Florida Education Commissioner Pam Stewart released memos on June 28, 2018 regarding the school grades and school improvement ratings appeals process for 2017-18, including instructions for submitting appeals. See memo and links below:
TO: School District Superintendents
FROM: Pam Stewart
DATE: June 28, 2018
SUBJECT: Schools that Received an Incomplete, “I,” School Grade or School Improvement Rating
As you know, the department released school grades and school improvement ratings on June 28, 2018. If a school within your district received an “I” and did not test the required percentage of students, the 30- day appeals window that begins today provides you the opportunity to review and analyze the data. If necessary, provide any additional information to the department demonstrating whether you believe the student data accurately represent the progress of the school.
After reviewing data provided to your district by the Bureau of Accountability Reporting, if you can demonstrate that the data represent the progress of the school, then an appeal requesting that a grade or rating be assigned should be submitted. As part of the appeal for schools that receive an “I,” districts should include their plans for ensuring that schools test at least 95 percent (or at least 80 percent in the case of school improvement ratings) of their students during the 2018-19 school year.
If the data do not represent the progress of the school and the “I” should remain, then the district should submit a request asking that the “I” remain for the 2017-18 school year, along with documentation that clearly shows the data are not representative.
The department will also conduct analyses to determine whether the performance data accurately represent the progress of these schools. If I determine, based on analyses, that the performance data for these schools are representative of the schools’ progress, I will release school grades or school improvement ratings for these schools at the end of the appeals period, regardless of whether an appeal is filed for these schools.
Please work with staff in the Bureau of Accountability Reporting, 850-245-0411 or evalnrpt@fldoe.org, on the inclusion of late-reported assessment results, data corrections requested and to provide information on whether the performance data available are representative of the progress of the school. Please use the secure processes outlined in the attachment to the appeals memorandum sent on June 28, 2018, to provide the department with the necessary documentation.
Important documents:
Appeals Process Memo_2017-18 for all schools.
Appeals – Submission Instructions for schools that received an incomplete, “I,” 2017-18.
Please contact the staff in the Bureau of Accountability Reporting at the Florida Department of Education if you have questions: 850-245-0411 or evalnrpt@fldoe.org