ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — New district grades from the state gave Pinellas County administrators and teachers plenty to celebrate this week.
According to the new grades from the Florida Department of Education, Pinellas County was one of just three counties to increase their scores from a B to an A for the 2023-2024 school year.
"I screamed, I was excited, I was happy. I told my son, my heart is beating out of my chest right now because not only did we earn that grade, but it's on the backs of the teachers," said Linda Burris, Principal of Tyrone Middle School.
Burris said when she started at Tyrone Middle School, she knew there was a lot of work to do.
"Walking into the school, I knew we needed to focus on instruction, we needed to focus on providing opportunities for our students to demonstrate success for our students who are in 8th grade," said Burris.
After two years of hard work, she's helped transform it into an A-rated school.
"There's definitely a lot of hard work that was put into it. The school grade is on the backs of our teachers," said Burris.
Not only is Tyrone an A-rated school…for the first time ever, the entire Pinellas County School District also received an "A" from the Florida Department of Education.
"I think you will see a continued push of pride in Pinellas County from parents to students to alumni," said Kevin Hendrick, Pinellas County Superintendent.
The grading criteria became more difficult within the last year, but Hendrick said the district stepped up to the plate.
"The bar was raised and the same happened for districts and we met the new metric and a little above that," said Hendrick.
The rating is based on student performance on tests, graduation rate and a few college and career-ready metrics.
"The district has made a big investment in early literacy, to raise student literacy rates at an early age…and that has a compounding effect as students get older," said Hendrick.
District leaders said a big reason for the improvement is that there's been a big focus on teacher-planning.
"Moving forward we have some instructional coaches, the instructional coaches work really closely with our teachers on planning quality lessons. So we meet weekly," said Burris.
District leaders said another big reason for the improvement is focus on extracurricular activities.
"Elevating the student experience in our schools when it comes to field trips, and dynamic opportunities both in and out of the classroom," said Laura Hine, Pinellas County Schools Chair.
Burris hopes her school can carry on the A-rating for years to come.
"We are going to celebrate, but we need to continue the hard work and the dedication," said Burris.
Elsewhere in the Tampa Bay area, Hillsborough County received a B grade from the state. This was the eighth straight year for Hillsborough County to earn a B grade in the Department of Education rankings.
In a memo to staff, Hillsborough County Superintendent Van Ayres said the district "increased our number of A, B and C schools by 19" and the "district has no F graded schools." Ayres said the district moved 33 schools from D's and F's to just nine D-rated schools.
"Today's announcement is a direct result of your commitment and dedication," Ayres said in the staff memo. "I am so proud and honored to be part of the HCPS family."
Hernando, Manatee and Pasco Counties also earned a B grade from the state.
Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands and Polk Counties were the lowest-performing in the region, with each earning a C grade in the updated rankings.
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