Manatee schools rating raises eyebrows
This letter is with reference to the recent article which reported that Manatee County schools had been awarded a “B” rating by the Florida Department of Education (“Manatee County celebrates record school performance with highest district B grade ever,” July 9).
As a person who follows assessments performed by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which is called “the nation’s report card,” I question whether the article’s writer – or an editor – realized that Manatee’s rating really does not make much sense.
The article reports that the reading proficiency of third graders in Manatee schools is only 54%. This means about half of Manatee’s third graders can’t read at grade-level requirements, which is terrible…