Excellence happens in our public schools

A few months ago, I sent a letter to the Florida Education Commissioner asking to be held harmless on state math assessments for the Palm Beach County School District’s advanced math students who would be taking a math course and state exam a grade level above their assigned grade.

I am all for accountability, but it is difficult for schools to earn learning gains points when students test outside of their grade level — it means this year’s fourth-grade student would have to show the progress of a fifth grader from the baseline of their third grade test. Sound complicated? It is. This is why I did not want our schools to be penalized on the school grade formula for challenging their most advanced students.

The Department of Education refused our request, but it turns out we didn’t need it anyway. Of the 4,964 students who participated in our accelerated math courses, all of them took and passed the state assessment. This year, we are expanding the courses to be available to all middle school students. Students on this math track will likely complete Advanced Placement Calculus by the time they graduate, further ensuring their successful completion of a college degree and a competitive standing in the global workforce.

As the school district works to increase the availability of advanced curricula, students are rising to accept the academic challenges these courses offer. This summer, we received news of our first cohort of students at Okeeheelee Middle School earned college credit for passing the Spanish Language and Culture Advanced Placement test. Let me repeat that — these students earned college credits while in middle school.

At the high school level, enrollment in college preparatory classes has increased by nearly 25 percent since 2015. Our teachers are to be applauded for seeing the potential in their students and pushing them to take coursework that challenges them. Developing the grit that comes from accepting these challenges also pays off in higher education. Two-thirds of Palm Beach County students enroll directly in a post-secondary school after graduation and 86 percent tough it out without dropping out —14 percent above the national average. This is impressive persistence as many of our students are also getting accepted to the nation’s top 100 colleges and universities — 757 students for the class of 2017 and over 3,000 students since 2016 have joined the top 100 ranks.

Our focus on providing students with a global education is imperative to the future success of our students. The school district’s internationally recognized programs for students are expanding, with the addition of the International Baccalaureate curriculum at Royal Palm Beach High School and a three-year, $11.6 million federal grant to create new or supplement existing I.B. programs at Carver Middle School, H.L. Watkins Middle School, Palmetto Elementary School and Grove Park Elementary School. We boast an additional five schools recognized by the Education Ministry in Spain for their dual language program. This year, the district has its first Division of Global Education, a department created for the sole purpose of expanding the global education opportunities of students.

The graduates coming out of our schools in coming years stand to be the most academically and globally competitive students public education has ever produced. Excellence happens in public schools and I am excited to see our students continue to rise to new levels with the encouragement of their parents and teachers.