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The exams are in and it is time for Florida schools to receive their report cards.

The Florida Department of Education is expected this morning to release school grades and how schools fared under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Of the more than 40 Collier County schools that were graded during the 2006-07 school year, 29 schools maintained their letter grades, 12 schools went down at least one letter grade and two schools improved. The district itself received a B grade from the state.

School grades are determined on a point system. A school earns one point for each percentile of students who score high on the annual Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Schools also earn one point for each percentile of students who show learning gains in reading or math skills. Extra weight is given to improvement in reading skills among the lowest-performing readers in each school.

The day should bring good news for schools that saw their FCAT scores improve this year. The first good news came in May, when the FCAT writing scores were released for grades four, eight and 10.

When Highlands Elementary School in Immokalee improved its writing grade from 53 percent scoring at or above grade level last year to more than 70 percent this year, Principal Sean Kinsley said he was “cautiously optimistic” that the writing scores will mean good news for Highlands in reading, math and the school grade determination.

At Golden Terrace Elementary School, Principal David Glennon said his school was “looking good” after the school’s scores were released and showed improvement.

But perhaps no one was as confident as Manatee Elementary School Principal Connie Cox, especially after the East Naples school saw its writing and reading scores increase exponentially. The percentage of students scoring at or above grade level in reading, for example, went from 52 percent last year to 69 percent this year.

Cox said part of the school’s success came after students and parents were made stakeholders in the school grade determination.

“We really tried to explain to our parents how the testing worked and how the school grade was figured,” Cox said. “We had never done that before. We did the same thing with the kids. We told them how important it was for them to take the test and the important role they played in determining our school grade.”

A grade is given to a school on the basis of its overall points. To receive an A, a school must score 525 points or more, test at least 95 percent of eligible students, show learning gains in reading of at least half of the lowest 35 percent of reading performers and demonstrate that the learning curve of the lowest-performing quarter of students is within 10 points of the learning curve of the rest of the students.

A score of fewer than 395 points or those schools that test fewer than 90 percent of eligible students will earn the school an F grade.

Last year, the state added new criteria to the grading system, which includes the addition of science FCAT scores and learning gains made in mathematics. It’s the third time since the school grading system was established that the state has stepped up achievement guidelines.

The process is about to change again. This will be the last year that the FCAT alone is used to establish school grades. According to the new law, elements such as Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and graduation rates will be considered when determining overall school grades starting in the 2009-10 school year.

The purpose of school grades is to determine the performance of students on the FCAT and the learning gains students make from one year to the next. The student performance piece is determined by how students scored on the reading, math, science and writing portions of the test. The learning gains piece is determined by how students performed in reading and math, and progress in the two subjects made by the lowest-performing 25 percent of students, which includes those students with limited English skills and those with special needs.

Schools that improve a letter grade or maintain their A grade will receive $85 per student in school recognition money. This is a decrease from $100 per student given to schools in recent years. The school recognition money can go to faculty bonuses or school supplies, but teachers and staff need to come to a consensus on how the money will be used.

For schools that receive an F grade, the Department of Education will assign a team to review the results and determine the cause for the lower performance. If a school receives a grade of F for two years in a four-year period, the State Board of Education will intervene in the school’s operation and recommend changes.

Collier County had two F schools last year - Immokalee High School and Pinecrest Elementary School in Immokalee. Both schools are going through restructuring as part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.