Florida
Education News
May 2009
Copyright © 2009 Queue, Inc.
IN
THIS ISSUE:
State Legislators Consider
Bill to Restrict Florida Virtual School Despite Growing Enrollment
Broward County Public Schools
Finalist for $1 Million Broad Prize
Education Watch: Tracking
Achievement, Attainment, and Opportunity in AmericaÕs Public Schools
Volusia County School District
Florida Education Report Back
Issues (http://www.queuenews.com/FLnews.html)
Education Research Report Back
Issues (http://queueeducation.blogspot.com)
Queue, Inc. is offering public schools free previews of
QueueÕs best-selling test prep and curriculum-based workbooks. Queue publishes
test prep workbooks in reading comprehension and math for grades 2-8 based
on the Sunshine State Standards as well as a a wide variety of workbooks in
language arts, reading comprehension, math and science ideal for test prep.
Go to http://www.qworkbooks.com/FL/FL.html for
descriptions.
Brake
Media
(Jeff Brake, 800-329-3186 or 407-687-4828) is QueueÕs independent sales
representative for Florida. Order previews online, or contact your sales rep.,
or call Queue at 800.232.2224.
Legislation
to limit course offerings and funding for the state-run Florida Virtual School
(FLVS) is making its way through the state Senate despite the fact that the
online education program continues to see dramatic increases in enrollment,
especially among minority students, according to a new article published in the
summer issue of Education Next and available online.
In
the 2008Ð09 school year, approximately 84,000 students will complete 168,000
half-credit courses, more than a tenfold increase since 2002-03, points out
Bill Tucker, managing director at Education Sector and author of the Education
Next
article. Between June 2007 and July 2008, African-American enrollments grew by
49 percent, Hispanic enrollments by 42 percent, and Native American enrollments
by 41 percent.
The
legislation under consideration would eliminate enrollment in any elective
courses through FLVS as well as funding for any courses beyond a standard six
periods. FLVS officials have warned that the provision could cut enrollment by
as much as 24 percent.
ÒIf
this bill passes, students would no longer have an option to take electives,
including some AP courses, beyond those offered at their traditional schools
nor could they enroll in extra courses to catch up on graduation requirements,Ó
Tucker said.
FLVS
is a supplemental education program that allows students to customize their
learning. Students attend brick-and-mortar schools and take FLVS courses in
addition to their traditional classes. The school employs more than 715
full-time and 29 adjunct teachers -- all Florida-certified and Òhighly
qualifiedÓ under the federal No Child Left Behind law. Given the schoolÕs
flexible pacing, there isnÕt a set class size, but full-time teachers are
limited to 150 students each.
While
the vast majority of FLVS students come from district schools (82 percent in
2007-08), the school is open to charter, private, and home-schooled students.
Students choose an accelerated, traditional, or extended pace for a particular
course, taking extra time if needed to review and receive additional guidance
on lessons. Additionally, FLVS students donÕt have to wait for the semester to
begin to start their learning; they can choose the month in which they would
like to start.
With
its focus on customized learning, online education in the United States is
growing at a fast pace: According to the North American Council for Online
Learning, enrollment in online courses in 2000 totaled 45,000. In 2007,
enrollments reached 1 million, about 70 percent of which were for high school
courses.
Popularity
of online education courses is also growing. According to a 2008 national survey
conducted by Education Next and the Harvard Kennedy School Program on
Education Policy and Governance, more than two thirds of American parents say
they would be willing to have their children take some of their high school
courses over the Internet. And in most instances, the American public supports
public funding for online courses that high school students take for credit.
The breadth of their support, however, depends on the purpose of the online
education. A majority favor funding for high schools offering advanced courses
for students online and for high schools that offer rural students a broader
range of courses online. A plurality of 40 percent support funding online
classes that help dropouts gain credits.
Full
report:
http://media.hoover.org/documents/ednext_20093_12to18.pdf
A greater percentage of students are
writing at or above grade level than ever before according to the 2009 Florida
Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) Writing results released today. The results
indicate that average essay scores and the percentage of students scoring 3.5
or higher increased in grades 4 and 8. A score of 3.5 is considered to be on
grade level and is the current standard used in the grading of schools.
Depending on the grade level, students are
randomly assigned one of two styles of writing prompts and asked to write an
essay response to that prompt. This yearÕs results show that the average essay
score increased to 4.0 in grade 4, 4.3 in grade 8, and decreased slightly to 3.8
in grade 10, as compared to last year. Additionally, the percent of students
scoring 3.5 or above on the essay increased to 85 percent for grade 4, 90
percent in grade 8 and declined slightly to 77 percent for grade 10 as compared
to 2008Õs results.
