Local News
Area high schools make the grade
Marc Valero | Highlands Today
Published: December 22, 2012
SEBRING - After years of "D" grades for Avon Park High and mostly "C" or "D" grades for Sebring and Lake Placid high schools, all three Highlands County high schools scored a good report card for the 2011-12 school year, according to the Florida Department of Education.Published: December 22, 2012
With a "C" grade, Avon Park High finally broke a string of "D" accountability grades dating back to 2005.
Sebring High achieved its first "B" after notching only "C" or "D" grades since the inception of the grading system in the 1998-99 school year.
Lake Placid High maintained its "B" grade after last year becoming the first high school in the district to earn a grade above a "C".
The grades look promising compared to the 2009-10 and 2005-06 school years when all three high schools notched "D" grades.
School Board Member Ronnie Jackson said they were hoping for a "B" grade at Avon Park High, but a "C" is a step in the right direction after many years of "D" grades.
Superintendent Wally Cox said he was very thankful for the efforts of the teachers, administrators and staff who continue to work hard to make a difference in the students' lives.
It's good to see all the grades improve, he said.
The number of Florida high schools and combination high schools getting an "A" grade for the 2011-12 school year rose to 231, up from 148 last year, in preliminary results released Friday by the Florida Department of Education.
While the results are encouraging given the move to more rigorous standards, they include measures approved by the State Board of Education to ease the transition for the 2011-12 school year, the FDOE noted.
In addition to higher achievement levels this year, the state moved to a more rigorous graduation rate formula for high schools and expanded the basis for college readiness measures, focusing on all on-time graduates, according to the FDOE. Next year, high school grades will include biology and geometry end-of-course assessments.
While elementary and middle school grades are calculated using assessment components, high school grades include both assessment-based components and other components, such as graduation rates and accelerated coursework.
School districts have an opportunity to appeal high school grades through Feb. 1. The results of that process will determine school recognition funds.
To receive school recognition dollars a school must receive an "A", increase its grade from the previous year, maintain its grade after improving two or more letter grades or receive a school improvement rating of "Improving."
mvalero@highlandstoday.com (863) 386-5826