JUST THE FACTS Central Florida The Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. ICW promotes the rigorous educational standards and effective job training systems needed to preserve the strength of America’s greatest economic resource, its workforce.

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Are ALL children receiving a high-quality education in central Florida? Not yet. Florida is a national leader in education reform. It has high standards, strong teacher effectiveness policies, and expansive school choice options. It has made unprecedented gains over the past decade to improve student achievement and close the achievement gap. The state leads the nation in students participating in Advanced Placement (AP) courses, particularly for low-income and minority students.1 Its fourth graders ranked second in the world on an international reading assessment.2 The state’s A–F school grading system provides transparent data about its schools and has served as a model for many other states seeking to emulate Florida’s success. Nevertheless, there is still work to be done to ensure that all students are prepared for college and the workforce. For every 100 Florida students, only 76 will graduate from high school, only 51 will attend college, and only 32 will earn a baccalaureate degree within six years.3 Florida ranks 38th in the nation for graduate students pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degrees and 31st for residents with STEM degrees.4 While four of seven central Florida counties exceed the average state graduation rate, their low-income and at-risk students graduate well below the average. Central Florida is home to 50 D and F rated schools, meaning students lack consistent access to high quality schools. Proficiency rates statewide, and those of disadvantaged students, are low, especially in science. In central Florida, most students are not proficient in reading and the vast majority of 8th grade students are not proficient in math.5 Too many teachers are rated as effective under the state’s teacher evaluation system, particularly in low-performing schools. And although parents are empowered with numerous school choice options, Florida does not yet have a parent trigger law that would enable them to initiate a charter school conversion. Florida, including the counties of central Florida, needs to build on the state’s impressive record of achievement gains as it implements even more rigorous standards and assessments of college and career readiness. It cannot afford to lower standards or abandon its commitment to implementing Common Core State Standards in order to raise expectations for students. Central Florida 2

Central Florida Schools at a Glance6 Total Four Year 2012 Accountability Charter Students who receive Enrollment Graduation Rate Grade Schools free or reduced lunch Brevard 45,171 85% A 7 44% Lake 23,611 78% B 10 56% Orange 55,820 74% B 31 54% Osceola 15,208 78% B 12 63% Polk 43,754 68% C 28 68% Seminole 35,744 80% A 3 45% Volusia 37,310 67% C 8 57.5% State 2,691,322 74.5% n/a 574 58%

How are Florida schools failing Not enough students graduate from the business community? high school prepared for college or the workforce. Florida needs more educated workers to fill high-skill jobs. • Seventy five percent of all students statewide and 65% of low-income students graduate from high • Sixty-three percent of jobs in Florida will school in four years.14 require a career certificate or degree by 2020, • In central Florida counties, low-income student but only 35% of adults in the state currently graduation rates range from 67% to 55%. At-risk have these qualifications.7 student graduation rates are below 50% in all but • Only 25% of the central Florida population over 25 two counties.15 has a Bachelor’s degree or higher.8 • Statewide, more than 100 high schools are • By 2018, the number of STEM jobs in Florida will considered “dropout factories” because graduation increase by 19%. Forty-nine percent of those jobs rates were 60% or below from 2008 to 2010.16 will be computer occupations.9 • Statewide, only 18% of the class of 2012 achieved • In central Florida counties, the percent of a score on the ACT that indicated they are ready residents aged 25–44 holding at least a Bachelor’s for college-level courses, compared to a national degree in a STEM field ranges from 33% to 48%.10 average of 25%.17 • Of students who enroll in two- or four-year public • Fifty-four percent of Florida students attending colleges or universities statewide, only 14% two-year colleges need remediation.18 graduate on time.11 • If Florida’s high schools prepared students for • On average, a high school graduate in Florida college, the state could save as much as $224 million earns $7,115 more each year than a high school in college remediation costs and lost earnings.19 dropout. In 2011, approximately 83,500 students did not graduate from high school, equaling lost lifetime earnings of $9.5 billion.12 • If half of the dropouts had managed to graduate, the additional spending and investments by these graduates would be enough to support as many as 4,000 new jobs and increase the gross state product by as much as $597 million by the time they reach their career midpoints.13 Central Florida 3

Central Florida High School Graduation Florida 2011 NAEP and FCAT Scores Rates, Class of 2012 Percentage of Students Who are Not Proficient Four-Year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (a score of 1, 2, or 3 on FCAT) 100 90 85 All Students 80 Low-Income 90 80 78 78 At Risk 74 72 74 73 73 80 70 68 67 67 65 70%72%70% 73% 70 68% NAEP Reading 58 59 65%63% 65% NAEP Math 60 55 53 53 60 FCAT Reading 50 47 FCAT Math 43 42 50 40 40 30 30 20 20 10 10

