The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) released school grades this week for the 2022-23 school year. Nassau County School District has received an A grade for the academic year.
“The Nassau County School District is proud to announce and celebrate our A grade as determined by the Florida Department of Education,” said Kathy Burns, Nassau County School District Superintendent of Schools. “Congratulations, students, teachers and support staff! Job well done!”
Florida initiated a groundbreaking shift from high stakes testing to progress monitoring for the 2022-23 academic year. The grades during this period are foundational and hold no punitive weight, offering schools and districts a starting point to strive for better performance in the coming years.
“There are many components that go into calculating school grades. English Language Arts, mathematics, science and social studies are the four achievement components,” said Burns. “Graduation rate, middle school acceleration and college, and career acceleration are also included. This year is our first year to transition to progress monitoring for the calculation of school grades.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis mandated the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) to create concise and comprehensive standards outlining student expectations at each grade level upon taking office in 2019. After a year-long collaboration involving numerous meetings with educators and stakeholders statewide, the State Board of Education adopted the new Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) standards. This transition led to the development of Florida’s Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST), a progressive monitoring system offering real-time, actionable data to teachers, students and parents throughout the school year. Florida became the pioneering state to implement such a comprehensive progress monitoring system, departing from traditional high-stakes year-end testing.
The 2022-23 baseline grades from the FAST assessment will guide schools and districts when making changes in instructional practices aiming to improve student outcomes.
According to the FDOE website reports and presentations, Nassau County elementary schools of excellence are Emma Love Hardee Elementary, Bryceville Elementary, Hilliard Elementary, Wildlight Elementary and Callahan Intermediate. They are all A schools.
Fernandina Beach High School also earned the school of excellence designation as an A school.
The Nassau County School District has received the A grade for the last seven years.
“I am so proud of all of our schools. Everyone in our schools works together, communicates effectively with one another and collaborates to ensure student success,” said Shannon Hogue, Nassau County School board member. “By everyone, I do mean each person … bus drivers, custodians, front desk staff, teachers, admin. They all play a role in our students’ success.”
“The hard work and dedication of our students, teachers and support staff is demonstrated on a daily basis,” continued Burns. “In celebrating our success, we know we do not do this work alone. We recognize the dedicated support of our parents, community members and business partners. We continue to strive for academic excellence, expand career and technical training opportunities and increase graduation rates, as we focus on the success of students and the improvement of our schools.”
tdishman@fbnewsleader.com