How did your school perform? Check here: Florida School Grades
TAMPA, Florida -- The long awaited high school grades are out a couple of months late, but it appears to have been worth the wait. More high schools in the Bay area earned an A or B grade and there were no F schools.
"You guys deserve to be an A school," teacher Lora Parson tells her class at Spoto High School.
Spoto High School's teachers and students hoped for a B grade -- an A was just a dream. After all, the school had been a D three of the last four years, including last year.
"We proved people wrong. They didn't think Spoto could pull it that far, especially from a D to an A," says 11th grader Devon Hays, 17.
How does it feel to prove the doubters wrong? "Feels good. We work hard," says Devon.
"Teachers were tutoring at lunch and kids were coming in on Saturdays," explains Spoto High School Principal Phillip Carr.
According to Carr, teachers set the bar high and students met it. "I think it will pay huge dividends. It's important to our community they have an A school," he says.
Parson says the rise to the top for students started once they believed. She says, "When they see teachers begin to believe in them, they believe in themselves. That's the key. When they begin to believe and get that hope, they take off. They did the work."
Devon says, "Believe in yourself because anything is possible."
The high school grades are based on a formula the state started using last year. Half of the school grades comes from the FCAT, the other half from the school's graduation rate, student performance, and participation in advanced coursework.
Statewide, the number of high schools earning an A or C grade remains the same at 31 percent compared to last year, but seven percent more schools earned a B, up from 40 percent to 47 percent. In other good news, the number of D and F schools dropped by more than half or more. D schools dropped from 12 percent to 5 percent and the number of F schools dropped from 2 percent to 1 percent.
Spoto High School students have now earned their bragging rights. Jasmine Then, 16, says, "I went to an A school. I went to Spoto High School. They have amazing programs and amazing teachers and that's why it's an A school."
Besides bragging rights, schools that receive an "A" grade also receive a cash award of 70 dollars per student. The money is used for staff bonuses, equipment, or temporary personnel. School officials must notify the state how they will use the money by February 1st.