Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)  The new system is needed for reform and to make sure students are ready for college. Florida's public-schools administrators are getting ready for a new school-grading system. ORLANDO, FL (Catholic Online) - On Tuesday, the State Board of Education will be making changes to Florida's school report card, which has been issued annually since 1999. Tested simulations show A and B schools plummeting and D and F schools climbing. If approved, the new system would apply to 2012 school grades. If more than 25 percent of a school's students do not score on grade level in reading, the specific school would receive an automatic F. Another change would be that students' success on brand-new final exams would become part of the grading formula Students with disabilities and those learning English, who take the FCAT, would be expected to score at or above grade level, just like their fellow classmates.
Superintendents are not afraid of the tougher standards, but they believe a slower transition would be better, according to Ron Blocker, president of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents.
However, the new system is needed to make sure students are ready for college or a career when the graduate, says state educators.
"Under our current school-grading system, it is possible for a school to receive an 'A' grade when three out of four students cannot meet Florida's grade-level standards for reading. This is unacceptable," State Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson said.
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- - - Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013 General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him. Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance. |
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