MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS’ DISTRICT GRADE HOLDS STEADY AS OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS’ GRADES DROP

Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) maintained a district performance grade of B, while nearly 60 percent of other Florida school districts dropped one letter grade, according to information released by the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) today.  The good news comes in spite of increased standards and tougher standardized tests this year, which led to expected decreases in individual school grades.

“Our teachers, our students and our community have much to be proud of,” said Miami-Dade Superintendent of Schools Alberto M. Carvalho.  “In the face of both a more difficult FCAT and higher cut scores, our district managed to hold its own and actually did better than many of Florida’s large school districts.”

According to the FLDOE’s information, 39 of the state’s 67 districts that received grades both years declined, while M-DCPS held steady.  Twenty-eight districts remained the same and none improved.

Last year, the FLDOE transitioned from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) to FCAT 2.0 using a new assessment. The FCAT 2.0 measures new standards that have been used for the past two years. In addition, the state developed a new formula for grading schools. Based on all these changes, school performance grades were expected to drop this year, and did, according to information released by the state earlier this week.  In spite of the drastic changes to the grading formula, Miami-Dade’s schools fared better than expected.

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