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Recalculation shifts 2 schools to passing

Two other Pinellas elementaries, however, went from passing to failing the federal standards.

Principals at two Pinellas elementary schools were ecstatic to learn Friday that they had made "adequate yearly progress" under the federal No Child Left Behind law after being told the opposite last month by the Florida Department of Education.

Lynch Elementary in St. Petersburg and Gulf Beaches Elementary in St. Pete Beach had come within one-tenth of one point of the standards before the DOE's recalculation of their scores.

"We knew we were very close," said Lynch principal Barbara Proper.

At Gulf Beaches, principal Marsha Jordan immediately got on the intercom to announce the good news.

Conversely, Curlew Creek Elementary in Palm Harbor and McMullen-Booth Elementary in Clearwater went from passing to failing when their scores were recalculated.

The four Pinellas schools are among 326 in the state whose status changed after the Department of Education recalculated scores. More than 2,500 Florida schools made the original list of schools that had failed the NCLB standards.

Because they are not Title I schools, Curlew Creek and McMullen-Booth face no consequences. At Title I schools, which are generally those that serve low-income children and receive federal Title I money, students become eligible for vouchers if the schools appear on the list two years in a row.