This morning the Chancellor for Public Education released the school grades for all elementary, middle, and combination schools in Florida. I am proud to announce that W.R. Tolar School received a “B” school grade and Hosford Elementary and Jr. High remained an “A” school. While these marks are high, they are even more impressive when you factor in the changes that were implemented in Florida’s high-stakes testing this year. 

In general, the new FCAT 2.0 is a much more rigorous assessment than the former FCAT and the cut scores between the levels (1-5) were increased on the FCAT 2.0. The writing rubrics used to score the assessment focused on conventions and supporting detail more so than in previous years. Even with these more rigorous standards the teachers, students, and staff met the challenge. 

Our district’s success is a reflection of our community and I would like to say thanks to all the teachers, parents, students, and staff of Tolar and Hosford for your commitment to learning and the success for our students. 

I eagerly await the High School grades that will be released in December of this year.

Sue Summers

Liberty County Superintendent of Schools