18 Lee County public schools receive an ‘A’

Eighteen schools earned an “A” grade from the state of Florida, which officials said is a win for the School District of Lee County as the results are from the year when many were impacted by the devastating path Hurricane Ian left behind.
“Our administrators, principals, teachers, paraprofessionals and students worked diligently under very trying circumstances last year and the overall rise in achievement is due to their effort and hard work,” Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier said in a prepared statement. “Lives and learning were interrupted by a major hurricane and new state implemented testing standards. Our staff rose to the challenge and removed three schools from state supervision and increased the overall student outcomes which are reflected in the improved school grades. We are proud and they should celebrate and recognize their commitment that led to the outcomes and the grades they earned.”
The A schools consisted of 12 elementary, three middle, two high schools and one K-8, including The Sanibel School for another consecutive year. The new additions to the A list included Gulf Elementary School, Edison Park Elementary School and Trafalgar Elementary School. Three Oaks Middle School also joined the highest-ranking schools.
There were also 10 schools that improved their school grade by one letter from the previous year. According to the district, the most notable included G. Weaver Hipps Elementary School, Manatee Elementary School and Fort Myers Middle Academy as they improved to a C grade, which will release them from state supervision.
There were also 19 district schools that earned a B for the 2022-23 school grades report.
According to the district, they had an increase in its overall score by six points in the 2022-23 school grades report. Under the new standards, the district maintains its B grade for the ninth consecutive year, but according to Bernier the district is on the path of becoming an A district.
District staff and schools will use the baseline grades from the FAST assessment to make changes in their instructional.
“I echo the statements of Superintendent Bernier in expressing my deepest gratitude to our hardworking teachers, staff, administrators, students and everyone else involved in achieving these positive results,” school board Chair Sam Fisher said. “Coming off the devastation of Hurricane Ian, our educational community bravely came together and continued to put our students first, which made this progress possible. Together, we will continue to support our educators and students as they strive for academic excellence.”
With Florida being the first in the nation that transitioned to progress monitoring from traditional high stakes testing, grades for the 2022-23 school year serves as the baseline, therefore not carrying any negative consequences.
The new Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) standards were adopted by the State Board of Education after dozens of workgroup meetings were held in a year’s time with educators and stakeholders. The Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST), progress monitoring provides real-time, immediate and actionable data at the beginning, middle and end of the school year for teachers, students and parents, was developed.
Board Member Debbie Jordan said principals and schools are working very hard to get their grades to where they need to be for a better outcome with students.
“It’s a very positive,” she said of the scores. “Coming out of COVID to hurricanes just really shows the dedication of all — teachers, administration, students and even families. It’s everybody.”
Jordan said it has been really hard on teachers with everything new coming down the pike with laws.
“The concentration of the outcome of children is prevalent. We need to celebrate those gains and wins. I am extremely excited for them,” Jordan said.