School Grades Released Amid Controversy

(This post was written by Regional Editor Chris Taylor)

The grades are in for elementary and middle schools in Land O' Lakes, and Florida
The Florida Department of Education on Friday released statewide FCAT school grades for 2013.

Overall, the Pasco School District grade fell from a B grade in 2012 to a preliminary C grade in 2013.

Of the elementary and middle schools examined:
- The majority scored a C (18 elementary schools and 6 middle schools)
- 20 schools scored an A (13 elementary schools and 7 middle schools)
- None of Pasco County elementary and middle schools scored an F on the FCAT 2.0.

This is the second straight year the State Board of Education has altered the grading system with tougher standards. This year officials also implemented a "safety net" that prevents any school from dropping more than one letter grade.

That fact was not lost on Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning, who said this in a press release:
“Florida is seeing widespread declines in performance. Although, we want our students to do well and the FCAT 2.0 is one important learning indicator, we need to keep in mind that our schools are transitioning to new standards and we are stuck with an old assessment system that is not aligned to these new standards," Browning said.

"I continue to believe that moving forward, it will be important to keep our focus on developing a system that aligns curriculum, instruction, and assessment to these new standards in order to prepare our students for success.  In the future, as Florida develops a new accountability system, the FL DOE must evaluate the calculation of school grades to accurately reflect all factors that contribute to student success," he added.