S. Florida schools’ grades up; money too
South Florida has a growing number of A-rated schools and fewer schools ratedF, mirroring a statewide trend and potentially bringing more money per student, data released by the state on Wednesday shows.
Local charters and district schools showed the kind of big gains likely to appeal to parents who have plenty of options of where to send their children.
In Broward County, about 30 percent of schools received A ratings, up from 23 percent last year.
Almost 38 percent of schools in Miami-Dade County were A-rated, up from30 percent last year.
About 35 percent of
schools in Palm Beach County received the top ranking, an improvement from30 percent last year.
Schools with those grades are eligible for up to $100 in additional funding per student from the state, which can be spent on staff bonuses, equipment or materials, or temporary personnel to help maintain or improve student performance.
On the other end of the scale, Broward County had two traditional schools that received F grades. In MiamiCounty, the two Fs were given to charter schools.
And in Palm Beach County, the F-rated schools include three charter schools and two districtrun alternative schools.
Schools rated F get placed on a mandatory performance plan approved by the state and risk shutting down if they don’t change course.
“Some of the politicians have referred to public schools as failure factories,” said David Christiansen, deputy superintendent for Palm Beach County schools. “They might want to come to Palm Beach. We have no failing traditional K-12 schools.”
One of Palm Beach County’s success stories this year is Washington Elementary in Riviera Beach, which improved from an F to a B.
Some 21 South Florida schools improved from a C to an A, three improved from a D to an A, and one school, Poinciana Park Elementary in Miami, leaped from an F to an A. Some 18 schools jumped from a Dor F to a B.
Fourth-grade teacher Emily Vanderpool at Liberty Park Elementary in Greenacres was elated: Her schoolwas one of those.
“We worked so hard. We hoped it would make a difference,” said Vanderpool, who has taught at the school for 20 years. “If we didn’t improve, I don’t know what else we could have done.”
The state calculates school grades every year based on factors including student achievement, the number of students taking challenging courses, learning gains on standardized assessments and high school graduation rate, according to the Florida Department of Education.
The grades affect traditional and charter schools, which are publicly funded by privately run. Private schools are not graded.
All but four South Florida schools rated F last year improved this year, not including a few that received incomplete grades.
One of Broward’s biggest successes this year was Silver Lakes Elementary in Miramar, which jumped from a D to an A.
“There’s no magic secret. Just a lot of hard work focusing on the standards,” Principal Tammy Gilbert said. “Teachers put in a lot of time to guide the kids and care about them. It pays off when you see kids learning.”
Statewide, the percentage of schools rated A or B statewide rose from46 percent to 57 percent and the number of F schools dropped by more than half. And 79 percent of the schools rated F last year improved this year, the data show.
Elementary schools across the state saw the largest increase in “A” schools. About 540 of them, or 30 percent, earned the top rank compared to 21 percent the year before.
More than 70 South Florida schools made the state’s list of the lowest performing elementary schools, based on English language skills and learning gains.
Palm Beach County had 29 schools — the most in South Florida— on that list. Such schools must extend the day to offer more reading instruction.
Christiansen said the district is struggling with students who arrive at school with limited English skills and is studying how Miami-Dade County has successfully taught them.
More than three-quarters of South Florida’s most affluent schools — where 30 percent or fewer of the students are considered economically disadvantaged — earned an A this year.
Conversely, just about 15 percent of the the region’s poorest, where more than 70 percent of the students are considered poor, earned an A.
More than half of the region’s poorest schools that earned a complete letter grade got the same one that they did the year before, and about 11 percent fared worse. But some did improve.
In Broward and Miami-Dade, about a third of poorest schools improved their letter grades. Palm Beach County schools improved letter grades at about 22 percent of their poorest schools.
“We are extremely proud of the accomplishments,” said Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie. “Regardless of a student’s socioeconomic status or where they live, we provide them with a high quality education, and we overcome obstacles they have to ensure they have a fighting chance to be successful.”
Earlier this month, the state released standardized test score results, which showed that an increasing rate of students passed in South Florida.