Miami-Dade's Senior High School Performance Grades Surpass State Average

MIAMI-DADE’S SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS EARN OUTSTANDING
SCHOOL PERFORMANCE GRADES

One hundred percent of high schools receive a C or better; surpass the State’s average

MIAMI – Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho announced today that 100 percent of the district’s high schools scored a performance grade of C or above from the state. For the first time since school performance grades began being issued in 1999, M-DCPS has no D or F high schools.

The District’s high schools also surpassed the state’s average of high schools receiving a performance grade of A or B today. Eighty-eight percent of M-DCPS senior high schools – 49 schools – received either an A or B, compared to the statewide average of 78 percent.
The nine Education Transformation Office (ETO) high schools, all improved or maintained the improvement achieved in the previous year, including:

Miami Norland Senior High School improved from a C to an A
Miami Southridge and Miami Jackson senior high schools maintained their A
Miami Edison Senior High School improved from grade of C to B
Booker T. Washington Senior High School and Miami Central Senior High School improved from D to C

In addition to the 35 senior high schools that received an A, six other high schools in the District earned enough points to receive an A, but due to provisions in the law that penalize schools that do not meet the at-risk graduation rate, these schools dropped to a B. These schools include: Miami Edison; Westland Hialeah; G. Holmes Braddock; Mater Academy Lakes; Hialeah Gardens; and Miami Coral Park senior high schools.
Miami-Dade’s outstanding high school grades follow the district’s successful rise in graduation rates, issued in November. For the 2011-2012 academic year, M-DCPS’ graduation rate jumped nearly five points as calculated by following U.S. Department of Education guidelines. The federally calculated graduation rate for 2010-11 was 71.3 percent; this year it rose to 76.0 percent, surpassing the state both in rate of growth and total percentage points.

During the 2008 legislative session, Senate Bill 1908 significantly changed the way senior high schools were to be graded beginning with the 2009-2010 school year. The bill required high school grades to include alternate measures of student achievement in addition to the vital foundation of Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) results in Grades 9, 10, and 11. The additional measures provide an equal focus on college readiness, access to and performance on accelerated coursework, and graduation rates for all students and for those who are academically at-risk.

Additionally this year, in order for the Florida Department of Education to comply with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act waiver, Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Centers were required to be included in school grading. M-DCPS has opposed the grading of these centers which in all instances serve students with significant disabilities in grades K – 12. Those students’ needs can only be met in a separate school setting. ESE Centers are not traditional schools, but are specifically designed, staffed, and resourced to provide the appropriate education for students who require intensive educational services including nursing services, psychiatric support, assistive technology and other intensive therapeutic services.

Four ESE centers received high school performance grades for 2011-2012. Three ESE centers received an F: Neva King Cooper Education Center, Robert Renick Educational Center and Merrick Educational Center. Ruth Owens Kruse Educational Center, received a D.