Education is student-driven, but it’s teacher-fueled. The Foundation for Excellence in Education proudly joins Floridians in thanking the state’s teachers for the impacts they’ve made in the lives of so many current and former students. Sunshine State teachers helped bring Florida from the back of the pack to the front of national student-achievement rankings.
With the help of teachers, Florida is turning things around and is miles ahead of where it’s been. Take a step back. Look at the map, and see how far Florida has traveled.
Florida still has a ways to go, but we must remember how far the state has come – thanks in no small part to teachers. Here are a few facts:
In the last decade or so – starting in 1998 – Florida has risen from the bottom to the top of achievement rankings.
- Prior to the education reforms teachers helped implement (in 1999), Florida’s 4th and 8th-grade students were at the bottom nationally in reading and math on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
- Recent results show 4th graders scored at the national average in math and exceed the nation average in reading.
Graduation rates have improved for all Florida students.
- Florida’s graduation rate as calculated by the Florida Department of Education is now at a historic high of 80 percent, and the drop-out rate is at a historic low.
- From 1990-1998, graduation rates declined by nearly 7%. With the help of teachers and education reforms, graduation rates since then have increased by 20%.
Reading and math scores have improved for all students.
- Between 1992 and 2011, Florida fourth-grade students doubled the national increase in students scoring at the highest levels of reading proficiency.
In 1999, 20% of Florida schools were graded A and B. Most recent reports (2010-2011) show nearly 80% of Florida schools graded A and B.
From 2000 to 2011, Florida had a 371% increase in the number of high school students taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams and a 279% increase in passing scores on AP exams.
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Share Your Story!
We’d love to hear from you. E-mail thankyou@excelined.org, and share your story of a teacher who helped or inspired you or your child along the road!