The Florida Department of Education released school grades this week, as well as grades for each school district. Polk County trailed much of the rest of Florida, earning a C overall and ranking 51st out of the 65 districts that got scores.
However, the district rose five spots from its 56th-place ranking last year, and 14 area schools saw their grades improve with only three losing ground. District officials also noted that Polk was one point away from a B this year.
The grades were based on standardized tests taken last school year and learning gains by struggling students, as well as graduation rates and participation in accelerated or career programs.
Lakeland-area high schools
This year’s grades were good news for George W. Jenkins and Lakeland Senior High School, which both rose from a C to a B. However, Kathleen Senior High dropped from a C to a D.
All of the other area high schools maintained their grades from last year, including top-performing McKeel Academy of Technology, a charter school with a 100% graduation rate.
Lakeland-area middle schools
The status quo reigned for most of Lakeland’s middle schools. Only one saw its grade change. Rochelle School of the Arts, a magnet school that includes both elementary and middle grades, rose from a B to an A.
The top-performing middle schools were all charter or magnet schools. Most traditional community middle schools earned C grades, with the exception of Lakeland Highlands Middle, which earned a B, and Crystal Lake Middle, which got a D for the second year in a row.
Lakeland Montessori Middle was the highest-performing local middle school last year but was not assigned a grade because its scores were incomplete.
Lakeland-area elementary schools
The most dramatic gains happened at the elementary level, with 12 area schools improving their grades. One standout, Oscar J. Pope Elementary School, jumped two levels from a C to an A.
Only two elementary schools dropped: Winston Academy of Engineering went from an A to a B, while Wendell Watson went from a B to a C.
Overall school district performance
Polk County’s third consecutive C grade was frustrating for district officials who noted that it missed the cutoff for a B by a single point. Five other districts earned the same percentage score.
Districts were evaluated on 12 criteria:
- Grade 3 English Language Arts test scores.
- English Language Arts test scores.
- English Language Arts learning gains.
- English Language Arts learning gains of the lowest 25%.
- Math test scores.
- Math learning gains.
- Math learning gains of the lowest 25%.
- Science test scores.
- Social Studies test scores.
- Middle School acceleration.
- Graduation rate, 2022-23.
- College and career acceleration, 2022-23.
The Florida Department of Education’s grade scale is based on the percentage of possible points that schools and districts earn in the applicable categories. This year’s ranges were:
| Grade | Elementary schools | Middle, high and combined-level schools (and school districts) |
|---|---|---|
| A | 62–100% | 64–100% |
| B | 54–61% | 57–63% |
| C | 41–53% | 44–56% |
| D | 32–40% | 34–43% |
| F | 0–31% | 0–33% |
By that scale, Polk’s 56% is one point from a B. Superintendent Fred Heid said the district might appeal.
“We are currently reviewing the data for a few sites that may result in a request for review,” Heid said. “I will know next week.”
Moved goalposts: Heid and education experts point out that the state has moved the goalposts this year.
In 2021-22, Florida used a single scale to determine school and district grades. This year, that scale was only used at the elementary school level, while a new, higher range of scores was used for middle, high and combination schools. That’s also the same rubric that was used to determine the district’s grade.
Had the scale stayed the same, not only would the district have received a B, but a dozen schools in Polk County would have received a higher grade.
Three middle schools earned 63 points — one point shy of the A grade. Under the old set of scores, it would have been enough for an A. They are:
- Daniel Jenkins Academy of Technology
- Dundee Ridge Middle
- Lakeland Highlands Middle
Four schools earned 54 or 56 points. Previously this score would have placed them in the B grade range:
- Mulberry Middle
- Mulberry Sr. High
- Polk Full-Time eSchool (K–12)
- Bella Citta K–8
Five schools earned 41–43 points and received a D for the 2023-24 school year. Previously their scores would have earned them a C:
- Auburndale Senior High
- Kathleen Senior High
- McLaughlin Middle/High
- Crystal Lake Middle
- Jere Stambaugh Middle
Spotlight: One school’s success
At Medulla Elementary on Thursday, Principal Gale Ivey MacLeod met with third-grade teachers Jacqueline Hood and Sarah Fletcher, who specialize in English Language Arts. The teachers were on campus getting their classrooms ready for the new school year.
The trio talked about what pushed Medulla’s score up by 13 points and identified several things:
- Building relationships with students.
- Allowing students to practice on computer programs that are similar to the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) so they get familiar with the feel of the test.
- Intervention learning, including an hour of reading at the end of the day.
- Reviewing the results of two progress-monitoring state tests earlier in the year to see where individual students need to improve.
- Using the “We do, two do, you do” model, which includes class learning, pairing with a partner, and then doing the work individually.
- Encouraging parents to read with their children at home and “in the wild” so they are constantly reading.
- Developing partnerships with area businesses and churches to help students and teachers.
“The students always looked forward to going to that intervention time,” MacLeod said. “It was unbelievable to see … They’re reading something they can read and they feel successful. So that was really exciting.”
MacLeod talked about one student who entered the school in 2022 not knowing a word of English. This year, he was proficient in English and scored a 5 in math.
Reward system: Hood, Fletcher and their peers used fun competitions between classes and their teachers to incentivize learning. Students got points for following along as the teacher or a peer read something aloud, helping each other, and staying on task. Prizes included lollipops and popsicles.
“They were always trying to beat the teacher,” said Hood, who is entering her 32nd year of teaching. “They were ready to go, ready to learn, focused, helping each other, being a good partner to each other.”
Early learning can help: MacLeod is in her 35th year in education, including four as principal of Medulla, from which she is also an alumna.
She said she and others in education have noticed a trend in recent years: kindergarteners, who were born into a pandemic or were toddlers during lockdown, are now struggling with socializing and not knowing their letters, numbers, colors or shapes.
MacLeod noted that the district provides free early learning programs, including voluntary pre-kindergarten, that can help with all of the above.
“I wish more families would take advantage of that,” MacLeod said. “I’m not sure of the reason why, but we do have more behaviors in primary grades than what we have had in the past.”
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