High school grades improved in Northeast Florida in 2009-10 after the state dramatically changed its grading calculation, according to grades released Tuesday by the Florida Department of Education.

Ten local schools earned an A grade in 2009-10, up from nine in 2008-09, and the number of F schools decreased from six to two.

Statewide, school grades were up, with more schools earning A grades and fewer schools earning F's.

"These are terrific results for our high schools, providing very clear evidence that they have stepped up their efforts to offer demanding course work for their students and graduate more of them prepared for college or a career," said state Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith.

Previously, FCAT scores and learning gains were used to determined school grades. But FCAT tests are primarily given in ninth and 10th grade. So the state changed that formula this year. Now, FCAT represents half a school's grade. The rest is a combination of graduation rates, participation and performance in accelerated classes, and success on college readiness tests.

Some school grades can drop if the lowest-performing students don't make adequate yearly progress in reading and math. And A grades can drop to a B if not enough at-risk students graduate.

The formula will continue to evolve in the next few years. Right now participation in accelerated courses, which Duval County has pushed for several years, counts twice as much as performance of students in those courses or on exams. Performance will count as much as participation in the next few years.

Elementary and middle school grades are still based only on FCAT scores. Those scores were released in August.

While the formula is so different that grades can't be directly compared, high schools have continued to progress, though not as quickly as everyone would like, said Trey Csar, president of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund.

He said he thinks a grading system that considers more than test scores is a positive move.

In Duval, the number of A and B schools increased from five in 2008-09 to seven in 2009-10. And while only one Duval high school received an F, the total number of schools receiving a D or F increased from 10 to 11 schools.

One of the biggest local increases was at Sandalwood High School, which jumped from a C to an A. It's the first time since school grades were released in 1999 that Sandalwood received higher than a C.

"I'm glad to call myself a Saint," said Senior Earl McGuire IV, referring to the school's sports nickname.

The football team captain believes universities such as Harvard will give him more consideration now that he's graduating from an A school.

Sandalwood Principal Vicki Shultz said her school didn't do anything dramatically different in the six years she's been at the school.

"The progress has been slow but steady," she said. "I truly believe true progress won't happen overnight."

A. Philip Randolph Academies was Duval's only F high school.

Raines, Ribault and Andrew Jackson - Duval's three high schools on the state's watch list for possible closure within three years - all improved from F grades to Ds. They'll need C grades and meet other federal guidelines to get off the watch list.

Superintendent's approval

Duval Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals was proud of the work.

"The good news - it's improvement, but this is just the first step to continuous improvement," he said.

He thinks the new grading formula is an improvement: "I think this accounts for a broader, more comprehensive picture of the performance of high schools."

Jackson High Principal Iranetta Wright was speechless when she first heard the news that her school no longer had an F grade.

"It does really feel good to know that these two years have been worthwhile and that we're on the right track," she said.

The new formula helped. The school's FCAT scores had increased by 43 points, but not enough to get it off the F list if that had been the only factor considered, she said.

Under the new grading formula, some schools could drop a letter grade if the percentage of students making learning gains in reading and math wasn't high enough or if not enough at-risk students graduate.

Pratt-Dannals said Lee, Mandarin and Peterson each dropped a letter grade because of their reading learning gains, and Fletcher got a B instead of an A because its graduation rate for at-risk students wasn't high enough.

Ribault had enough points under the new grading formula to earn a C, said Principal James Young, but not enough of the lowest-performing students made learning gains, which dropped the grade to a D.

Young said he expects continued growth next year.

The new school grades don't impact opportunity scholarships, available to students at repeatedly failing schools, since those are still based solely on FCAT scores. But Pratt-Dannals said he would like to see that change in the future, because the new school grades come out in December and there's more time to prepare for opportunity scholarships before the start of the school year. FCAT scores come out in the summer.

St. Johns County schools had four As, two Bs and one F, at St. Johns Technical. The biggest jump was at Pedro Mendendez High, which went from a D to a B.

"I am convinced that our emphasis on academic rigor and career academies has made a significant impact," said Superintendent Joseph Joyner.

Clay County Superintendent Ben Wortham was "thrilled" with the high school grades. No Clay schools saw their grades drop. The biggest increase was Clay High, which went from a D to a B.

All of Nassau's high schools received B grades. Last year, two had As and two had Cs.

Baker County Senior High maintained its D grade. And in Putnam County, Interlachen High maintained its D, while Crescent City Junior/Senior and Palatka High both saw their grades improve by one letter to a B and C, respectively.

mary.palka@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4104