State Educational Board Approves Safety Net for School Grades

This past Tuesday (July 16, 2013) the State Board of Education met via conference call to consider recommendations from Florida Department of Education Commissioner, Dr. Tony Bennett to revise the school grading process for this year.

In brief, the Commissioner Bennett had recommended one, the continuation of the transition safety net provision that prevents schools from dropping more than one letter grade and two, assessment scores of students attending ESE center schools such as Citrus County’s C.R.E.S.T school would not be applied back to the “home” school for students who have never previously enrolled in a non-ESE center school within the district and who score at the emergent level on the Florida Alternative Assessment (FAA).  On a 4-3 vote, the State Board approved these recommendations.  In effect, these changes will reduce the number of schools graded “F” from 262 to 108.

Why was this needed and why would Commissioner Bennett “pad” schools grade?

Recently it was clear that the new state’s school accountability system and particularly the school learning gains formulas appear are flawed.  As such during the discussion of these proposed changes, some State Educational Board members questioned the validity of the school grading formula.  As an example, it was pointed out that, out of 800 possible points for determining a school’s grade, a decline of 80 points (10%) could result in a decline of 3 letter grades (i.e. a decline from a “B” to an “F”).   Some State Educational Board members commented that the dozens of changes that had been made to the school accountability system had resulted in a school grading formula had become overly complicated and did not rely sufficiently on actual student performance.  Other Board members expressed concerns about adopting the Commissioner’s recommendations, asserting that the school grading formula should not be changed just because the results were less than ideal.

I am pleased with Commissioner Bennett’s recommendations and the State Educational Board members’ decision.   This new/revised school accountability system is flawed and needs to be reviewed and since teachers’, and school administrators’ pay is now tied to the Florida school accountability system it was plain wrong to use this new accountability system as devised.

If you have any specific questions on State Educational Board members’ decision please feel free to contact me.

*Information provided in part by Ruth Haseman Melton, Director of Legislative Relations for the Florida School Boards Association

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