Florida schools are bracing to receive lower school grades this year from the Florida Dept. of Education. DOE is set to release the new grades next week.

  • Florida Standards Assessment a factor in determining school grades
  • Test is only in its second year
  • School leaders feel test, calculations do not produce accurate assessment

Orange County Superintendent Barbara Jenkins and Seminole County Superintendent Walt Griffin are cautioning parents that school grades may be lower than last year.

District leaders said those grades don't accurately represent their districts.

"It is important for our community, especially our parents and students, to know that learning gains are now more difficult to attain. If we see a decrease in school grades, it will likely be because of the new and complicated learning gains structure," said Jenkins.

The state uses student test scores to help determine school grades. The problem, according to many school leaders, is the test scores will be judged against scores from last year, which were purposely inflated because it was the first year of the test.

School leaders have long complained the new tests do not yet have a sufficient baseline to use in school grade calculations. The FSA is only in its second year.

Marion Brady, a retired teacher and education writer, says standardized testing is one of the pitfalls of education in the 21st century.

"I'm opposed to the whole concept of standardization because I think it’s at odds with how humans learn," said Brady, who runs the site “Reality Based Learning.” 

"Nobody has yet invented a test that can measure quality of instruction or quality of learning,” Brady said. “What gets measured is something that can be counted and what can be counted are the number of answers that kids can remember, at least remember long enough to take a test."

Griffin, Seminole County’s superintendent, says the whole learning gains calculation, which is a factor in determining school grades, is complicated and confusing.

“It needs to be overhauled and completely revised,” Griffin said.

The Orange and Seminole school districts are part of the Central Florida Public School Boards Coalition, which also includes Brevard, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Manatee, Marion, Osceola, Pasco, Polk, Sumter and Volusia counties.

The coalition says it will continue to advocate for a more accurate and improved accountability system.