LIVE OAK – School grades were recently released by the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE).

For the 2015-16 school year, the Suwannee School District received a C, down from a B. Suwannee Elementary School received a B, up from a C. Suwannee Intermediate School and Suwannee Middle School kept a C grade. Suwannee High School, Branford Elementary School and Branford High School received a C, down from last year’s B. 

Suwannee Virtual School and RIVEROAK Technical College do not receive school grades due to the limited number of students that are served per grade level on a full-time basis.

“Suwannee County School District trended down with the state in the transition from the 2015 School Grading model to the 2016 School Grading model,” said Janene Fitzpatrick, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction. “Our district grade dropped four points, as did the average of Florida Districts reported.”

The 2015-16 school grades are based on four achievement components: English language arts (ELA), mathematics, science and social studies as well as middle school acceleration, learning gains, graduation rate and high school acceleration. Each component is worth 100 points in the overall calculations. The grades are calculated by adding together points earned for each component and dividing the total by the number of available points.

These are the first set of grades that included the measure of learning gains in the grade calculation. Learning gains are measured by the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA).

Fitzpatrick added the main reason for the decline across the state, in the second year of FSA testing, were the math and reading learning gain scores that were added to the school grades model for all schools. 

“The new learning gains expectations for the state are much more rigorous than in previous years with the FCAT and FCAT 2.0,” Fitzpatrick said.

“We are extremely proud of the growth at Suwannee Elementary School,” Fitzpatrick said. “Not only did they increase in ELA and Math Achievement, their learning gains were well above the state average.”

According to Fitzpatrick, Suwannee Intermediate School and Suwannee Middle School also made better than average learning gains with their lowest quartile students.  Suwannee High School and Branford High School put Suwannee County above top districts like St. John’s County when it came to College and Career Acceleration, a category that is scored according to advanced coursework and industry certifications earned at the schools.  

She added Branford Elementary School showed an increase in science, where the majority of districts decreased.  

“District and School administration would like to thank teachers and students for their hard work and dedication in and out of the classroom,” Fitzpatrick said. “We are proud of our students and look forward to the growth that will be realized in 2017.”