The D that Cox Elementary received on the state Department of Education's school report cards this week could put the Dade City school under more scrutiny than before.
Under a new federal law regarding high-poverty schools, Cox could soon become the first school in Pasco County to be identified as "in need of improvement." That means it would need to show marked test score increases in 2003-04 or else risk losing students to higher scoring schools, said Chuck Rushe, the chief financial officer for the district.
Rushe said that Cox is the most likely of the district's schools to make this list because Wednesday it landed the district's only D. Pasco County does not have any F schools.
If Cox does not improve its scores next year, the district would have to pay for transportation for any Cox students who want to transfer to another Pasco public school starting in the 2004-05 school year.
"We've always allowed choice in Pasco County," Rushe said.
The only difference compared with Pasco County's current transfer policy is that the district would be required to pay for students to be transported from their homes to their new schools, if necessary.
The No Child Left Behind provision regarding "schools in need of improvement" affects only schools that receive Title I money - funds distributed by the federal government to schools where the majority of students qualify for the federal free and reduced price lunch program.
Cox has 97 percent of its students qualifying, the highest of any in the district.
Other Pasco County schools could be grouped with Cox as "in need of improvement" as early as July, Rushe said. That is when the state Department of Education is expected to release test scores for schools broken down by students' race, socioeconomic level, limited English ability and other subgroups.
Under the state's plan to comply with No Child Left Behind, even high-scoring schools that receive federal Title I funds could face penalties if students in those subgroups aren't scoring proficiently on state testing standards.
But administrators were cautious Thursday about interpreting the state's guidelines until after they get more information from state Department of Education officials next week.
"Cox, of course, is the one we're most worried about," said Ruth Reilly, director of Curriculum and Instructional Services for the district.
Ultimately, the federal law is designed so that if a school does not show improvement after three years, it becomes eligible to receive supplemental services money for such things as tutoring and remedial classes.
Then, if it fails to make progress for four years, the district must implement some sort of corrective action, such as replacing the staff or implementing a new curriculum.
Finally, if the school fails to make improvement for five years, the school must be completely restructured. Options then would include a state takeover or turning it into a charter school.
"I suspect that next year, we're really going to see some results," Reilly said of Cox.
Both Reilly and principal Leila Mizer said they expect to sustain and strengthen several of the current programs they already have in place.
- Rebecca Catalanello covers education in Pasco County. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6241 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6241. Her e-mail address is rcatalanello@sptimes.com
