Add Computer Science to School Grade

What goes into a school grade?

School grades provide an easily understandable way to measure the performance of a school. Parents and the general public can use the school grade and its components to understand how well each school is serving its students. Schools are graded A, B, C, D, or F.

Components: In 2018-19, a school’s grade may include up to eleven components.

There are four achievement components, four learning gains components, a middle school acceleration component, as well as components for graduation rate and college and career acceleration. Each component is worth up to 100 points in the overall calculation.

School grades calculation

The number of points earned for each component is added together and divided by the total number of available points to determine the percentage of points earned.

“School Grade Component” means the measure for which a school could be graded on which include English Language Arts Achievement, Mathematics Achievement, English Language Arts Learning Gains, Mathematics Learning Gains, Science Achievement, Social Studies Achievement, Middle School Acceleration, Graduation Rate, and College and Career Acceleration.

The table to the left shows the 11 Components that go into a School Grade. The school grades calculation was revised substantially for the 2014-15 school year to implement statutory changes made by the 2014 Legislature and incorporate the new Florida Standards Assessments (FSA). The 2018-19 school grades model uses the school grades model first adopted for 2014-15.

The school grading system focuses the school grading formula on student success measures. 2020 Florida Statutes found here.

Achievement
Learning gains
Graduation
Acceleration Success
Maintaining a focus on students who need the most support

**Where is Computer Science? It presently is not on the list…

Computer science education still not in majority of schools

Although U.S. schools have made progress with computer science education, new research shows that fewer than half of schools are teaching computer science. Computer Science Education is more important than ever.

Accountability

By adding Computer Science as a component of a school's grade, we'd be able to identify the schools who are providing CS education and the schools who need it most.

47% of our nation’s high schools teach CS

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted our society’s reliance on computing and its power to help businesses innovate. What gives?

Increase Access

Computer science is far from immune to the effects of societal inequities and systemic racism.

Addressing Inequities

Black/ African American students, Hispanic/Latino/Latina students, and Native American/Alaskan students are less likely to attend a school that teaches a foundational computer science course.