State panel recommends school grades get curve

An advisory panel planned to recommend changes to the school-grade formula, but will keep flawed test results if they help the school's grade. The Florida Department of Education will try to get school grades out by the end of the month, but state officials first may have to amend the grading formula in light of the flawed 2006 third-grade reading FCAT scores.

The panel met in Tampa to discuss the options and will recommend that DOE exclude the flawed test scores from the grading process, except in cases where the scores would help improve a school's grade. In addition, they would like the state to suspend a provision of the school grading process that penalizes schools that don't show enough improvement among the lowest-performing students.

Source: Miami Herald