Florida plans to release A-to-F grades for its public high schools on Wednesday morning, the Florida Department of Education said. Grades for the state's elementary and middle schools were released over the summer but high school grade calculations use more factors besides FCAT scores -- the basis of most grades --, so they are not run until later when more data is available.
The high schools will be graded with a controversial "safety net" in place, meaning a school's mark cannot fall more than one letter grade from it's 2012 mark. A school that was a B last year, for example, and earns a D this year will be given a C.
High school grades are based on student improvement and success on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (as are elementary and middle school grades) but also on other factors, such as graduation rates and student success on Advanced Placement exams.
Even with the "safety net" in place, the state's elementary and middle schools earned fewer A's and a record number of F's this year, thanks to changes to the grading system that made it tougher for schools to do well.
Many educators urged the state to put the "safety net" in place, fearful the grading system had become unduly harsh.
State educators approved it as they wanted "stability" in school grades until a revised system is put in place in 2015.¿