Fourteen out of 28 Hillsborough County schools in the 'Transformation' group are projected to improve their state letter grades from D or F to C or B. This positive trend affects 11 of the 39 persistently low-performing schools in the district, the most in Florida. While this represents significant progress, the schools need at least one more year of strong performance to be removed from the state's list.
The Florida Department of Education hasn't issued school grades since 2019 due to the pandemic, but is allowing districts to opt in for 2021 grades. The current grading system considers improvements in test scores, favoring progress made by low-scoring students. Superintendent Addison Davis acknowledges the challenge of maintaining these gains and the limitations of using this metric, which can overshadow widespread skill deficiencies, as more than half of students in seven of the celebrated schools scored in the lowest skill level in math, reading or both.
The improvements are attributed to strategies like small group instruction and personalized learning using data from systems like i-Ready and Achieve 3000. Encouraging students from remote learning to return to in-person classes is also credited for the success. The district's improvements surpassed those in other large Florida districts. Looking ahead, the focus is on students taking ownership of their learning and goals.