School earns ‘A’ with new grading policy

Catherine Bacon, Features Editor
January 6, 2011
Filed under Top Stories

Each school year high schools across the state are awarded a grade based on several academic criteria.

The grade, on an A through F scale, serves to compare public schools across the state to one another. This year the school earned an ‘A’, an improvement from last years ‘B’.

The grade a school receives is determined by several factors, including, attendance rates, FCAT scores and End of Course Exam scores.

Several changes have been made to the school grading criteria for the 2010-11 school year. The most substantial changes, according to Assistant

Principal of Student Affairs Matthew Smith, is the addition of graduation percentage as a determining factor.

Each school is allowed for 15 percent of their atrisk students to fail to graduate. At-risk students are defined as those who are enrolled in adult education or a GED program, are overage and still enrolled in high school or those who have dropped out or are planning on dropping out.

The addition of graduation rate as a grading factor caused the release of school grades to be pushed back to Dec. to the following school year.

Gaither already had been awarded enoughpoints to receive an A but there was some speculation as to whether or not the bottom quartile had improved enough to be awarded that grade. If the improvement of the lower quartile was not high enough than the school would have received a B, the same grade it received last school year.

“Either we meet the AYP (adequate yearly progress) or we don’t, that’s what will ultimately determine our grade,” said Smith.

The school used many tactics to motivate students to work hard. Signs were posted on walls, FCAT study sessions were held, and students were given incentives such as ice cream parties if they had perfect attendance.