0 0 e Grade 4 Grade 8 ard Polk Lake olusia Brev Orange Osceola V Seminol Source: NAEP, http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/ and Florida Department of Education, http://fcat.fldoe.org/mediapacket/2012/default.asp. Source: Florida Department of Education: http://www.fldoe.org/eias/eiaspubs/xls/ FedGradRateCategory_1112.xls Central Florida 4th Grade FCAT Reading Not enough students attend high- Scores: Achievement Gaps quality schools and meet standards for Percentage of Students Who are Not Proficient (a score of 1, 2, or 3 on FCAT) by Receipt of proficiency in reading and math. Free or Reduced Lunch (FRL)

90 • The National Assessment of Educational Progress 4th Grade-Not FRL (NAEP) and the Florida Comprehensive Assessment 78 4th Grade-FRL 80 76 75 75 76 Test (FCAT) show that most students are not 73 70 69 attaining proficiency in reading, math, or science. • Florida faces significant socioeconomic achievement 60 gaps. On the NAEP assessment, 76% of low-income 51 51 52 50 49 fourth-grade students are not proficient in reading, 44 44 39 and 84% of low-income eighth-grade students are 40 not proficient in math. Seventy-two percent of eighth 30 graders lack proficiency in science, and only 12% of students demonstrated a mastery (score of 4 or 5) of 20 Florida science standards. 20 10 • In central Florida, the 4th grade reading 0 proficiency achievement gap ranges from 24 to e ard 21 Polk 31 percentile points. Lake olusia Brev Orange Osceola V • There are 50 schools with a D or F grade in the Seminol

seven central Florida counties—just under 20% of Source: FLDOE, https://app1.fldoe.org/FCATDemographics/Selections.aspx?report all of the D and F schools in the state.22 TypeID=6&level=District&subj=Reading. Central Florida 4

What is Florida doing to 3 College and Career Readiness. One of the improve schools and prepare three student achievement goals for Florida’s Race to the Top grant is to significantly improve students to meet college- and student performance specific to college readiness career-ready standards? and success by doubling the percentage of incoming high school freshmen who graduate Implementing state standards and from high school, go to college, and achieve at assessments aligned to college- and least a year’s worth of college credit. The state career-ready standards. awards incentives for schools and teachers based on the number of students who take Florida adopted the Common Core State Standards college-level exams and score at certain levels. (CCSS) in English language arts and math in July 3 College and Career Ready Graduation 2010.23 The state is on track to implement these Requirements. Florida high school students standards and aligned assessments by the 2014–15 have multiple options for earning a standard school year.24 In central Florida, all counties but one diploma. Students can choose a traditional have a CCSS implementation plan rated as “green”— four-year, 24-credit program; a three-year, “ready with evidence to support.” However, most 18-credit college or career preparatory counties lag on other indicators, and only one county program; an Advanced International Certificate meets the state targets for the student-to-computer of Education Program; or an International ratio, an important measure of whether schools will Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program. be adequately equipped to administer assessments Regardless of the degree program, all students CCSS aligned assessments.25 must earn a certain GPA and pass both the Grade 10 FCAT reading assessment and the 3 Common Core State Standards in reading end-of-course assessment requirements.26 and math. Florida is committed to implementing standards in reading and math aligned to the CCSS no later than the 2013–2014 school year. What to Watch: Florida has developed a transition schedule that started with kindergarten instruction aligned to ? Staying the course on the Common CCSS in the 2011–12 school year and added first Core. Will central Florida districts maintain grade the following year. Grades 2–12 will be their commitment to the current timeline for added in the 2013–14 school year. implementing CCSS standards and the PARCC 3 Assessments aligned to CCSS. Florida is assessments? a governing state in the Partnership for the ? Will increased standards and assessments Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers lead to improved college and career (PARCC) and plans to transition to the PARCC readiness? As a result of increased assessment by the 2014–2015 school year. expectations, will more students graduate ready to attain postsecondary credentials and meet the demands of the labor market? Central Florida 5

