In a school year when students and staff were disproportionately impacted by the devastation of Hurricane Ian, the School District of Lee County is proud to announce that we have made excellent progress related to student outcomes. The results are reflected in the Florida Department of Education’s 2022-2023 School Grades Report.
Eighteen (18) schools earned an “A” grade from the State of Florida including 12 elementary, three middle, two high schools and one K-8. New additions to the “A” list included Gulf, Edison Park and Trafalgar Elementary Schools. Three Oaks Middle School also joined the list of the highest ranking schools within the School District of Lee County (SLDC) . An additional 10 schools also improved their school grade by one letter from last year.
Most notable in the improvements were G. Weaver Hipps Elementary, Manatee Elementary and Fort Myers Middle Academy. During a year of impact from Hurricane Ian and new testing standards, these schools improved their grades to a “C” and will be released from state supervision.
“Our administrators, principals, teachers, paraprofessionals and students worked diligently under very trying circumstances last year and the overall rise in achievement is due to their effort and hard work,” said Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier. “Lives and learning were interrupted by a major hurricane and new state implemented testing standards. Our staff rose to the challenge and removed three schools from state supervision and increased the overall student outcomes which are reflected in the improved school grades. We are proud and they should celebrate and recognize their commitment that led to the outcomes and the grades they earned.”
The District increased its overall score by 6 points in the 2022-2023 School Grades Report. The increase would have earned an “A” last year, but under the new standards, the District maintains its “B” grade for the 9th consecutive year. Dr. Bernier remains committed to increasing performance and says the District is on the right path to become an “A” District.
Nineteen (19) District schools earned a “B” in the 2022-2023 School Grades Report. With the support of District staff, schools will now use the baseline grades from the FAST assessment to make changes in instructional practices that will lead to better outcomes for students.
As a part of Florida’s first-in-the-nation transition to using progress monitoring instead of traditional high stakes testing, grades for the 2022-2023 school year serve as a baseline and carry no negative consequences. Following the transition to the B.E.S.T. standards, FDOE developed a new test, Florida’s Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST). FAST is a progress monitoring system that provides teachers, students and parents real-time, immediate and actionable data at the beginning, middle and end of the school year to drive student improvement.