FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
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    STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
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    John L. Winn
    Commissioner of Education
    F. PHILIP HANDY,
    Chairman
    T. WILLARD FAIR,
    Vice Chairman
    Members
    DONNA G. CALLAWAY
    ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
    PHOEBE RAULERSON
    KATHLEEN SHANAHAN
    LINDA K. TAYLOR
    May 22, 2006
    TO:
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    District
    Superintendents
    FROM:
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    John L. Winn
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    Commissioner of Education
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    SUBJECT:
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    Implementation of Alternative School Grading and Feeder Pattern Provisions in
    A++ Legislation (House Bill 7087, Sections 46 and 47)
    Earlier this month, the Florida Legislature passed the A++ legislation, House Bill 7087, which
    impacts school accountability as described in the current A+ Plan, Florida Statute 1008.34. The
    A++ legislation allows for alternative schools in Florida to earn a school improvement rating in
    lieu of a school grade beginning in the 2005-06 school year. The A++ legislation also allows for
    feeder schools to be eligible for school recognition.
    The legislation gives alternative schools an option to receive a traditional school grade rather
    than a school improvement rating. For alternative schools to take advantage of the new school
    improvement rating, the FCAT scores of their students must be included in the school grade
    calculations of the students' home schools from which the students were referred. The
    alternative school rating will be based on a comparison of student performance data for the
    current year and previous year and will identify schools as having one of the following ratings
    defined according to rules of the State Board of Education:
    (a) "Improving" means schools with students making more academic progress than when
    the students were served in their home schools.
    (b) "Maintaining" means schools with students making progress equivalent to the progress
    made when the students were served in their home schools.
    (c) "Declining" means schools with students making less academic progress than when the
    students were served in their home schools.
    In order to comply with the new law for the 2005-06 school year and meet the reporting
    timelines for 2006 school grades and Adequate Yearly Progress, the Florida Department of
    Education will be awarding a “Points Only” calculation to alternative schools that have selected
    to earn a school improvement rating in the future. The alternative school will have school grade
    points calculated and reported, but no school grade will be assigned to the school. Beginning in
    325 W. GAINES STREET • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0505 • www.fldoe.org
    the 2006-07 school year, after the State Board of Education has defined the school
    improvement rating process and the Department of Education has collected the appropriate
    data for students in alternative schools, the alternative schools will be able to earn a school
    improvement rating and be eligible for school recognition in 2007.
    For the 2005-06 School Grade Release, the Florida Department of Education will:
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    Define alternative schools as schools with a Master School Identification (MSID) Primary
    Service Type of “Alternative Education,” as reported to the Department of Education by
    school districts.
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    Write a memo to each alternative school asking if the school would like to be graded.
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    Grade alternative schools that select to be graded in 2006.
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    Provide a “Points Only” calculation to alternative schools that select not to be graded in
    2006 but will earn an improvement rating in the future. The school grade points will be
    posted but no school grade will be awarded. The “Points Only” schools will not be eligible
    for school recognition in 2006.
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    Students attending an alternative school that selected not to be graded shall not have their
    2006 FCAT scores attributed back to the home school in 2006.
    For the 2006-07 School Grade Release, the Florida Department of Education will:
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    Identify feeder pattern schools in the 2006-07 school year for the purpose of awarding
    school recognition.
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    Collect from the districts (via Survey 2 and 3) “home school” information for any student
    enrolled in an alternative school so they can be included in the home school’s grade if the
    alternative school chooses to receive an improvement rating.
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    Collect from the districts (via Survey 2 and 3) information on students in alternative schools
    that are eligible students for the improvement ratings:
    (a) Students subject to district school board policies for expulsion for repeated or serious
    offenses
    (b) Students who are in dropout-retrieval programs who have officially been designated as
    dropouts
    (c) Students who are in programs operated or contracted by the Department of Juvenile
    Justice
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    Grade alternative schools that select to be graded and give improvement ratings to schools
    that select not to be graded.
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    Award school recognition money to schools earning an “improving” school improvement
    rating.
    We look forward to working with you as we implement this portion of the A++ legislation. Please
    let me know if there is anything we can do to assist you in this process.

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