Holding all schools accountable for 3 High-achievement goals. Florida has meeting state standards. established four annual measureable objectives (AMOs): (1) school grades, (2) school and Florida uses a point system to award a letter grade subgroup performance targets, (3) targets for (A–F) to every school in the state. The system progress of the lowest performing 25%, and (4) prioritizes growth of the lowest achieving 25% of performance relative to other high-performing students and graduation rates, particularly those states and nations. These goals will be reported of at-risk students. Schools risk having their score for all schools, districts and the state. lowered by one letter grade if they miss targets such 3 Accountability for all students. Florida reports as failing to make required learning gains. 28 Florida’s assessment results by student subgroups. For school grading system includes scores from reading, accountability purposes, it will use a “super” mathematics, writing, and science assessments. subgroup of the lowest 25% of students. Schools must show that 50% of students in this group have made learning gains. Florida’s School Grading System29 3 Consequences for low-performing schools and districts. Schools that receive D or F grades Elementary Up to 800 points (Middle schools and Middle up to 900): must implement school turnaround interventions. F schools must implement one of five turnaround Schools 50% based on academic achieve- ment on core subjects options specified by the state. Supplemental educational services are available for the 2012–13 50% based on growth in reading and math, of which 50% is based school year. on all students and 50% based on 3 High School Accountability. The college the lowest 25%. readiness measures in Florida’s school grades To receive an A, an elementary system provide additional incentive to schools school would need at least 525 and LEAs to prepare all graduates for college. It points; a middle school would need measures student access to and performance at least 590 points. in rigorous, accelerated coursework as well as High 1,600 points: college readiness exam performance. Since the Schools • 25% based on academic achieve- creation of this accountability system, the state ment in core subjects has seen an increase in dual enrollment course • 25% growth in reading and math offerings and in student participation in ACT, SAT, of lowest 25% of students and IB courses. Minority groups have also shown • 50% college- and career-ready increased performance on AP exams and have indicators. reduced achievement gaps.30 A high school would need 1,050 3 Transparent school and district grading points to receive an A. reports. Florida plans to use its School Public Accountability Reports (SPAR) to provide detailed information on A–F school grades. However, it has not been updated to provide the most recent school grades based on the newly revised accountability system. Central Florida 6

3 Annual evaluations based on student What to Watch achievement. Florida requires that all teachers receive annual performance evaluations ? Availability of school and district grading where the dominant criterion is student reports. The current system is not yet able to achievement—50% of teacher evaluations must provide parent-friendly school grading reports be based on value-added student growth.32 based on the most recent assessment data. 3 Tenure tied to performance. In Florida, ? The lowest achieving schools need to teacher tenure has been replaced with annual get better! Too many students are in poorly professional services contracts. Decisions about performing schools. Will the interventions for contract renewal are required to be informed by struggling schools and districts help? Will the teacher evaluations and student achievement. 33 accountability system identify the right schools, 3 Pay for performance. Florida requires teachers particularly after the transition to new standards to play a significant role in how school districts and assessments? determine salaries. Unlike other states that provide performance pay in the form of bonuses, in Florida, local salary schedules must ensure that the Improving teacher effectiveness. most effective teachers receive salary increases greater than the highest annual salary adjustment In March 2011, Florida passed the Student Success available. District school boards are charged Act, sweeping education legislation that, among other with adopting performance salary schedules things, aimed to improve the quality of instruction, that provides annual salary adjustments for administration, and supervision in Florida schools instructional personnel and school administrators by implementing a rigorous system of teacher and based upon performance evaluation results. principal evaluations. The law established student Florida also provides additional pay for teachers performance as an important factor in rating who transfer to low-performing schools.34 teacher performance. It included consequences for 3 Performance-based teacher policy. In Florida, “unsatisfactory” performance, including termination. classroom performance must be the top criterion The Student Success Act effectively eliminated when districts determine which teachers to lay teacher tenure and established a new, performance- off during a reduction in force; seniority can only based teacher compensation system. 31 be considered after a teacher’s performance is taken into account.35 3 Dismissal for ineffectiveness in the classroom. A contract with an established teacher in Florida may be cancelled if there is proven ineffectiveness. Just cause for dismissal includes: two consecutive annual performance evaluation ratings of unsatisfactory; two annual performance evaluation ratings of unsatisfactory within a three-year period; three consecutive annual performance evaluation ratings of needs improvement; or a combination of needs improvement and unsatisfactory.36 Central Florida 7

