The Alachua County Public School district has been awarded an ‘A’ grade by the state of Florida for the performance of its students and schools on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT).

Governor Jeb Bush and Florida Education Commissioner John Winn recently announced the 2006 grades for the state’s 67 school districts. Alachua was one of 24 districts to earn an ‘A’ grade this year. The district was also one of 23 districts to boost their grades over last year. Last year Alachua County Public Schools received a ‘B’ under the state’s grading system.

The formula used to determine district grades is similar to that used to grade individual schools. The state assigns points based on the overall student performance on the FCAT, the gains made by all students and the gains made by the lowest-performing students.

“I’m proud of our teachers, staff and students for continuing to meet the challenges of the FCAT and Florida’s grading system, even as the state continues to raise the bar,” said Superintendent Dan Boyd.

Last week the state announced the grades for all Florida schools. This year 19 Alachua County schools earned ‘A’ grades, an increase of 5 schools over last year and a record for the district.