Two Charlotte County Public Schools, including Punta Gorda Middle School, rose from a C to an A rating in one year, according to reports.
PHOTO BY NICOLE DROEGER
After missing it by one-quarter of a percentage point last year, Charlotte County Schools is officially celebrating achieving an “A” status.
In an announcement Wednesday, the district said the rating, given by the Florida Department of Education, is its first A rating in 15 years.
CCPS joins the ranks with Sarasota County Schools, which announced its A rating for the 23rd consecutive year in a row on Wednesday.
DeSoto County Schools stills holds onto its C rating, making gains in its literacy scores.
Only a charter-managed school made the “F” failing list throughout the three districts.
How the grading system works
Since the state started the program in 1999, school grades have become an annual tradition partly to keep schools accountable for their performance and partly to keep parents informed on the performance of schools.
Schools are graded “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F,” each school graded based on the components for which there is sufficient data.
Schools must test at least 95% of their students, according to the FLDOE.
The school grading system focuses the school grading formula on student success measures, including achievement, learning gains and graduation.
Districts are also judged on their acceleration success rates and maintaining a focus on students who need the most support.
For example, the learning gains of the bottom 25% of students in English are accounted for in a school’s grade.
In theory, there is room for celebrating all kinds of improvement, no matter how big, small, rich or poor a district or school is.
Charlotte County has a historic year
The distinction of an “A” district places CCPS among the top third of school districts in Florida, according to a news release.
Officials attributed the milestone to “significant academic growth and continued progress” across schools that resulted in a 39-point increase in overall accountability points compared to the previous year.
Now, CCPS is among Florida’s top 16 fastest-improving school districts and ranked No. 21 out of Florida’s 67 school districts.
The announcement said the district reduced the number of C-rated schools from six to two, with no district-operated schools earning a D or F rating.
10 CCPS schools earned an A rating:
Deep Creek ElementaryFlorida SouthWestern Collegiate High SchoolL.A. Ainger Middle SchoolLemon Bay High SchoolLiberty ElementaryMeadow Park ElementaryPort Charlotte Middle SchoolPunta Gorda Middle SchoolSallie Jones ElementaryVineland Elementary
Just last year, both Meadow Park and Punta Gorda Middle were at a C-rating.
Superintendent Mark Vianello said the achievement is the result of the collective efforts of students and families, staff and community partners.
He called it a “tremendous achievement” and a “proud moment” for the district, per the announcement.
“When a community comes together to support its students, extraordinary things happen,” Vianello stated. “This A belongs to all of us.”
The district’s A rating reflects progress across multiple groups the state measures, including student achievement, learning gains, graduation outcomes and college and career readiness indicators.
Sarasota County keeps its ‘A’s’ up and some
Just like its neighboring district, Sarasota County Schools also saw a big jump in its overall score, a 32-point increase within the state’s accountability system.
Every district-managed school earned either an “A” or “B” grade, some for the first time ever.
Emma E. Booker Elementary School and Booker Middle School earned an “A” grade for the first time since the inception of the school grade system.
Along with better school grades were better student gains, too.
Woodland Middle School, along with three South County elementary schools, jumped from a B to an A rating this year.
FILE PHOTO BY DANIEL FINTON
Every category measured in the district grade rose by at least one point, third grade English Language Arts achievement rising by 3 from last year, said a report.
South County schools that jumped from a B to an A include:
Atwater ElementaryGarden Elementary Glenallen ElementaryWoodland Middle
Notably, only one school — the charter-managed Innovation Academy SRQ, dropped — from a C to an F.
Like Charlotte County officials, Superintendent Terry Connor credited the success to the community as a whole, including students, staff and families.
“Historic gains at so many campuses speaks to what is possible when our teachers, leaders, staff, students and families work together with a shared focus on success,” Connor said. “This is a moment to celebrate and to continue building on.”
DeSoto County had wins and setbacks
The School District of DeSoto County is celebrating a few of its own achievements.
Every district-managed school improved its English Language Arts Achievement, with all five schools inching higher by at least 1 point.
DeSoto Middle saw the biggest gains, increasing by 5 points this year. West Elementary, which jumped 4 points, held the highest ELA achievement in the county.
When it came to school grades, one was not so lucky as last year.
DeSoto County High School dropped from a B to a C, re-joining the other four district-managed schools.
DeSoto County High School dropped from a B to a C, re-joining the other four district-managed schools in DeSoto County Schools, though all five gained traction in reading scores.
PHOTO BY CHLOE NELSON
The district is still an overall “C,” a grade it’s held since 2015.
Officials are still determined to keep pushing toward the next level.
“While we know we are not yet where we want to be, we are proud of the progress our students, staff and schools continue to make,” Reynolds stated in an email to The Daily Sun.
Although the district’s kindergarten class entered school with one of the lowest readiness rates in Florida, students finished the year exceeding the state average in every measured foundational literacy skill.
Reynolds said the district has been investing a lot in early reading and literacy coaching in young students, a priority recently seen reflected across the state in droves.
“These results show encouraging momentum, but more importantly, they reinforce that the intentional work taking place across our district is making a difference,” he said.
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