Six Florida charter schools could face closure under state letter grades released today.
State law requires charter schools to shut down if they receive consecutive F's. It creates several safe harbors for charters that target disadvantaged students. They can apply for an extra year to raise their grades if they predominantly serve children assigned to low-performing district schools, or out-perform nearby alternatives.
The six "double F" charter schools are:
Meanwhile, some charters were among the state's best performers.
The Sharing and Caring Learning School in Gainesville rose to an A. It serves low-income children of color almost exclusively, state records show.
The rural McIntosh Area School also rose to an A. It remains among the best high-poverty charters in the state.
Another top rural charter, Franklin County's ABC School, regained its A rating after slipping to C last year.
RCMA Wimauma Academy, a Hillsborough charter school that caters to children of migrant workers, raised its grade to a B and received high marks for math achievement.
This year's school grades may be watched even more closely than usual. Gov. Rick Scott signed sweeping education legislation that raises the stakes. Public schools that languish for three or more years with D or F grades will have to either close, convert to charters or become district-managed charters with independent oversight boards. (more…)
University Preparatory Academy in St. Petersburg, Fla. is quickly being rechristened as Midtown Academy, a district-run public school.
Four Florida charter schools face closure after receiving multiple F's under the state's grading system, but at least two will likely re-open under new management: Their local school districts.
The Tampa Bay Times has detailed the closure of University Preparatory Academy, a charter school that opened three years ago in an academically struggling neighborhood of South St. Petersburg, Fla. Its charter contract is no more, and in its place, its authorizing school district is working to open Midtown Academy, a traditional public school.
The move may not be entirely unprecedented. Pinellas County School district spokeswoman Lisa Wolf said the district has taken over charter schools in the past. But it's a rare occurrence for a school facing automatic termination under the state's accountability law, which says charter schools that receive consecutive F's must close immediately, unless they can show their students' academic progress exceeds that in surrounding traditional public schools — a standard University Prep was not able to meet.
Meanwhile, in nearby Manatee County, the school board tonight is set to decide whether to convert Just for Girls Academy, a single-gender charter school that catered to disadvantaged elementary school students, into a district-sponsored alternative education program.
The Bradenton Herald reports: (more…)
School grades. For Florida's public schools, fewer A's, but also fewer F's. Three of five academically struggling schools highlighted by a Pulitzer-prize-winning investigative series improve their letter grades. Tampa Bay Times. Four charter schools face closure for earning multiple F's. redefinED. Parents are rallying around a South St. Petersburg charter school that could soon be shuttered after earning its third consecutive F. Tampa Bay Times. Affluent St. Johns County is one of three districts that keep their A grades. St. Augustine Record. More coverage from the Tampa Bay Times, Gradebook, Tallahassee Democrat, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Orlando Sentinel, Florida Today, Panama City News Herald, Daytona Beach News-Journal, Gainesville Sun, TC Palm, Naples Daily News, Lakeland Ledger, Pensacola News-Journal, WPTV, Bay News 9.
Low performers. The state also released a list of schools with the lowest student proficiency in reading. Gradebook.
Private schools. A former Polk County public-school teacher, who quit the district in frustration, decides to launch a private elementary school. Lakeland Ledger. A private school for special needs students moves to a new location. Florida Today.
Bonuses. The Florida Department of Education says it lacks legal authority to set further guidelines around "Best and Brightest" awards. Gradebook. (more…)
Schools that received A's in Florida's latest round of school grades while serving large proportions of disadvantaged students tend to share at least one of two features in common: Either they're charter schools, or they're located in Miami-Dade County.
The state Department of Education released letter grades this morning based on public schools' achievement in the 2014-15 school year.
Because this is the first round of scores based on new state assessments, and there isn't enough data to calculate learning gains, the A-F ratings released this morning are considered a baseline for future years.
Some schools that serve large numbers of low-income students saw their grades fall. Those schools tend to earn higher marks for learning gains, which measure student progress from one year to the next, than they do for student proficiency. (more…)
Charter schools. The Tampa Tribune writes up the latest report on charter laws from the National Association of Public Charter Schools and quotes Robert Haag, president and CEO of the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools: "You want choices for your child's education, just like anything else in life. You don't want to be stuck just going to Publix. You want to be able to go to Winn-Dixie or Whole Foods or any of those places."
The Pembroke Pines charter school system is battling the Broward school district for funding, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel. An F-rated charter middle school in Orlando plans to ask the Orange County school district for designation as an alternative school, which wouldn't be graded, reports SchoolZone. The Orlando Sentinel editorial board doesn't like the idea of more construction money for charter schools - or the possibility of a parent trigger.
School spending. The Manatee school district's Fitch bond rating is downgraded from stable to negative, reports the Bradenton Herald. The district posts thousands of documents from the forensic audit into a $3.4 million deficit, the Herald also reports. The documents show a school board member forced former superintendent Tim McGonegal to resign after he learned of the deficit, reports the Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Following Florida: Nevada should adopt Florida's ed reforms, particularly its expansion of school choice options, says this op-ed in Nevada Business Magazine.
Rick Scott. As the governor woos teachers, the Tea Party scratches its head. Tampa Bay Times.
Exposed, again! Another news outlet gives space to the Jeb Bush corporate-connections-conspiracy story.
Teacher evaluations. The Tampa Bay Times offers an update on the Gates-funded effort in Hillsborough. A Flagler teacher will focus on teacher evaluations as a fellow with the Hope Street Group, a national public policy outfit, reports the Daytona Beach News Journal. (more…)
They’re one of the first things people notice when they walk inside the new Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School in Tampa.
Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School
Windows, everywhere.
Inside the 67,000-square-foot renovated building, light pours in through an expansive curved entryway, between the cafeteria and lush outdoor dining area, inside classrooms and even along the second-floor hallway, where students can peer down into the giant gymnasium.
Compared to the charter school’s first digs, a cramped old Circuit City it leased for five years, “this is such a change of environment,’’ said Principal Kristine Bennett.
For its new home, the school’s foundation spent $15 million outfitting a former church with 20 classrooms, two computer labs and a media center. There’s a cafeteria with a LED-powered vending machine offering gluten-free snacks, and a full-sized gym featuring one wall with a painting of a fiery red and orange Phoenix – the school’s mascot.
The striking makeover is fitting for a student body that has undergone its own metamorphosis.
Three years ago, the state gave Brooks DeBartolo a “D’’ grade for academic performance. The school, which garnered a “C’’ the year before, faced losing its charter.
One of the school’s founders and financial backers, Derrick Brooks, the legendary former linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, vowed his namesake school would work harder. And it did. The next year, it scored six points higher than the state required for an A grade.
Derrick Brooks
Today, students are attending an “A’’ school for – hopefully, say administrators – the third year in a row. (more…)
