July 18, 2019 Clay makes the grade - Clay County District Schools - 27 schools earn an A by Florida Department of Education
CLAY COUNTY -- The Clay County School District recently received another overall grade of an A by the Florida Department of Education for the 2018-19 schoolyear, with an additional seven schools getting an A-rating compared to 2017-18.
“What this does for our community is exciting and we’re working hard to bring in an A every year,” Davis said. “It validates the hard work of our teachers, leaders, support staff, personnel staff and students. Everything we’re doing, we’re truly impacting children in a positive manner and that shows around the county.”
Overall, 27 out of 44 schools received A grades. A year ago, the county had 20 listed at the highest level.
With the First Coast Expressway bringing more people, businesses and jobs to Clay County, being an A-school district to attracting would-be homeowners, Davis said. It also represents a cultural shift in Clay County, the superintendent said.
“Are we done yet, though?” Davis said. “No, because our senior goal is to become the No. 1 school district in the State of Florida and that means that there’s still work to be done in this district.”
FDE also ranked Clay’s school as the eighth-best in the state.
“Florida is a state filled with many great school districts so to be in the top 10 is a great achievement,” Davis said. “Being in the top 10 is truly a reflection of a really fluent school district with great teachers, leaders, students and parents.”
Davis hopes to improve on the eighth-place ranking.
“For us to move annually, it’s got to be strategic,” Davis said. “We gained 14 points this year and that’s really hard to do. If you look at total points earned, we’re number eight but if you look at the total percentage of points, we’re number seven. So, next year, we’re going to improve on those numbers and to do so, we have to have laser-like focus.”
Davis said to improve, the district will need to focus on making gains in math and literacy.
Other highlights from the FDE education review include seven schools that moved from Bs to As and increases across the board in mathematics, social studies and literacy proficiency. Davis said the district saw a record high graduation rate as well.
W.E. Cherry, Tynes, McRae, Rideout, Swimming Pen Creek, Argyle and Shadowlawn elementariness all improved from a B-grade to A. Discovery Oaks Elementary also earned an A in its first year.
One school lost its A grade: J.L. Wilkinson Elementary.
The report continued to reveal some challenges. Charles E. Bennett Elementary failed to improve on its D-grade of a year ago. If the school receives a failing grade in the 2019-20 school year, the State of Florida will take over operations of the school. Davis said he and staff are working hard to ensure that doesn’t happen.
“It’s unfortunate that we had two Ds with Charles E. Bennett because when you walk through the school, you see great teaching, great content being taught and great behavior from everyone,” Davis said. “The problem is that despite seeing those great things, there are some deeper issues we need to tackle to get away from the D.”
Improving the level of education also must include parents and caretakers, Davis said.
“At the end of the day, they’re the first educator,” Davis said. “We’ve also got to address areas of poverty, how to lift the entire family up by giving them accessibility and how to better assist mental health in the area. We’re going to work hard to gain a better sense of the community and how best we can help it improve.
“From last year to this year, culturally, the school is a better place and it’s unfortunate that one state assessment defines the overall effectiveness of the school, but we’re going to have a really strong plan to bring that lift the school needs.”
As the new school year approaches, Davis said he looks forward to improving on the county’s A-rating.
“We will work to continue to show students and parents that the Clay County School District is the place to be,” Davis said.