School grades up in Palm Beach, flat in Broward

South Florida school grades improved in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties but stayed flat in Broward County in 2018, according to the state’s public report card released Wednesday.

Broward school officials said they were pleased that 96 percent of district-run schools received a C or better, despite dealing with the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High during the same semester that students took state tests.

“Our School Board members and I appreciate the tremendous work and dedication of our teachers, school leaders, students,

families, staff members and our entire Broward community,” Superintendent Robert Runcie said. “We know this has been a difficult school year for our entire community.’’

School grades are based mostly on how well students perform on the Florida Standards Assessment and state-required End of Course exams for certain subjects.

Parents often check them before enrolling their children, and real estate agents often tout them when selling houses. Educators feel judged by their schools’ grades, and schools that improve, or keep their As, earn extra money from the state. Top grades are often a point of pride for schools and their communities.

But the grades, critics note, often mirror the economic status of a school’s students because children living in poverty often struggle academically and score lower on standardized tests. In South Florida: Broward had 87 schools rated as A, compared with 88 last year; 69 B’s vs.62 last year and 110 C’s, compared with 126 last year. The number of D schools doubled to 18, while only one school received an F, down from four last year.

The major progress was in Miami-Dade County where 201 schools received A grades, up from 169 last year and 119 received B’s, compared with 120 last year. There were 101 schools graded C (124 last year); eight rated D (22 last year) and one school received an F, down from two last year.

In Palm Beach County, 83 schools were A-rated, up from 72 last year; 44 schools received B’s, (47 last year); and 64 were C’s, (68 last year). Palm Beach County had four D schools, compared with nine last year, and one F, the same as last year.

“This is extremely good news for our community,” said Keith Oswald, chief academic officer for Palm Beach County schools.

Statewide, Florida’s public schools saw better grades this year compared with last year, with a bigger percentage earnings As or B’s and a smaller slice getting Fs, state officials said.

Districts also receive overall letter grades, and both Palm Beach County and Miami-Dade improved from a B to an A, while Broward remained a B this year.

“For the first time in our system’s history, [MiamiDade] becomes an A-rated school district. Not only did our school district earn an A-rating for the first time ever, but for the second year in a row, there were NO Frated traditional schools,” Superintendent Alberto Carvalho tweeted.

Broward County

Most schools rated A last year maintained that status this year.

“Western High School is an A rated school again! That’s 8 out of the last 9 years!” tweeted Jimmy Arrojo, principal of the Davie school. “Great job everyone!”

Renaissance Charter School in Plantation ranked among the most improved, climbing from a D the past two years to an A this year. Sunshine Elementary in Miramar and Atlantic Montessori Charter School’s west campus in Pembroke Pines both climbed from a C to an A this year.

Stoneman Douglas High received special permission from the Legislature this year to excuse students from testing because of the Feb. 14 shooting that killed 17 teachers and students. The state allowed the school to keep its A grade. Nearby Westglades Middle and Parkland’s three elementary schools took the tests this year, and all maintained their A grades.

Three of Broward’s Frated rated schools last year improved to a C: Dr. Martin Luther King Montessori Academy in Fort Lauderdale; West Broward Academy in Margate and Kidz Choice Charter School in Pembroke Pines. A fourth, Larkdale Elementary in Fort Lauderdale, improved to a D.

The sole F-rated school this year in Broward County was North Side Elementary in Fort Lauderdale.

Six schools have yet to receive grades as the state reviews possible issues with their test score data. These schools are Collins Elementary in Dania Beach; Northeast High in Oakland Park; Coconut Creek High, North Lauderdale PK-8 Charter School of Excellence; Bridgeprep Academy of Hollywood Hills and International School of Broward in Hollywood. All of those schools received C’s last year except Collins, which was Arated.

Palm Beach County

While many Palm Beach County schools improved their grades, several elementary schools in Boynton Beach dropped one grade, including Freedom Shores, which got a C; Poinciana, now B-rated, and Rolling Green, which got a D.

Of those which improved, Pine Jog Elementary in West Palm Beach got an A, up from a C last year. Forest Park Elementary in Boynton Beach is now a B school, and Plumosa in Delray Beach also got a B.

Orchard View Elementary in Delray Beach improved from a C to B. The school, a participant in the state’s Principal Autonomy Program, got extra money from the state and was exempt from many policies in areas such as textbooks, curriculum and staffing. Principal Lisa Lee said her goal was to improve by one grade each year before making it to an A.

“We are very proud,” Lee said. “We have had a strategic turnaround plan in place since I have been here for the last two years, and hard work from students and staff pays off.”

Glade View Elementary in Belle Glade, which was not a participant in that program, got an F, down from a C, and was the only school in the district to get the lowest possible grade.

Boca Raton schools mostly maintained their A grades, although two maintained their Bs, Boca Raton Elementary and J.C. Mitchell Elementary.

Oswald, the deputy superintendent in Palm Beach County, said he was happy that three low-performing schools called “Schools of Hope” by the state emerged from their struggling status and no longer risk having a state-supported charter school open nearby. The schools were Gove Elementary in Belle Glade and Palm Beach Lakes High School in West Palm Beach, which improved from a D to a C, and West Riviera Elementary, which went from a D to a B.

Still, two schools with low grades now enter the Schools of Hope category. Lake Shore Middle got a D for the second year in a row, and Glade View Elementary fell to an F from a C. Oswald said the state gives the schools, both in Belle Glade, a year to turn around before tax money would be redirected to the charter schools.

Charter schools in Palm Beach County mostly kept the grades they earned last year, although several showed improvement, including University Preparatory Academy Palm Beach, which jumped to a C from an F. Renaissance Charter School West Palm Beach and Ben Gamla Palm Beach also upped their grades to an A from a B.

Two schools received incomplete grades: K.E. Cunningham/Canal Point Elementary and Bright Futures Academy in Palm Beach Gardens, both of which were C-rated last year.

Miami-Dade County

In Miami Dade County, the most improved schools include Melrose Elementary in Miami, jumping from a D to an A, and Theodore and Thelma A. Gibson Charter School, which jumped from an F to a B. Another school rated F last year, Miami Community Charter School, improved from an F to a C.

The one F-rated school this year was a new school, Arts Academy of Excellence in Opa-locka.

Fourteen schools in Miami-Dade received incomplete grades.

Statewide, 58 percent of schools earned A’s or B’s — up from 56 percent last year, with 1,027 schools getting A’s compared to 987 last year, according to Gov. Rick Scott’s Office, which announced the grades.

The number of F-rated schools fell from 43 statewide to 33.