Other Articles in this Category
Another measurement, another passing grade for Gulf Schools
The Florida Department of Education provided parents and educators a new template for success this past Monday.
Gulf District Schools still more than made the grade.
The district was ranked 23rd among the state’s 67 districts in a numerical ranking of all districts passed on total points earned on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.
Under the numerical ranking, Gulf District Schools, an A district, earned enough points to place among the upper half of all districts in the state.
“We are in the top half, or high in the second third, of all districts in the state,” said Superintendent of Schools Jim Norton. “This is a new measurement. It shows we are doing some good things.”
The numbers derived under the state ranking are actually percentages.
The total is the sum of scores, based on percentages, for reading, math, science and writing; learning gains in reading and math; and scores for learning gains in reading and math among the lowest 25 percent of students in each school.
For example, the district earns points for the percentage of students reading at Level 3 or higher on the FCAT, considered at or above grade level. The percentages are carried out through all components of the FCAT.
The school district ranking is determined by the school grade points they earned based on the assessment scores of all students in the district that were enrolled for the full year.
Among Gulf District students, 72 percent tested at or above Level 3 in reading and 76 percent reached that same level in math. Roughly three of every four students is writing to grade standard; 63 percent of students made learning gains last school year in reading, 69 percent did so in math.
Among students in the lowest 25 percent, 60 percent made learning gains in reading, 66 percent in math.
“I think Gulf County is doing pretty good especially with the small number of students that we have,” said Sara Joe Wooten, assistant superintendent for instruction for Gulf District Schools. “This (measurement) is brand new to us, so we are pleased.”
A comparison with counties in the neighborhood provides further context to the performance of Gulf County Schools.
Calhoun County, a slightly larger district, was ranked No. 18 while Bay County, a much larger district was ranked 26th.
Liberty County ranked 28th, Jackson 31 and Franklin County finished 60th.
Gulf District Schools were just 25 points out of the state’s Top 10 and finished exactly 60 points behind No. 1 ranked St. John’s County. While 60 points behind first place, Gulf District Schools were 123 points ahead of Madison County, which ranked last on the list.
“It’s just confirmation of what we are doing,” Wooten said.
The district has been an honor roll and “high-performing” district five years running. The current grades for the county schools are all A and B grades.
The district-by-district ranking is the first phase of an initiative that will soon include a list of all of the schools in the state ranked by number within the three main school groupings: elementary, middle and high school, according to a press release from the FDOE.
The goal is to make it easier for parents to assess school district performance.
“Florida is considered a national leader when it comes to measuring the success of our schools,” said Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson. “The Florida Department of Education developed the first-ever school grading program in 1999, and since then we have provided our model to other states that wish to replicate our exceptional accountability system.”
Commissioner Robinson added that using education performance data is essential for measuring student progress and school effectiveness to ensure that Florida’s educational system continues to move in the right direction.
“Ranking districts and schools based on data-driven results demonstrates Florida’s focus on ensuring students receive a high quality education and provides another helpful tool for parents, educators and taxpayers,” he said.
The district rankings can be found at http://www.fldoe.org/SchoolDistrictRanking/. You may view Commissioner Robinson’s comments regarding the rankings at http://www.youtube.com/educationfl.
