Panama City Schools Receive B District Grade for 2022-23 School Year
The state Department of Education has released school grades for the 2022-23 school year, and Bay County had an overall district grade of B.
Transition to Progress Monitoring Grading System
According to a news release by Bay District Schools, the grades released by the department are the first to come from a new state grading system that uses progress monitoring instead of high-stakes, end-of-year tests. The grades issued this year will be used as a baseline for assessing future gains by students, schools, and districts.
Top Performing Schools
Ten Bay County schools received an A grade in the 2022-23 school year: Breakfast Point Academy, Deane Bozeman School, North Bay Haven Charter Academy Elementary School, Patronis Elementary School, Rising Leaders Academy, University Academy SABL Inc., Bay Haven Charter Middle School, North Bay Haven Charter Academy Middle School, Tyndall Academy, and North Bay Haven Career Academy.
On the other hand, only two county schools received a D or F grade: Cedar Grove Elementary School and Merriam Cherry Street Elementary School.
Superintendent’s Positive Outlook
“I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of our students and the Team of Teams that supported them in their academic endeavors,” Superintendent Mark McQueen said in the news release. “Overall, we are a B district, and we’re on our way to an A, based on the data we’re analyzing.”
Bay County’s Performance
Bay District Schools had an overall score of 441 points in the state grading formula. Of the 64 school districts that received grades, Bay County scored just below the median in points, with 33 districts scoring better and 30 scoring worse. Three districts — Gadsden, Jefferson, and Madison — did not receive scores.
Components of the New State Grading System
The new state assessments are based on schools’ performance in various achievement components, according to the DOE. Elementary and middle schools are graded on English, math, science, and social studies components, with an additional middle school acceleration component for middle schools. High schools are graded on these components as well as a graduation-rate component and a “college and career acceleration” component.
In future years, student progress will become another graded component. This year’s scores will be used as a baseline to judge future student gains at schools.
Overall, the new progress monitoring system aims to provide teachers, students, and parents with real-time and actionable data throughout the school year to drive student improvement.
Background information from USA Today Network Florida was used in this report.