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High School Grades Released; Penalty Takes ‘A’ From Northview And Tate
December 19, 2013
High school grades in Florida generally headed up across Florida, meaning the schools will face tougher standards next year.
In Escambia County, Northview High School improved one letter to a B grade, while the other high schools were unchanged – West Florida at an A ranking, Tate, Pensacola and Washington rated as B schools; and Pine Forest and Escambia rated as C schools.
Northview and Tate both actually earned more than enough points to receive an A rating, but both schools were penalized due to their at-risk student graduation rate.
Across the state, 8 percent of high school and “combination schools” received an A or a B in the 2012-13 school year, the state Department of Education said. The portion of high schools making the highest mark ticked up by one percentage point over 2011-12, to 48 percent, while 30 percent of schools made a B, slipping from 32 percent a year ago
“With more high schools earning A’s, it is clear that our teachers are succeeding in providing Florida students with a quality education,” Gov. Rick Scott said in a news release announcing the numbers.
But the high grades will also spark tougher standards under a State Board of Education rule, adopted in 2011, that requires the standards to rise if 75 percent of any group of schools makes the two highest marks. State officials said Wednesday this marked the first time the new rule has been used.
For example, high schools will now have to score 70 percent of the points available on the state’s grading system, up from 66 percent, to get an A. The standard will increase from 62 percent to 65 percent for a B, and there will be smaller increases in the scores necessary for C and D grades.
Education Commissioner Pam Stewart praised teachers and students for the progress.
“They are doing a good job, and it is really important that we continue to raise the bar as Florida his done, historically, over the years,” she said.
Stewart said that scores could still slip after new tests based on those standards are implemented because Common Core is expected to be more rigorous than the state’s current guidelines.
“I think it’s fair to say that, just as with this move on our high-school grading we are raising the bar, that’s what we’ll be doing in ‘14-’15,” she said.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
Comments
10 Responses to “High School Grades Released; Penalty Takes ‘A’ From Northview And Tate”
@Mk the children with learning disabilities are being failed by our system I spend more time with my child than you could even imagine I have fought for my child until it is now useless I am not the only parent who has done the same. It just truly saddens me that our system finds it ok to keep 16 year olds on middle schools because they can’t make the grades while being mainstream. As far as an easy grade sorry if I would just like my child along with others to some times make a passing grade to atleast feel good about theirselves. Anyway if a child has an average IQ goes to school everyday completes all of their work with NO behavior problems and still fails Who’s at fault? ….the parent right.
Ms. Shaw…I totally understand that we depend on teachers to help grow and develop our children, and that our system may be lacking, but how dare you prejudge any of these children and label them as a failure. Tell me, how much time do you spend with your children ensuring that they are not a “failure”? If you are not pleased with your child’s progress, then get in the trenches and help them. The worst thing you could do for your child is to allow easy grades. That will only lead to entitlement.
I wish my ese child could get a few easy grades….I think I’m gonna convince him F’s are Fantastic. I agree Preda until teachers decide to stand up and help these children parent’s will just have to deal with their child being a failure.
Children with real learning disabilities have been mainstreamed it is NOT their fault if they take a test over it seems that if the schools would try to help instead of causing tremendous anxiety issues with these children it would be a great advantage to our community but again it is all about money the district does not wont to help these children they would like to get them out of their schools so scholerships are allowed to these children and private schools gladly get the money. Our teachers do take a lot of blame but maybe they should stand up for the children and maybe they could learn something instead of learning nothing all day. The children are set up to be failures from a very young age when teachers will not stand up and tell how wrong it is for the children to not make passing grades. Parents can not fight for changes for these children alone.
JW….
There are follow up studies done both by the state and federal agencies on graduates. Generally these are done to find if the students have found employment in the Vocational / Career & Technical fields they studied in high school. The agencies use certain demographic data to track the students and use data from the employers reports to the state and feds.
If a certain field of study is not hiring enough persons or if graduates have sought employment in areas other than what they studied there may be penalties assessed to the school districts. What that means is even if a program is popular to the student’s personal growth and needs but there are not enough jobs in an area the program may be discontinued.
Some students move out of state to work or attend postsecondary education and those are more difficult to track.
At one time there was a mail out of postage type cards to graduates at pretty much the intervals you suggested to follow their progress. Unfortunately, few students took the time to complete and return the evaluations.
There was a time when a high school graduate could get a fairly good job and a college graduate was almost guaranteed a good job. That is no longer the case and with many technical field jobs being sent to other countries the trend will continue.
Personally, one of the greatest promotions in recent times has been the Made in America movement which advertises and moves forward goods and merchandise produced in the United States of America. I fully support that because it helps to put jobs into the hands of Americans.
Others, like the group that has recently made the knit gloves for the USA Olympians should be called to task because those are Made in China. If they are for our finest American athletes then their equipment and clothing should, in my opinion, be Made in America.
I agree with Robert & Susan. My child has classes where the students are allowed to take tests 3 & 4 times until they pass it. I don’t think this help our children or gives them the proper initiative to do their best, the first time. Not to mention taking time aways from other lessons. I have the highest regard for our teachers. They work hard & get little pay or credit. They are not miracle workers. First & foremost it is our duty as parents to monitor our children & help in which ever way we can. The school day doesn’t end for us just because the last bell has rang. PARENTS, STEP UP & make sure your students are going to school & graduating. Go back to when an A was an A and scores wern’t manipulated. The school rankings are a joke & there is to much emphasis on the FCAT testing.
Dear Susan,
I understand what you are trying to say, but trust me, the Common Core should not be the talisman to which the grading system aspires. Let’s go back to the basics: REAL READING, REAL WRITING, and REAL ARITHMETIC! You know, the kind that applies to real-world business applications and living.
This article should be apparent to anyone that the school grading system is a joke. There is no way that Northview can control who comes in the 9th grade and when they exit. School scores should be adjusted after the common core standards are tested. Better yet this grading system needs to go away.
“With more high schools earning A’s, it is clear that our teachers are succeeding in providing Florida students with a quality education,” Gov. Rick Scott said in a news release announcing the numbers.
Has anyone thought of doing a study with the kids after graduation on if they feel they received a quality education? Maybe a time course study – At graduation, 1 year, 3 years and then 5 years post graduation.
It seems the proof is in the pudding on whether these kids can hack it in college, vocational school, or job market. I have been hearing for years from kids graduating from our district that when they enter college they are unprepared for college and the expectations of what they should already know. Where is the disconnect? Where are we failing our kids? What can we learn from them on what we need to improve?
School grades are arrived at through a process of contorted calculations and the possible drop-out rate of a school figures into the determinations. That is similar to judging a business’ success potential by the number of persons who will not shop there.
Remember, that after the tests were made more difficult and the student’s scores were lower than what the Legislature wanted, they altered the calculation process and made it easier for students to have higher grades on the test and thus the school grades improved.
What this all means is that whenever a legislative body is able to manipulate the scores on tests so things will look better, then the test scores have no real meaning.
At one time the legislature used the term “sanitize” when referring to statewide testing when they raised the scores by lowering the bar.
We need to test our Legislature.