The 2016 school grades were not bad for all districts

The impression one might get from looking at other media reports is that the state’s grading system was unfair and that Escambia County struggled like other school districts did around the state. That’s not the case.

If you missed the Florida Department of Education press releases on the grades, I posted it below. Escambia County has fallen significantly behind its neighboring counties.

Florida Schools Improved Their School Grade during the 2015-2016 School Year
~ Number of “F” schools cut in half since last year ~

Tallahassee, Fla., July 8, 2016 – Today, the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) released the 2015-2016 district and school grades, and the number of schools earning an “F” dropped by approximately 50 percent from 204 in 2014-2015 to 103 in 2015-2016. Additionally, 58 percent of schools that earned a “D” or “F” in 2014-2015 improved by at least one letter grade in 2015-2016. Overall, a total of 1,137 schools maintained an “A” grade or increased their grade in 2015-2016.

“Even as we have continued to raise the bar for student performance and implemented more rigorous standards by which schools are graded, Florida’s educators and students have continued to excel,” said Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart. “It is clear that our focus on Florida’s most struggling students is paying off, especially in our ‘D’ and ‘F’ schools, 58 percent of which increased their grade in 2016. The great benefit of our state’s accountability system is that it constantly shines a light on areas that need improvement. I applaud the schools which improved, and I encourage all schools to pursue excellence persistently.”

Highlights from Florida’s Panhandle include:

Escambia

Six schools are graded “A” in 2016 and 10 schools graded “B”.
In 2016, one school improved its grade from an “F” to a “C”.

Okaloosa

There are 19 schools graded “A” in 2016 and 13 schools graded “B”.
In 2016, 89% of schools are graded “A” or “B”.
There are no schools graded “D” or “F” in the district.

Santa Rosa

Eleven schools are graded “A” in 2016 and nine schools graded “B”.
In 2016, 74% of schools are graded “A” or “B”.
There are no schools graded “D” or “F” in the district.