More Florida schools get good grades from state

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida educators said Tuesday that more schools earned "A" and "B" grades in the 2007-08 school year than ever before, while the number of low-performing schools decreased. The Department of Education reported 2,125 schools, 73.5 percent, earned the top two grades, while 45 schools got an "F," compared with 83 a year ago. Grades are used to reward top schools and sanction those deemed to be failing. But the state continues to struggle to meet federal No Child Left Behind Act standards at a time when schools are preparing to absorb severe budget cuts that could slow their progress. "Adequate funding is necessary to provide the kind of intervention and the kind of acceleration we need," Education Commissioner Eric Smith said Tuesday. "Certainly the budget is an issue." Despite the high grades from the... [read full story]