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State grades for county's schools dip
By BARBARA BEHRENDT
© St. Petersburg Times,
The news for Citrus was mixed, with only one school, Homosassa Elementary, maintaining an A. Other schools, including three out of four middle schools, earned higher scores than they had last year. Some schools lost A's when student achievement didn't grow at the required rate and more students ended up with low reading scores. The grades, based largely on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test results, mean that five Citrus schools will earn school recognition dollars ranging from about $40,000 to about $80,000 each for increased or maintained scores. Overall, however, the district's grade point average dropped from last year. District officials tried to see the bright side of the news. "The schools have all worked so hard, and I know that those who didn't do as well are going to take it hard," said Jan Morphew, director of research and accountability for the school district.
While Homosassa Elementary maintained its A, the other four elementary schools with A's last year slipped. Rock Crusher Elementary earned a B, and Lecanto Primary, Inverness Primary and Pleasant Grove Elementary schools all slid from A grades to C's because of reading scores. Floral City Elementary School rose from a C to a B, while Hernando Elementary, Citrus Springs Elementary and Crystal River Primary schools each had C grades, as they did last year. Forest Ridge Elementary School, which opened in August, was not assigned a grade since a school must operate for two years to show improvement. Crystal River, Citrus Springs and Lecanto middle schools raised their grades from last year's C to a B with improved reading scores. At Inverness Middle, the grade remained a C. There were no changes at the three high schools, which have earned C's since the grading system began in 1999. The school district's overall grade point average, if figured like a student's grade point average, slipped slightly to a 2.44 compared to last year's average of 2.63. In 1999, the district's GPA was a 2.0. Morphew said the scores mean that Floral City Elementary, Homosassa Elementary, Crystal River Middle School, Citrus Springs Middle School and Lecanto Middle School will earn school recognition money worth about $100 per full-time equivalent student. In the past, those dollars have paid for learning tools, equipment and staff bonuses. For Roberta Long, principal at Homosassa Elementary School, the school grades were good news she was pleased to share with her staff before they left Wednesday. "We are smiling," she said. "We were just notified, and it's official. We're an A." Long credited her staff and her students for their hard work at maintaining the school's A grade. She said the school worked hard to lower class sizes, engage a variety of volunteers to work with students and provide programs to help students in every subject area and the scores reflected that. Still, she said she has reservations about the grading system. "It worked, but I'm still not in favor of grades being assigned," Long said. "It's inappropriate. I do not support it because it does not give a full, clear picture of the education of our children." Superintendent David Hickey agreed that the grading system is flawed. While he said he supports accountability, "I have some problem with one test being reviewed by the Legislature and the public as being the one thing, the sole source of information. It doesn't tell the whole picture as to what students are learning and what teachers are teaching." The FCAT scores used to determine school grades set levels of achievement. To earn higher grades, schools must meet the higher achievement levels and see lower numbers at the lower levels. With different students tested every year, educators say the variations in percentages may have nothing to do with what happened in classrooms this year. Terry Charles, principal at Inverness Primary School, said she wasn't even sure she was going to talk to her faculty today about the school's drop from an A to a C. "It's frustrating," she said. "We've not been lackadaisical. We've done all the things that the research tells you to do. We've analyzed the data, made work data driven, provided programs for every kid." At Pleasant Grove Elementary, where the grade also slid from an A to a C, principal Patrick Simon also was frustrated at the process and praised his team. Reading scores were a problem at his school and all the elementary schools that dropped. "It gives us an opportunity to grow next year," Simon said. "But with this plan, there is just so much inequity with the structure of it. . . . I'm not sure this plan is ultimately going to improve learning," he said. Crystal River Middle School principal Gina Hodges said there was a cheer heard around her campus Wednesday afternoon when the grades were announced. Her school went from a C to a B. "We're way up on reading and our math also went up," she said. "We're happy about what we've done." At Citrus Springs Middle School, principal Mary Curry was pleased with the increase from a C to a B. "Now we delve further into the individual scores and see where we need to go curriculumwise for next year," she said. "But overall, I think the staff and the students worked very hard." Curry agreed with the others who were critical of the grading system. "We all have gone through school, and we all think we understand what grades mean . . . but the school grades don't work like that. The school's grade isn't an average," she said. "It's misleading to the public." * * * Click here to search the Florida Department of Education's 2000-2001 School Accountability Report
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She said the grades and the FCAT scores show that the schools improved in whatever areas they focused their attention. Still, "How do you keep all the balls in the air at the same time? You can't," she said.
