Patricia Levesque on Florida Schools Grades Release

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, the Florida Department of Education (DOE) released preliminary grades for the state’s schools.

Patricia Levesque, executive director of the Foundation for Florida’s Future, shared the following statement:

“These grades give us our first glimpse into how schools are performing during the transition to more rigorous academic standards and assessments. They are for informational purposes only, carrying no sanctions but rewarding those schools that we know produced good results for children this past year.

“We look forward to this summer when grades for the current school year are issued, because they also will include information on how much progress students are making in rising to the higher expectation. This will create a more complete picture of school performance.

“School grades are the foundation for an accountability system that has driven Florida’s remarkable academic improvements since 1999. It is why we continue to advocate for this sensible and transparent accountability system, and why our state leaders remain committed to it as Florida takes the next step in preparing our children for a successful future.”

To learn more about Florida’s release of school grades, visit http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/.