Each year, schools throughout all districts are graded based on different criteria. These components range from the students performance on standardized exams such as the FCAT and EOC to the number of students taking accelerated courses and the overall graduation rate. On December 18, the DOE announced that Gables had earned an A rating for the third year in a row.

Gables has been able to maintain this level of excellence due to the hard work and dedication of both the staff as well as the student body. During the year, the school administers multiple interim tests to assess the development of the students in subjects such as reading, math, history, and science. Later, these results are used to hire pull-out teachers which specialize in the subject that the students were weakest in and provide one-on-one tutoring.

“The first thing that struck me was that our brightest kids were hurting us the most, so when Mr. Costa became principal, it was emphasized to look at the data. We also gave access to the students so that they can see how they are doing, it was his whole approach, and has now become the heart and blood of the school,” Assistant Principal Mr. Hernandez said.

When asked how access to the data would make a difference in the way teachers instruct their students, Mr. Hernandez continued to say that, “With the data analyses teachers can identify the benchmarks that students were weakest in and go back and reteach that lesson. It tells them what they need to spend more time on.”

Additionally, another strategy many teachers use to emphasize certain benchmarks within the classes themselves are through different programs offered such as Achieve 3000 and Gizmos in both math and science. These programs give a more hands on and consistent way to ensure that the students are subjected and familiarized with the types of information and questions that will be on the exams.

When asked about the efficiency and application of Gizmos, senior Daniel Spatz said “They help me gain a practical understanding of the material by applying the equations and raw numbers to potential real life situations, and are extremely efficient and effective if the proper time and concentration is applied.”

The school intends on maintaining this upward trend, by continuously trying to beat its own best records. In 2007 there were only 1,327 students sitting in for an IB or AP exam, and only 43% passed. This year there were 2,198 students sitting for exams. Not only did the number of students involved in advanced courses increase, and the IB diploma rate increased from 55% to 77%  but their passing rates did also to 46%. Now, Coral Gables is at the top of its region.

“I think the variety of AP courses the school offers gives you a chance to get a feel for any subject you think you might be interested in. I’ve taken 10 APs in high school, and there are some areas I definitely don’t want to study any further and some that I’ve really liked. But, being able to take most any AP really lets you learn as much about what you’re interested in as it does about the subject itself,” senior Nicolas Rivero said.

Gables works extremely hard to ensure that each student has resources available to help them become better in whatever subject they need help in learning, and to make sure that students are getting a quality education. This work has paid off in the form of the school being rated an A. Although the school has achieved this top rating, there is no stopping Gables from continuing to strengthen existing programs in order to provide students with individualized learning opportunities. After all, the status of an A was not only achieved by implementing different learning techniques, but was achieved by the staff’s willingness to teach and the dedication they have toward their student’s success.