This yearÕs results continue to mirror
FloridaÕs strong performance on the 2007 National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP) Writing assessment, which ranked the Sunshine State ninth in
the nation for the percentage of students scoring at or above Proficient; two
places higher than in 2002 and 16 places higher than in 1998. A score of at or
above Proficient on NAEP is comparable to a score of 4.5 to 5.5 on the essay
portion of the FCAT Writing assessment. Selected Florida students in fourth and
eighth grade will participate in the next NAEP Writing administration in 2011.
Individual student score reports will be
available to parents at each school district after May 7, 2009. Districts and
schools can use their secure login and password provided by the Department to
access electronic copies of their reports today.
To
view the 2009 FCAT Writing fact sheet, visit http://fcat.fldoe.org/mediapacket/2009/pdf/2009FCATWritingFactSheet.pdf.
To view school, district and state FCAT reports, visit http://fcat.fldoe.org/fwinfopg.asp.
The
2009 Broad Prize for Urban Education honors urban school districts making the
greatest progress nationwide in raising student achievement.
This
yearÕs five finalists are: ¥ Aldine Independent School District, near Houston ¥
Broward County Public Schools, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. ¥ Gwinnett County Public
Schools outside Atlanta ¥ Long Beach Unified School District, Calif. ¥ Socorro
Independent School District, El Paso, Texas
The
Broad (rhymes with ÒroadÓ) Prize for Urban Education is the largest education
award in the country given to school districts that demonstrate the best overall
performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement
gaps among ethnic groups and between low- and non-low-income students.
The
winner of The Broad Prize, will receive $1 million in scholarships for high
school seniors who will graduate in 2010. The four finalist districts will each
receive $250,000 in scholarships.
One
commonality among this yearÕs finalists, which all serve significant
percentages of low-income and minority students, is that all five made notable
gains in reducing achievement gaps chronically present in large urban districts
in the United States. For example, between 2005 and 2008, all five districts
narrowed achievement gaps between Hispanic students and the state average for
white students in reading and math at multiple school levels. In addition, a
higher percentage of lowincome students in these five districts performed at
the highest achievement level on state assessments in reading and math than did
their counterparts statewide in 2008.
The
districts in the running for the 2009 Broad Prize include four-time finalist
Aldine, two-time finalist Broward County, three-time finalist and former Broad
Prize winner Long Beach, and two first-time finalists, Gwinnett County and
Socorro.
Previous
Broad Prize winners have included the Brownsville Independent School District
(2008); the New York City Department of Education (2007); Boston Public Schools
(2006); Norfolk Public Schools in Virginia (2005); the Garden Grove Unified
School District in California (2004); and the Houston Independent School
District (2002).
Every
year, 100 of AmericaÕs largest urban school districts are eligible for The
Broad Prize. In selecting the five finalists, the review board evaluated
publicly available academic performance data on each district that was compiled
and analyzed by MPR Associates, Inc., a leading national education research
consulting firm. The review board chose five districts that stood out in areas
including: ¥ Academic performance and improvement on state exams compared with
other districts in the state with similar low-income student populations and
with the rest of the state as a whole ¥ Closure of income and ethnic
achievement gaps ¥ College readiness indicators such as graduation rates, SAT,
ACT and Advanced Placement exam data
For
more information about The Broad Prize, this yearÕs finalists and the review
board, please visit www.broadprize.org.
The
52-report series from The Education Trust is a tool for measuring the impact of
federal stimulus funding on improving the academic opportunities and outcomes
for all of our nationÕs students
Last
month, Congress made an unprecedented commitment to AmericaÕs public schools,
passing the single biggest increase in federal education funding in our
nationÕs history. As the U.S. Department of Education begins to distribute the one-time
funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the
onus is on states to live up to that challenge and ensure that this investment
boosts overall achievement and closes gaps.
To
measure how effectively states are using the infusion of federal support, the
public will need accurate, reliable data. The Education TrustÕs Education
Watch series assembles some of the most critical indicators of
student achievement, attainment, and opportunity, providing a state-by-state
snapshot of public education in America.
The
data in these reports and the accompanying Òquick lookÓ chart
mark the starting line in AmericaÕs ÒRace to the TopÓ Ð the federal effort to
provoke bold, enduring progress in education. Education Watch reveals which states are
farthest along the course, which are gaining on those leaders, and which are
barely out of the starting blocks. Throughout the duration of ARRA spending,
The Education Trust will provide updates on state progress as new data become
available.
