Sumter County Ranks Among Top Ten in 2011 Florida School Districts Ranking
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Sumter County Ranks Among Top Ten in 2011 Florida School Districts Ranking
Tallahassee - Sumter County School District ranked tenth in the list of 67 state school districts in a numerical ranking released today by the Florida Department of Education. The district-by-district ranking is the first phase of an initiative that will soon include a list of all of the schools in the state ranked by number within the three main school groupings: elementary, middle and high school. The goal is to make it easier for parents to assess school district performance."We are honored and feel that this ranking is reflective of the hard work of teachers, administrators, students, and parents," said Sumter County School District Superintendent Richard Shirley. "We have district wide professional development where every teacher in our district is trained every year. Our learning-focused strategies include the most efficient instructional, data-based strategies. These strategies are constantly reviewed for their effectiveness and only the top strategies that have been shown to have the greatest effect are implemented in our classrooms."
The numerical ranking is based on each school's total points derived from FCAT scores. The total is the sum of scores for reading, math, science and writing; learning gains in reading and math; and scores for learning gains in reading and math among the lowest 25 percent of students in each school. The school district ranking is determined by the school grade points they earned based on the assessment scores of all students in the district that were enrolled for the full year.
"Sumter County deserves congratulations for this accomplishment," said Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson. "Ranking in the top ten takes commitment, hard work and collaboration not only from those within the educational setting; it takes the support of the entire community."
Commissioner Robinson added that everyone benefits when students receive a high-quality education: parents, educators and taxpayers.
The district rankings can be found at http://www.fldoe.org/SchoolDistrictRanking/. You can view Commissioner Robinson's comments regarding the rankings at http://www.youtube.com/educationfl.