High school grades were released yesterday by the Florida Department of Education, and Duval County schools continue to improve.According to the data, 48 percent of high schools statewide earned an "A" for the 2012-2013 school year.
That’s a 17 percent increase over last year. The number of "F" schools also went up, from three in 2012 to eight this year.
The number of schools with "F" grades in Duval County held steady at zero while other schools improved, says Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti.
"We saw a number of schools reach 'A' for the first time in their history. Two in particular: Lee High School went from a 'C' to an 'A,' and is an' A' school for the first time, and Atlantic Coast is also an 'A' high school for the first time,” Vitti said.
In Duval County, six high schools — Lee, Fletcher, Wolfson, Mandarin, First Coast and Atlantic Coast — earned better grades this year than in 2012.
Five schools — Jackson, Englewood, Ribault, Raines and A. Philip Randolph Academies — did worse.
The grades for the remaining 12 schools were unchanged from 2012 to 2013.
Seventy-one percent of the county's public high schools earned an 'A' or a 'B' this year, the most in district history.
Vitti says the district plans to appeal the grades of two schools; Englewood High School and First Coast High School. Unfortunately, Vitti says, Raines High School earned the district’s only 'D.'
"Raines would have been a 'C,' it earned enough points for a 'C' but it was penalized because less than 25 percent of the students were at grade level for reading. So it was penalized a letter-grade," he said.
Vitti says the problems at Raines are already being addressed. In addition to a new curriculum and principal, he says, the school also has reading, math and graduation coaches.
Fifty percent of a high school’s grade is based on statewide assessments and learning gains. Things like graduation rate, participation in accelerated classes and college readiness account for the other 50 percent.
You can follow Cyd Hoskinson on Twitter @cydwjctnewsand Patrick Donges @patrickhdonges.