These
reports reflect the most up-to-date information available across states. While some states
may have more recent data on their own schools and reform efforts, Education
Watch
uses only data that are consistent across states. This allows for accurate
comparisons and the ability to identify and learn from the leaders on each
indicator. While no state is yet where it needs to be, especially in terms of
educating lower income students and students of color, some are doing a much
better job than others.
For
example, on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP):
á
In
eighth-grade math, Massachusetts leads the nation in gains overall since 2000, and
was among the top gainers for Latinos and lower income students. However, state
improvement among African-American students (6 points) lagged significantly
behind the national average (16 points), resulting in a widening of the
performance gap between African-American and white students. Massachusetts was
one of just two states in which an achievement gap between student subgroups
grew larger.
Though
each state is different, common patterns emerge from these NAEP data,
indicating just how far we have to go to ensure that all young Americans have
equal access to a high-quality education Ð especially lower income students and
students of color, who now comprise almost half of all students in our
nationÕs public schools. Student performance is too low overall, varying
dramatically between student groups, and the pace of improvement is far too
slow.
ÒThese
reports provide a sobering look at the challenging work that lies ahead,Ó said
Kati Haycock, president of The Education Trust. ÒOne thing is clear: To secure
our economic future, we must confront educational inequities head-on and ensure
that every school in America is ready to help every student advance farther,
faster. The federal dollars are not a license to do business as usual; they
come with a demand for change. We will never have this opportunity again, so
the pressure is on for states to invest big in what works for kids and stop
supporting the policies and programs that simply arenÕt getting the job done.Ó
When
evaluating student achievement data, many people are quick to attribute
performance to the home lives of students. But the variation of results among
states for the same groups of students proves that what happens in school matters immensely.
ThatÕs
why the Education Watch data on opportunity in education offer a valuable way to
compare student achievement, taking into account the level of resources
available to each student group. A look at these data show that lower income
students and students of color Ð the ones who most often come to school with
less Ð are consistently and systematically provided with less of everything
that research and experience tell us matters most in school: less access to
well-prepared, effective teachers; less access to challenging curriculum; and
less funding.
For
example:
Florida
report:
http://www2.edtrust.org/edtrust/summaries2009/Florida.pdf
State
reports:
http://www2.edtrust.org/edtrust/summaries2009/states.html
Comprising
primarily the Florida Keys, Monroe County is the southernmost county in the U.S.
Its sub-tropical climate and beaches help make the Florida Keys and Key West,
the county seat, a main tourist attraction. Tourism dominates the local
economy, as evidenced by the proportion of top taxpayers in the hospitality
sector. The county's population has declined steadily since 2000, reportedly
attributed to high real estate prices that prompted outmigration. Consistent
with the population loss, school enrollment declined 2.7% annually from 2002 to
2007. With housing prices decreasing, the district reports that people are
migrating into the district which may stabilize enrollment. The county's
unemployment rate has historically been lower than both the state and national
averages. In January 2009, the unemployment rate was 5.9%, in comparison to the
state and nation at 8.9% and 7.6% respectively. Reflecting the affluence of the
community, income levels are moderately high by all measures.
Financial
operations are consistently strong. Unaudited fiscal 2008 results indicate a
small net deficit. The general fund balance remains healthy at $7.2 million,
equal to 7.7% of spending and in excess of the district's policy of keeping the
unreserved general fund balance at 5% of expenditures. The district is
projecting to end fiscal year 2009 without reducing general fund reserves
despite a 2% reduction in state funding. Maintaining structural balance in
fiscal year 2010 will be difficult given expected further cuts in state
funding.
Recent
years have resulted in moderate financial volatility with operating deficits in
two out of the last five years largely due to declining enrollment and mid-year
state funding cuts. While an effective expenditure reduction plan in fiscal
2008 brought the district into temporary structural balance and resulted in a
$1.8 million surplus, current fiscal 2009 projections show a $5 million
operating deficit due to $8.5 million in state aid that was held back in the
middle of the year. The district's plan to offset this decrease includes
reductions in extracurricular activities, the continuation of a hiring freeze,
and the elimination of several categorical programs. Based on current
projections, unreserved fund balance levels at the close of fiscal 2009 will
decrease to a narrow 1.8%. Fiscal 2010 projections are still being finalized as
state funding has yet to be approved. The district has stated that it is
dedicated to increasing its unreserved fund balance to 3% and maintaining a 3%
fund balance floor in the future. While state funding may be higher than
originally anticipated, the district has formulated a detailed expenditure
reduction plan to offset potential further reductions in state funding.