What options are available for What to Watch: parents who want something

? Effectiveness of evaluations. A good deal better for their child? of teacher policy in Florida depends on new School choice, charter schools, and teacher evaluations and the results of the online learning. performance ratings. The state’s first release of statewide evaluation results showed nearly Florida is a national leader in school choice 97% of teachers across Florida were rated opportunities. Parents in Florida have access to a “effective” or “highly effective”—much less wide range of educational options, including charter differentiation in teacher performance than schools, online learning, and opportunity scholarships. might be expected. With mounting criticism suggesting the system isn’t working to 3 Charter school law. Currently more than distinguish highly effective teachers from 200,000 students are enrolled in 574 charter ineffective ones, how will Florida adjust its schools in 44 Florida districts. There are no limits evaluation requirements, implementation on charter school growth. process, or other policies moving forward? X Parent trigger. Florida has a law that allows ? Legal challenges. Despite the overall high parents to petition for charter conversion, but it ratings, the Florida Education Association requires a vote of teachers as well. Attempts to has filed a federal lawsuit challenging pass legislation that would allow a majority of the constitutionality of Florida’s teacher parents to bring about a charter conversion have evaluation system claiming that it violates not been successful, recently failing again in the the equal protection and due process rights Senate in April on a tie vote. of teachers. Will the evaluation system be ? Public school choice and private school deemed invalid? States and districts across vouchers. Florida enacted the Opportunity the nation are watching. Scholarship Program for students in failing schools in 1999 as part of the A+ Education Plan. However, in 2006 the Florida Supreme Court declared the private school choice option unconstitutional. Students in a failing school may attend a higher performing public school, but they no longer have the option to transfer to a private school. Under the McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program, students with disabilities have the opportunity to attend a participating private school. There are currently 24,000 students participating in this program.37 3 Tax Credit Scholarships. Florida provides state tax credits for contributions to nonprofit scholarship funding organizations that in return award scholarships to eligible children from low- income families. Central Florida 8

3 Online Learning. The Florida Virtual School How are state education (FLVS) is an online public school that offers more leaders selected? than 120 online courses to public, private, charter, and home school students in grades K–12 free of State and local governance in Florida. charge—148,000 students used these services in the 2011–12 school year.38 The Commissioner of Education, Dr. Tony Bennett, was appointed by the State Board of Education to oversee education in Florida in December 2012. What to Watch: The Florida State Board of Education has seven ? Universal digital education. The State Board members who are appointed by the Governor. See: of Education’s major focus for the 2013–14 http://www.fldoe.org/board/members.asp for more school year is the Education Technology information. Modernization Initiative. A key objective District websites: of this initiative is to ensure that students have the tools they need to succeed taking Brevard http://www.brevard.k12.fl.us computer-based assessments, since many Lake http://lake.k12.fl.us/site/default. classrooms still depend on pencil and paper aspx?PageID=1 for everyday instruction. The initiative also Orange https://www.ocps.net/Pages/default. aspx includes significant funding to increase Internet bandwidth and wireless access in schools.39 Osceola http://www.osceola.k12.fl.us Polk http://www.polk-fl.net Seminole http://www.scps.k12.fl.us Volusia http://myvolusiaschools.org/Pages/ default.aspx

How to get involved: Contact the Central Florida Partnership: http://www.centralfloridapartnership.org Central Florida 9

