State gives Keys’ schools mostly As for education

The Florida Department of Education recently released school grades and Monroe County Schools showed significant gains in all areas, according to a news release. Six schools improved a letter grade and 10 schools maintained their grade from last year.

Poinciana Elementary, Plantation Key School, Treasure Village Montessori and Somerset Island Prep each improved to an A grade; Key Largo School moved to a B grade and May Sands Montessori improved to a C.

Somerset Island Prep Principal Thomas Rompella attributed the school’s high marks to three aspects of learning — inclusiveness, parent and student buy-in and field trips.

“We have always fostered a culture where every student feels valued. Every student feels like an all star,” Rompella said. “Students, staff and families want our school to succeed. When students immerse themselves in the world around them, it inspires them to learn... Field trips are good for school grades. Students come back willing to work harder.”

“(The A grade) validates our philosophy that experiential learning — field trips and connections to the community — leads to student success,” added Somerset Headmaster Nick Wright. “Field trips translate to test scores and bright futures.”

Overall, there were eight A-graded schools in the district, including Sigsbee Charter School, The College of the Florida Keys Academy, Ocean Studies Charter and Treasure Village Montessori in addition to those above. The Keys’ six B-graded schools are Coral Shores High School, Key West High School, Marathon Middle/High School, Sugarloaf School, Stanley Switlik Elementary and Key Largo School. The C-graded schools are Gerald Adams Elementary, Horace O’Bryant School and May Sands Montessori.

A noteworthy improvement was in learning gains. Monroe schools are close to reaching the district’s strategic plan goal of 62% learning gains overall, with 61% in math and 60% in English/language arts.

The district received a grade of B, earning 62% points, just two percentage points from an A. With this improvement, the district moves in state rankings from 36th to 26th place among Florida’s 67 county school districts.

“I am very proud of the work we have done in the district,” said Schools Superintendent Theresa Axford. “Principals and teachers have been focused, and it has made a difference for our students.”

School Board Chair Sue Woltanski said she thinks the district is moving in the right direction.

“[These results] are due to the hard work of everyone in the district, and I appreciate everyone’s efforts. I don’t believe you can use only one letter grade to show all the things happening in the district. We have to look beyond statistics and focus on all areas. Still, the [students’] learning gains are fantastic.”