Overall
debt is low with rapid amortization. The district's current five-year capital
improvement plan (CIP) through fiscal 2013 totals $588 million. With recent
declines in enrollment, the concentration in capital projects is moving away
from construction of new buildings and capacity additions to facilities'
improvements. Future debt issuance is currently limited to roughly $56 million
of COPs in fiscal 2014.
Located
along the southwestern coast of Florida, Lee County is coterminous with the
Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan statistical area. An enormous expansion of
the local housing market fueled rapid economic growth for most of this decade.
However, the current economic recession has severely affected the area,
evidenced by a 6.6% decline in 2008 total nonfarm employment and a stark
increase in the February 2009 unemployment rate to 12.0% (preliminary). The
district's tax base contracted by 8.1% in fiscal 2009 and officials estimate an
additional 13% decrease in fiscal 2010. Tax base declines affect the district's
capital resources, but a recent drop in enrollment alleviates some of its
school facility needs.
The
district's healthy reserve levels provide it with a degree of financial
flexibility during the current economic recession. Having grown by over 100%
since fiscal 2003, the fiscal 2008 unreserved general fund balance equaled
$90.3 million, or a sound 14% of spending. The district expects no draw on
fiscal 2009 general fund balances after officials made numerous spending
reductions, including the elimination of 150 positions, to offset reductions in
various forms of state funding. Officials' plans to mitigate up to a $70
million cut in fiscal 2010 state aid include additional, sizeable reductions in
staff. The district does not intend to draw on its general fund balances in
fiscal 2010.
Overall
net debt equals a low $1,913 per capita or 1.0% of market value. The district
has delayed most of its capital projects for two years and has no immediate
plans to issue additional COPs, which should keep debt ratios low. The district
added nearly 10,000 students from fiscal 2005-2008. However, enrollment trends
have begun to reverse. Fiscal 2009 enrollment fell by approximately 1,000
students to 78,540, and officials expect some additional enrollment declines in
fiscal 2010. The district does not plan to pre-fund its moderate $71 million other
post-employment benefits liability through the use of a trust.
Manatee
County, which is coterminous with the district, has an estimated 2007
population of 315,108 and is located on the western coast of central Florida, south
of Tampa. Fitch rates the county's general obligations 'AA+' with a Stable
Outlook. The district has 47 schools and approximately 42,000 students. While
tourism-related activities and services dominate the economic characteristics
of the economy, some diversification is derived from manufacturing, healthcare
and retail. In addition, residents have access to the greater Tampa Bay
metropolitan area for employment opportunities. The county's jobless rate for
February 2009 was 11%, above the state (10.8%) and national (8.1%) averages and
more than double the rate of one year prior. Wealth indicators are slightly
above state levels.
Financial
flexibility has deteriorated over the last several years, driven by increasing
operational costs and state funding reductions. The general fund unreserved
fund balance fell to 1.5% of spending at the close of fiscal year 2008, its
lowest level in five years. However, Fitch believes district officials have
taken meaningful measures to reduce spending substantially in fiscal year 2009
to address a $30 million state funding cut. Officials expect to add at least $2
million to the general fund balance in fiscal 2009, increasing reserves to
slightly more than 3% of spending. State funding levels are expected to
increase slightly in fiscal 2010 based on appropriation bills currently being
debated in the State legislature which incorporate approximately $14 million in
federal stimulus revenue for the district. Officials are working to develop $25
million in recurring cost reductions over the next three fiscal years to
facilitate structural budgetary balance in the absence of federal support. A
portion of the reductions are planned to reduce the level of dependency on
transfers to the general fund from the capital outlay fund for maintenance
purposes given the expectation of reduced revenues in that fund. Downward
rating pressure could result if the district is not successful in its plans to
regain moderate reserve levels.
Overall
debt is low with rapid amortization. The district is in the process of revising
its five-year capital improvement plan (CIP) downward to reflect declining
capital outlay and sales tax revenues available to fund projects. Although tax
base decline was minimal in fiscal 2009, officials are planning for a 20% decline
in FY 2010 which will substantially decrease revenues available for capital
projects. Many of the district's $464 million projects identified in the FY
2008-2012 CIP will be delayed. Officials do expect to issue $60-$70 million in
additional COPs in the next year for capital projects deemed essential.