved a tougher grading system for the FCAT.

Miami Edison, one of two Dade schools that was in danger of closing last year, maintained its state-issued grade at a C. Miami Central, which also faced the threat of closure, slipped to a D. For the 2009-2010 school year, both schools boosted their grades to a C for the first time, but were faced with the threat of closure under the state?s rules for ?intervene? schools.

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Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/04/2573129/more-florida-high-schools-get.html

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