FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SCHOOL GRADES FOR THE 2009-10 SCHOOL YEAR WERE RELEASED BY THE STATE ON TUESDAY, FIVE MONTHS AFTER THEIR USUAL RELEASE DATE. A NEW GRADING SYSTEM CAUSED THE DELAY. AMONG SCHOOLS IN THE SOUTHWEST PLEX, LEMON BAY, CHARLOTTE, EDISON COLLEGIATE, VENICE, AND THE PINE VIEW SCHOOL ALL RECEIVED AN “A” GRADE. ADDITIONALLY, THE CHARLOTTE AND SARASOTA COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS RECEIVED AN “A” GRADE AS A WHOLE. NORTH PORT AND PORT CHARLOTTE BOTH RECEIVED A “B” GRADE, WHICH REPRESENTED AN IMPROVEMENT FROM THE YEAR BEFORE. FIFTY PERCENT OF THE SCHOOL GRADES ARE BASED ON FCAT SCORES, WHILE THE OTHER FIFTY PERCENT IS BASED ON THE SCHOOL’S GRADUATION RATE, THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS TAKING ADVANCED COURSES AND INDICATORS OF STUDENT READINESS FOR COLLEGE.