Clearwater Academy Brings Quality Education Amid Florida’s Dwindling School Grades

(Clearwater, FL)  August 29, 2013—Florida’s school grades have plunged in 2013, despite a recent “safety net” enacted to pad school grades and prevent them from dropping dramatically (1).  In response, Clearwater Academy International (http://www.clearwateracademy.org/) (CAI), located in downtown Clearwater, has committed to maintaining its goals-oriented education (http://www.clearwateracademy.org/) standards for students from preschool to high school age.

As a Tampa Bay private school (http://www.clearwateracademy.org/), CAI has chosen to make a targeted effort to improve the local educational standards.  Florida’s learning criteria currently carry lowered statistics, such as:

●   The number of A-rated schools fell nearly 39% this year, while the number of F-rated schools more than doubled (2);

●   In Miami-Dade County alone, 62 schools received a grade of “D” or “F,” an increase of about 7% (3); and

●   Statewide, a record number of 107 schools received an “F” in 2013 (4).

As part of its effort to sustain and also improve its curriculum, CAI recently commissioned a market research study to learn what parents considered to be most important in a child’s education.  The results demonstrated that an overwhelming 80% of parents chose reading as the most important facet of a child’s education, while 70% designated study skills as the second most critical aspect of education.

Featuring an educational program designed to help kids learn at their appropriate rate, CAI’s core system proves the effectiveness of its curriculum by outperforming both Florida’s and the United States’ SAT scores in Reading, Writing and Math, as well as the combined total respectively.

Clearwater Academy:                560 566 537 1663

FL Averages:                            492 492 476 1460

U.S. Averages:                         496 514 488 1498

●   At CAI, students are individually tested upon entering the school in order to find areas of skill and areas that need improvement.

●   After testing, each student receives a tailored program for the grade that they are entering.

●   Each program contains all of the steps they need to do to complete that grade.  Not only does this happen when a new student enters the school, but this level of individual attention occurs every time a student graduates from one grade to the next.

“Education is a basic human right, but the standards of today’s schooling methods make it difficult for children truly learn what they need to know,” said CAI Executive Director, Jim Zwers.  “[At CAI], we do our best to ensure that our students are given the tools they need for the best learning environment so they can develop life skills to help them be successful in whatever they choose to do.”

CAI’s curriculum involves college prep (http://www.clearwateracademy.org/), and utilizes Applied Scholastics, a nonprofit public benefit corporation that addresses head-on the problem of illiteracy by making broadly available notable discoveries in the field of education and literacy.  CAI’s curriculum has proven to be an effective means of college preparation:

  CAI also offers artistic and athletic programs, including football, basketball, cheerleading and its annual Festival of Arts.

For more information about Clearwater Academy International, please visit www.clearwateracademy.org.

About Clearwater Academy International:

Founded in 1984, Clearwater Academy International (CAI) offers a fresh perspective on education by harnessing the power of the students’ goals and directing their education to align with their interests. Its mission is to educate each child to their fullest potential and beyond, culminating in the eagerness to take their place in the world and contribute to society in their field(s) of endeavor. With tailor-made programs, each student becomes a priority. Students are designed individual courses that best match the child’s interests and skills, while also addressing the areas that need improvement. For more information, please visit www.clearwateracademy.org.

1.   Bousquet, Steve, Kathleen McGrory and Jeffrey Solochek.  “Amid Grading Controversy, Florida Education Chief Tony Bennett Resigns.”  miamiherald.com.  Miami Herald, 1 Aug. 2013.  Web.  1 Aug. 2013.  miamiherald.com/2013/08/01/3535902/amid-grading-controversy-florida.html.

2.   “Annual Grades Fall Sharply for Florida Schools.”  Nbcmiami.com.  NBC News, 26 July 2013.  Web.  01 Aug. 2013.  nbcmiami.com/news/Florida-Releasing-Education-Grades-After-Limiting-F-Schools-217095041.html.

3.   Vasquez, Michael, and David Smiley.  “Florida School Grades Drop under New Formula.”  miamiherald.com.  Miami Herald, 26 July 2013.  Web.  1 Aug. 2013.  miamiherald.com/2013/07/26/3523140/school-grades-drop-under-new-formula.html.

4.   Weber, Dave.  “Florida School Grades Take a Dive with Record Number of F’s.”  Articles.orlandosentinel.com.  Orlando Sentinel, 26 July 2013.  Web.  01 Aug. 2013.  articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-07-26/features/os-florida-school-grades-released-20130726_1_f-grades-florida-school-grades-seminole-schools.