The Florida Department of Education released preliminary grades for the 2014-15 school year showing Lake County improved a letter grade to a ‘B.’
Several School Board members, however, expressed reservations about the improvement, stating the DOE has lowered the threshold, allowing districts to receive higher grades.
“On the one hand you want to be excited about going from a ‘C’ to a ‘B,” said School Board member Marc Dodd. “On the other hand you have to remember the threshold to get a ‘B’ was lower this year. There were 22 districts that were an A or a B last year and there are 51 this year.”
School Board Chairman Bill Mathias voiced similar sentiments.
“While I am excited we are a ‘B,’ I am reserved because this is a baseline year and it looks like based on numerical scores the majority of districts moved up,” Mathias said.
Mathias also added it was important to note the average of the districts that scored above the county received $510 more per student, which clearly demonstrated funding mattered when it comes to education.
Nonetheless, Dodd said, however. there has been academic progress in the district, particularly because Lake County moved up five places in comparison to the other Florida districts based on the number of points it receives toward its school grade. Lake County is now ranked 41st in its school grade.
The school grades factor in English Language Arts and Math assessments, known as the Florida Standard Assessments, and FCAT Science scores, social studies exams, graduation rates and the percentage of students taking exams that give them college or career credit.
For the past two years the county was a “C” district.
Florida Education Commissioner Pam Stewart, however, cautioned in a statement against comparing the 2014-15 grades to previous years.
She noted the two do not allow for a “true apples-to-apples comparison,” according to information from the school district.
The school district reported Stewart said the 2014-15 school year was the first time the Florida Standards Assessments were administered.
As a result, she said the grades were considered a new starting point with a new school grading model, according to a press release from the district.
Because the FSA has been plagued with computer problems and other issues, the Florida Association of District School Superintendents asked that grades be held in abeyance, according to the press release.
The individual school grades in Lake County also showed improvements. Two additional schools earned an ‘A’, bringing up the total number of schools earning the distinction to eight.
Cypress Ridge Elementary, Lost Lake Elementary, Seminole Springs Elementary School, The Villages Elementary of Lady Lake, East Ridge Middle School, Windy Hill Middle School, East Ridge High School and Imagine Schools at South Lake all earned A’s.
One school showing marked progress was Eustis Heights Elementary, which improved from an ‘F’ to a ‘C.’
“We are very proud when we look at our school,” said Eustis Heights Elementary Principal Rhonda Hunt. “We were equally successful in reading, math and science (proficiencies) and that is good news for us.”
Hunt was chosen this week as the state’s principal of the year. She attributed the school’s improved grade to new methods, programs, community support and better attendance at the school.
The 2015 FCAT science results for fifth-grade students at Eustis Heights Elementary signified vast improvements in student achievement.
In just one year, fifth-grade students improved 17 percentage points to 49 percent of students achieving proficiency, compared to the state average, which hovers around 54 percent.
Lake County Schools Superintendent Susan Moxley said in a statement she is proud of the work that has been done in the county schools.
“Like other superintendents around the state I have said and still maintain that we need a comprehensive review of our accountability system,” Moxley said. “But that does not take away from the commitment our district has shown to academic improvement. I applaud those efforts and I believe our students are benefitting.”
The district’s chief academic officer also said the news bodes well for Lake County.
“I am getting to see firsthand what is being done in the classroom,” said Bill Miller. “From my initial observations our teachers are getting it done. I have gotten to see some outstanding instructional delivery. It is no surprise to me.”
Dodd said now that the district has improved in its grade, perhaps the county will appear more appealing to those potentially looking to relocate.
County Commission Chairman Sean Parks said while it is good to see small improvements, there is still a ways to go.
“We are competing with districts like Seminole County that are in the top 10 in the state and among the top school districts in the nation,” he said. “So at the end of the day for us to fulfill our economic development goals we need to be in that category.”