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Palm Beach schools report increases in A/B-rated campuses, district is 1 of 13 academically high-performing Florida districts
Summary
Deputy Superintendent Jamie Wyatt and Chief Academic Officer Maria Bishop presented a fall instructional review showing increases in the number of A/B district-operated schools and improvements across many tested subjects, while flagging persistent gaps in fifth-grade science and subgroup outcomes. Board members pressed for targeted strategies for
The Palm Beach County School District reported gains in school performance and postsecondary outcomes during a fall instructional review presented to the board on Oct. 7.
"We have 120 district operated schools that were rated A and B, which is up from 113 last year," Deputy Superintendent Jamie Wyatt said. The district reported gains across multiple tested subjects and increased participation in advanced coursework (AP, ACE, IB and dual enrollment) for middle- and high-school students.
Chief Academic Officer Maria Bishop told the board that 33 district-operated schools improved by one or more letter grades, that select district schools ranked nationally (Suncoast High School and Dreyfo School of the Arts among them), and that districtwide graduation measures and postsecondary outcomes improved. Bishop said the class of 2025 produced about $72 million in Bright Futures scholarship eligibility and that 130 students earned associate degrees before high school graduation.
Board members focused questions on subgroup outcomes and specific subject areas. Board Member Terence Ferguson asked about lower growth for Black students in grades five and eight in science; Bishop and Wyatt said they attribute part of the performance gap to limited dedicated science minutes in elementary schedules, test items that depend on reading comprehension, and students missing standards that become "fair-game" items in later grades. "A large portion of our fifth grade science test is based on third and fourth grade standards," Bishop said, and the district is adjusting scope and sequence and using spiral review and targeted interventions to restore prior-year standards.
Members also pressed administrators on U.S. history and high-school reading supports. Bishop and Wyatt described expanded content clinics for teachers, added staff to support U.S. history and renewed focus on reading comprehension interventions, including new high-school tools for students needing intensive reading support.
Several board members asked how the district could support exemplar schools returning to national prominence. Wyatt said staff would analyze options and report back. Members also asked for more transparent explanations for year-to-year changes in early-grade assessments; staff said they were investigating statewide patterns and would provide more granular analysis.
The presentation concluded with discussion of targeted operational changes: a district regional collaborative protocol to align departments around school data and action plans; reorganization of elementary and secondary curriculum leadership; expanded phonics-based programs (Foundations and UFLI) for early grades; and a school-grade progress-monitoring dashboard for principals to track targets and predict school grade trajectories.
No formal board action was required for the instructional review, which was presented as a workshop item.
