Broward Schools Bask in ‘A’ Status

By Hannah Sampson and Nirvi Shah, The Miami Herald

Jul. 9–Broward school district officials, sobered last year by disappointing school grades, put their party hats back on Tuesday when they discovered there were more A’s to celebrate and fewer F’s to fix.

The achievement was matched by schools across the state, which boasted 1,583 top-rated schools, 100 more than the year before. The grades, based on results of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, or FCAT, were released Tuesday by the Florida Department of Education.

In Broward, nearly 75 percent of schools received A’s and B’s, and 92 percent were graded C or above.

“That’s something that people should throw a ticker-tape parade for,” said Broward Schools Superintendent Jim Notter. “This is winning the Super Bowl, winning the NBA playoffs, the NCAA playoffs, a gold medal in the Olympics.”

The district moved to an A overall, up from a B the previous year. There are 141 A schools now, 18 more than last year.

‘F’ SCHOOLS

While there was plenty to cheer about, a handful of schools still struggled. Six schools in the district were given F grades, compared with 10 the year before.

Of the six, four are charters and two are traditional public schools. One of the charter schools, Smart School Institute of Technology & Commerce in Lauderdale Lakes faces closure after receiving its third F in four years.

Notter said he was surprised by Coconut Creek Elementary’s drop to an F from a D, though he had expected the failing grade at Sunland Park Elementary, which also got an F last year. An experienced principal has taken over at Sunland Park.

Some of the biggest success stories came from last year’s F schools, four of which moved up two letter grades to a C: North Fork Elementary, Lauderhill Middle, Hallandale High and Parkway Academy Charter High.

“Needless to say, we’re very, very happy,” said Lauderhill Middle Principal Leo Nesmith. “Everybody here is walking around with smiles and goose bumps.”

He said the school is focusing on its next goal: “At least a B.”

The principal at Hallandale High, though glad to have moved from an F to a C, also set her sights on the future.

“I’m grateful for what we received, but I know we’re an A school,” said Principal Rosemary Chambers.

Another former F school, Lauderdale Manors Elementary, saw continued improvement. After being a D last year, the school earned a C this time around.

Principal Heather Hedman-DeVaughn said the shouts of joy from her office got the attention of the school’s custodian when the state called her with the news.

“We were just extremely ecstatic,” she said.

The new grade is already posted on the marquee at Lauderdale Manors so the community can share in the joy. Same goes for Dillard Elementary, which moved from a C to an A.

“We had to share the good news with everybody,” said Principal Angela Fulton.

Many of the district’s 30 non-charter high schools performed well, with 10 moving up one letter grade and four moving up two. Statewide, high schools have been the focus of reform in recent years. To help freshmen become more engaged and less likely to drop out, Broward instituted ninth-grade transition academies at all high schools in 2007-08.

It’s a concept that works, said David Jones, principal of Coral Glades High in Coral Springs. That school, which has had a ninth-grade “conservatory” for a couple of years, moved from a C to an A.

Jones said the school goes out of its way to motivate and encourage kids to help make the switch from middle school to high school.

High schools have only one more year of grading under the current system. In the 2009-10 school year, FCAT scores will make up only half of a high school grade. The state is still figuring out exactly how it will grade schools then, but the formula will include other factors including graduation rates and the number of students who take college prep classes.

School grades presently are based on eight components, including the percentage of students working at grade level in reading, writing, math and science and whether students — especially those struggling with reading — are improving their math and reading skills.

MONETARY REWARD

Schools that receive an A or improve at least one letter grade receive $85 in reward money per student enrolled.

Statewide, nearly 2,000 schools can expect that money.

Broward’s success is reflective of gains elsewhere in Florida. In Miami-Dade, the number of A-rated schools jumped from 142 to 171 and the number of F schools dropped to 13 from 27. There are 45 F schools across Florida, 38 fewer than last year.

State Education Commissioner Eric Smith said he was impressed with schools’ performance.

“These school performances are reflective of the long-term commitment that Florida has had to accountability,” Smith said.

The previous record number of A schools was set in 2006, the year before state officials changed the school grading formula.

The changes, which included adding science FCAT scores to the mix, sunk many schools, boosting the number of F’s statewide from 16 in 2006 to 81 in 2007.

Whenever the state raises the bar “we see that initial increase in the number of F schools,” said Juan Copa, the education department’s research and evaluation chief. “But also after that bar has been raised, schools and district have responded.”

But there is some fear that deep cuts to education budgets at the state and district levels could mean a drop in performance next year.

“I’m very pleased with districts trying to make strategic decisions to maintain quality of service,” he said, but “certainly, the budget is an issue.”

Notter wondered how much performance would improve if Florida schools received more funding from the state. He said children in Broward achieved because teachers and administrators kept kids as their top priority.

“I only wish the Legislature would do the same thing,” Notter said.

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