Endnotes 18 Complete College America. (2011). Florida Remediation 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2013, from http://www.completecollege. org/docs/Florida_remediation.pdf. 1 College Board. (February 8, 2012). The 8th Annual AP Report to the Nation. Retrieved February 11, 2013 from http://media.colleg- 19 Alliance for Excellent Education. (2012). Florida High Schools. eboard.com/digitalServices/public/pdf/ap/rtn/AP-Report-to-the- 20 National Center for Education Statistics. (n.d.). 2011 NAEP Scores. Nation.pdf. Retrieved February 11, 2013, from http://nces.ed.gov/nationsre- 2 Orlando Sentinel. (December 12, 2012). Florida students wow the portcard/states/. world with ‘outstanding’ reading-test results. Retrieved February 21 FLDOE. (n.d.). FCAT 2.0 Student Performance Results. Retrieved 11, 2013, from http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-12-11/ May 15, 2013 from https://app1.fldoe.org/FCATDemographics/ news/os-florida-international-tests-20121211_1_florida-students- Selections.aspx?reportTypeID=6&level=District&subj=Reading. reading-test-math-and-science. 22 FLDOE. (n.d.) Florida School Grades. Retrieved May 15 from http:// 3 Florida Council of 100. (2010). Closing the Talent Gap: A Business schoolgrades.fldoe.org. Perspective. Retrieved February 12, 2013, from http://www.fc100. org/documents/Florida%20Council%20of%20100%20--%20Clos- 23 U.S. Department of Education. (2012). ESEA Flexibility Request: ing%20the%20Talent%20Gap,%20January%202010%281%29.pdf. Florida. Retrieved February 11, 2013, from http://www2.ed.gov/ policy/eseaflex/approved-requests/fl.pdf. 4 Florida Chamber Foundation. (n.d.). The Florida Scorecard: Talent Supply and Education. Retrieved February 12, 2013, from http:// 24 Ibid. thefloridascorecard.com/pillars_beta.aspx?pid=1. 25 FLDOE. (n.d.) Florida Readiness Gauge. Retrieved May 15, 2013 5 FLDOE. (n.d.). FCAT 2.0 Student Performance Results. Retrieved from http://www.flccss.org/elementary/1/. May 15, 2013 from https://app1.fldoe.org/FCATDemographics/ 26 Florida Department of Education. (2012). Florida’s Guide to Public Selections.aspx?reportTypeID=6&level=District&subj=Reading and High School Graduation for Students Entering Grade Nine: 2012-13 https://app1.fldoe.org/FCATDemographics/Selections.aspx?report School Year. Retrieved February 11, 2013, from https://www.fldoe. TypeID=6&level=District&subj=Math. org/bii/studentpro/pdf/2012HS-Brochure.pdf. 6 Florida Department of Education (FLDOE). (n.d.).Data Publications 28 Florida Department of Education. (2012). Grading Florida’s Public and Reports: Students. Retrieved May 15, 2013, from http://www. Schools 2012. Retrieved February 11, 2013, from http://school- fldoe.org/eias/eiaspubs/pubstudent.asp; FLDOE. (n.d.). Florida grades.fldoe.org/pdf/1112/Guidesheet2012SchoolGrades.pdf. School Grades. Retrieved May 15, 2013 from http://schoolgrades. fldoe.org.; Florida School Choice (n.d.). Florida Charter School List 29 Ibid. by District. Retrieved May 15, 2013 from http://www.floridaschool- 30 Delisle, Deborah, Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Second- choice.org/Information/Charter_Schools/Directory/default.aspx. ary Education, U.S. Department of Education. (December 19, 7 Complete College America. (2011). Florida 2011. Retrieved Febru- 2012). Letter to the Interim Commissioner, Florida Department of ary 9, 2013, from http://www.completecollege.org/docs/Florida. Education. Retrieved February 14, 2013 from http://www2.ed.gov/ pdf. policy/eseaflex/secretary-letters/fl-continuation-2.pdf. 8 myregion.org (n.d.). The Central Florida Scorecard. Retrieved May 31 For an overview of Florida’s Student Success Act see: http://www. 15, 2013 from http://www.myregion.org/index.php?src=gendocs& fldoe.org/arra/pdf/april13tac.pdf. ref=CFScorecardSupplyEducation. 32 National Council on Teacher Quality, (2011). State Teacher Policy 9 Anthony Carnevale, Nicole Smith, and Michelle Milton. (October Yearbook 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2013, from www.nctq.org. 2011). STEM State-Level Analysis. Retrieved February 4, 2013, from 33 Ibid. http://cew.georgetown.edu/stem/states. 34 U.S. Department of Education. (2012). ESEA Flexibility Request: 10 The Florida Scorecard. (n.d.). Talent Supply & Education. Retrieved Florida. May 15, 2013 from http://www.thefloridascorecard.com/pil- lars_beta.aspx?pid=1. 35 National Council on Teacher Quality, (2011). State Teacher Policy Yearbook 2011. 11 Ibid. 36 U.S. Department of Education. (2012). ESEA Flexibility Request: 12 Alliance for Excellent Education. (2012). Florida High Schools. Florida. Retrieved February 8, 2013, from http://www.all4ed.org/files/ Florida_hs.pdf. 37 Florida Department of Education. (n.d.). School Choice. Retrieved February 11, 2013, from http://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/ 13 Alliance for Excellent Education. (2011). Education and the default.asp. Economy: Boosting Florida’s Economy by Improving High School Graduation Rates. Retrieved February 9, 2013, from http://www. 38 Florida Virtual School (n.d.). What is FLVS? Retrieved February 11, all4ed.org/files/Florida_seb.pdf. 2013, from http://www.flvs.net/Pages/default.aspx. 14 Florida Department of Education (FLDOE). (n.d.). Data Publications 39 Florida Department of Education. (2012). Public Schools Technol- and Reports: Students. Retrieved May 15, 2013, from http://www. ogy Modernization Initiative. Retrieved February 14, 2013 from fldoe.org/eias/eiaspubs/pubstudent.asp. www.fldoe.org/fldlg/ppt/to92512.ppt. 15 Ibid. 16 Alliance for Excellent Education. (2012). Florida High Schools. 17 ACT. (2012). The Condition of College & Career Readiness 2012: Florida. Retrieved January 24, 2013, from http://act.org/news- room/data/2012/states/pdf/Florida.pdf. Institute for a Competitive Workforce U.S. Chamber of Commerce National Chamber Foundation 1615 H Street NW Washington, DC 20062 Phone: 202-463-5525 www.uschamber.com/icw