Florida School Grades and AYP
GRADING FLORIDA PUBLIC SCHOOLS 2010-2011 Schools are assigned a grade based primarily upon student achievement data from the FCAT. School grades communicate to the public how well a school is performing relative to state standards. School grades are calculated based on annual learning gains of each student toward achievement of Next Generation Sunshine State Standards, the progress of the lowest quartile of students, and the meeting of proficiency standards.School grades utilize a point system. Schools are awarded one point for each percent of students who score high on the FCAT and/or make annual learning gains.
| School Grades (Grading scale for Elementary and Middle Schools) | |
| A |
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| B |
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| C |
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| D |
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| F |
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Grading Florida’s High Schools in 2010-11
50% of Grade Based on FCAT Components & Learning Gains, 50% Based on Non-FCAT Components.
Florida’s high schools are graded using the FCAT and learning gains components described on the previous paragraph (worth 800 points), plus several non-FCAT based components that account for 50 percent
of the high school grade (also worth 800 points). The non-FCAT-based grading components include the following
measures (note that measures counting for more than 100 points are weighted accordingly):
| • Graduation rate -- the percentage of students graduating with a standard or special diploma within four years of initial enrollment in grade 9, adjusting for transfers. [200 points] |
| • Graduation rate of at-risk students. Students are identified as at-risk if they score no higher than level 2 on the grade 8 FCAT in both reading and math. [100 points] |
| • Accelerated curriculum participation for students in grades 9 – 12, based on exams taken for AP, IB, AICE, and industry certification, as well as dual enrollment course enrollments. This component measures the combined weighted student participation count divided by the membership count of students in grades 11-12. Students in grades 9 and 10 may only be included as participants if they have successful completions (passing test scores, or, for dual enrollment, passing course grades of “C” or higher). [175 points] |
| • Accelerated curriculum performance – the measure of successful completions in accelerated curricula (as described above) divided by the weighted count of accelerated coursework participants. [125 points] |
| • Postsecondary readiness of students in reading and in math (calculated separately for each subject) as measured by the SAT, ACT, P.E.R.T., or the CPT. [100 points, Math; 100 points, Reading] |
| • Growth or decline in the data components of these measures from year to year. Schools that demonstrate an annual increase in their component points receive additional points based on the annual increase in points, up to 20 points per component (up to 40 points for components worth 200 points). Schools lose five points for this component if performance declines by 10 or more percentage points annually (with up to ten points subtracted for component worth 200 points). |
| Grade Scale for High Schools and Combination Schools (Based on a 1600-Point Scale) |
| A = At least 1,050 points |
| B = 990 to 1,049 points |
| C = 870 to 989 points |
| D = 790 to 869 points |
| F = Fewer than 790 points. |
tested and adequate progress of the low 25% in reading and math.)
Grading Combination Schools (Weighting Factors)
K-12 schools: FCAT components = 80% of grade. Non-FCAT components = 20% of grade.
6-12 schools: FCAT components = 70% of grade. Non-FCAT components = 30% of grade.
(From Grading Florida Public Schools - Florida Department of Education publication)