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Politics

Florida's Graduation Rate Soars

June 6, 2013 - 6:00pm

Florida has made leaps and bounds in high school graduation rates over the last decade, and it has the numbers to prove it. A new study released last week by Education Today shows Florida ranks second in the nation in boosting graduation rates over the past decade, trailing Tennessee by only 8 percent.

The 2013
Diplomas Count study uses the Cumulative Promotion Index (CPI) to measure the graduation rate index for states around the country. The CPI takes four key steps into consideration to factor its graduation rates: three grade-to-grade promotions (9 to 10, 10 to 11, and 11 to 12) and ultimately earning a diploma (grade 12 to graduation).

In 2000, Floridas graduation rates sat at 49.9 percent -- almost 20 percent below the 2000 national average of 66.8 percent. Over the past 10 years, that percentage has consistently gone up and has risen to 72.9 percent. Floridas graduation rates are still slightly below the national average (74.7 percent), but the education system that was once at the bottom of the pack now falls short of the national average by only 1.8 percent.

Florida's education system started at the bottom. In 1998, the U.S. Department of Education showed 46 percent of Floridas fourth-graders were functionally illiterate -- a number that has since fallen 13 percent in nearly 15 years.

The bar for high schoolers also increased with a raise in the academic level of the high school exit exam, rising from eighth-grade test to a 10th-grade test on the FCAT.Schoolsin the Sunshine State were also given a higher bar to move forward into the next grade. Third-graders who didnt pass the reading portion of the FCAT were given other opportunities to demonstrate reading proficiency. If they still werent able to demonstrate reading skills, theyd be given an aggressive intervention to make sure they had the right skills to work on their reading.


The reforms reached teachers as well.

When their students were successful, teachers saw the fruits of their labors after Florida introduced a merit-pay system based on student achievement in 2000. Teachers could earn $50 for each student that passed an AP exam or an IB test, with a possibility of earning up to $2,000 extra for students exam success.

Once these reforms were introduced, the improvements started to show. Florida began its steady climb from the bottom of the pack in reading and mathematics. Floridas education began to outshine the rest of the country.

Gov. Rick Scott credited teachers as a big part of why the states been doing so well.
Thanks to Floridas teachers, our students are competing and succeeding both nationally and internationally, he said.

Just this year, the governor approved a $2,500 pay raise for teachers deemed effective around the state. Education personnel rated highly effective can receive up to a $3,500 salary increase from the merit-based pay raise.

By rewarding Florida teachers with a pay raise this year, we will maintain our growing reputation as the best place in the nation and in the world in which to work, live and thrive, said Scott.

Even though Floridas made great improvements in education so far, theres still work to be done. But the current graduation numbers suggest Floridas on the right track.

This by no means indicates that our work is finished, added Education Commissioner Tony Bennett. But it is a clear sign that by working together with a clear focus, we can all help ensure that every student has a chance to succeed in college, in a career and in life.

Reach Tampa-based reporter Allison Nielsen at allison@sunshinestatenews.com.

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