| The 2005-2006 school year was a tremendous | | | | The major problems facing all middle Florida |
| success for the Florida schools, especially | | | | schools' educators are the hormonal changes |
| at the middle school level. The Florida | | | | that youth experience at this age and the |
| schools' educators across the state worked | | | | intense peer pressure students must deal with |
| hard to improve student academic achievement | | | | on a daily basis. These challenges make it |
| levels and were rewarded for their efforts. | | | | easy for middle school students to get off |
| The state of Florida awarded grades of A or B | | | | track. |
| to 75 percent of its public schools. Not only | | | | |
| did this show extraordinary progress for the | | | | Florida schools' educators are working hard |
| Florida schools, but it also was a new record | | | | to divert the students' attention away from |
| for the state. | | | | these problems by getting them more focused |
| | | | on learning. Many Florida schools are |
| The strongest gains were made in the middle | | | | looking at last year's strategies to review |
| schools. For example, Lake County has nine | | | | what worked and what did not. They plan to |
| middle schools. Seven earned a grade of A | | | | duplicate last year's success, with the hopes |
| last year, with the other two earning Bs. One | | | | of doing even better this year. |
| of the B schools missed receiving an A by | | | | |
| only one point. Osceola County has ten middle | | | | Seminole County schools, for example, |
| schools of which six earned an A, three | | | | improved the reading scores of struggling |
| earned a B, and one received a C grade. | | | | students by incorporating two research-based |
| | | | programs into its reading curriculum. They |
| Middle school is a crucial stage of academic | | | | encouraged their Florida schools to use small |
| achievement for students. It is the time when | | | | reading groups with frequent monitoring of |
| students transition from developing the basic | | | | progress and goal setting for each student. |
| skills learned in elementary school to | | | | This year, they plan to use this successful |
| learning how to put them into practice. Here, | | | | technique with their math curriculum. |
| students begin to learn more in-depth content | | | | |
| in order to develop the foundation that is | | | | Another example is Volusia County schools. |
| needed in high school. Secondary education | | | | Last year, they mapped their curriculum to |
| then builds on the foundation by digging | | | | set specific goals for each grade level and |
| deeper into the content and using it to help | | | | then assessed student progress based on |
| students develop their minds and become | | | | achieving the goals. |
| well-rounded adults. | | | | |
| | | | It is obvious that educators in the Florida |
| If the middle Florida schools do their jobs | | | | schools are committed to building this year |
| right, as they did last year, then students | | | | on the progress they made last year. As with |
| will achieve a greater success in high | | | | public schools across the nation, there will |
| school, be more likely to go on to college, | | | | be no shortage of challenges facing the |
| and have a better chance to obtain and excel | | | | Florida schools. Unlike many public schools |
| in a good career. | | | | across the nation, the Florida schools are |
| | | | making progress for the youth of their state. |