Bad news for Floridas public education system: the states public schools dropped to the bottom half of the nation in a new set of rankings released Thursday from Education Week.
The newspapers Quality Counts report for 2015 placed Florida at No. 28 among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, a significant drop from previous years rankings. The Sunshine State earned a C ranking in this years report, putting it on par with the national average in the overall rankings.
The last time the rankings were released, Florida ranked sixth overall.
The rankings system was slimmed down from six categories to three for this years rankings, a factor which significantly contributed to Floridas falling rank. In previous years, some categories like the school grading system had helped Florida perform higher.
For this years rankings, each states overall grade was determined through a leaner form that is more focused on outcomes rather than on policy and processes. Education Week averaged each states score in three separate categories to create the rankings: chance for success, school finance and K-12 achievement.
When it came to Floridas chance for success and school finance, Florida performed below the national average, ranking 34th and 37th in the two categories.
The state fared significantly better when it came to K-12 education, however, ranking seventh overall in the category.
This years report had a special focus on early childhood education. Florida performed slightly higher than the national average in this category, ranking 18th overall in this category.
Florida had a slightly higher enrollment of preschoolers than the rest of the country -- about 50 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled, as opposed to 47 percent nationwide -- but the state fared below average on high school graduation and post-secondary participation.
Student scores on standardized tests helped Florida out in the rankings. The Sunshine State performed above average on fourth-grade reading and made above average gains when it came to fourth- and eighth-grade math and reading scores.
The states graduation rate, which stood at nearly 73 percent, was slightly below the national average of 75 percent, but Florida has seen a significant jump of its graduation rate, increasing 23 points over the last 10 years.
Florida nevertheless is not spending as much on students as the rest of the country, according to the report. The state earned a "D+" in the school finance category, with only a little over 1 percent of students being funded at or above the national average.
The report comes as a blow to many of the state's top officials, who have praised Florida's education system for its outstanding achievements over the years. Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart chose to hone in on the positives of the report, however, lauding the states teachers for contributing to Florida's academic achievement.
As a result of Floridas hard-working teachers, Florida students are once again being recognized for their outstanding performance, said Stewart. Todays news is evidence that the states focus on student achievement is working and Florida has a good return on its investment in education.
To see the full report, click here.
Reach Tampa-based reporter Allison Nielsen by email atallison@sunshinestatenews.comor follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
