In the coming months, Collier County Public Schools teachers will prepare and encourage students as they complete statewide assessments and end-of-course exams. If you are a parent, you’ve probably heard of the new FAST: Florida Assessment of Student Thinking. These assessments and the end-of-course exams are used in calculating school and district ratings and other factors. These measures are important. Not only do they provide valuable data as to the academic success of students, but they also can affect property values and the overall desirability of Collier County. Consequently, we all have a shared interest in the success of our local schools.
The most recent ratings from the Florida Department of Education in December revealed that CCPS once again earned an “A” rating, continuing a successful “A” streak dating back to 2017. The data provides a baseline for Florida’s first-in-the-nation transition to using progress monitoring instead of traditional high-stakes testing. Progress monitoring of schools and districts is now carried out through Florida’s new Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (BEST) Standards.
Focusing on individual student needs and monitoring progress throughout the year—a practice used by CCPS teachers and administrators for over a decade—is now a statewide standard and what we’ve always deemed our “secret sauce.”
Consider where our local district ranks compared to the other 66 school districts in Florida. CCPS is sixth in the state and one of only 16 Florida school districts rated as an “A.” Only five other districts earned more points on the accountability model. “None of those [five] districts are as large or diverse as CCPS, specifically in the subgroups of students who are English Language Learners (ELL), migrant, and/or economically disadvantaged,” explained CCPS Superintendent Dr. Leslie Ricciardelli following the state’s announcement. “Our District’s ‘A’ rating is a testament to the dedication and commitment of our exceptional teachers, administrators, and support staff who work with our students each day.”
This past year, school grades did not account for learning gains, traditionally a strong measure for CCPS students. However, learning gains will return to the school grades calculation for School Year 23-24, which we hope will boost our score even higher.
Another point of interest is that of the six counties (Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, DeSoto, and Glades) comprising the Southwest Florida market; Collier County is the only one with an A-rated school district. Of the traditional neighborhood public schools operated by CCPS, 47 of 50 (94%) earned an “A” or “B” rating, and none earned a grade of “D” or “F.”
Dr. Ricciardelli—who the School Board named as interim superintendent in December of 2022 and appointed superintendent in May 2023—welcomes high expectations and adds, “Our Collier County community holds us to a high standard, and it is my honor to report that even with new State standards, new instructional materials, and new State assessments with new cut scores, we are meeting and exceeding those expectations.”