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No F's this time
By KELLY RYAN © St. Petersburg Times, published May 31, 2001
The number of F schools has plummeted since the state started awarding A-to-F grades in 1999. The first year, 78 schools were labeled failures. Just four shared that distinction last year. Still, like a proud parent, Education Commissioner Charlie Crist announced that in 2000-2001 the number of grade-A middle schools soared from 73 to 155, and the number of A high schools jumped from 10 to 50. Fourteen schools leapt from D to A, a feat 38 schools accomplished last year. "When you challenge our students, they take learning much more seriously," Crist said. "No child is being left behind." The state has tweaked the grading system each year, making annual comparisons difficult. Last year, the test scores of students who were considered "mobile" were not counted in the grades, and more than 100 schools statewide saw their scores improve as a result. This year, the scoring of some of the most difficult questions was not completed in time, so those questions don't count in the school grades either. Still, the number of A's around the state dropped slightly from 579 to 568, but the number of B's skyrocketed from 266 to 429. On the other end of the spectrum, the number of D's fell from 397 to 293. In all, 41 percent of schools earned A's or B's (up from 21 percent in 1999), and only 12 percent got D's. Also predictable, most schools tended to cluster toward average, with 46 percent getting C's. The state is still figuring grades for 29 schools so, for now, they are marked "incomplete." Crist said he doesn't think any of those schools will get F's. Gov. Jeb Bush cheered the rising scores, praising teachers for concentrating on reading, math and writing skills. He mentioned two schools by name -- Little River and Shadowlawn elementary schools in Miami -- that improved from F's to D's. "I'm really excited for the schools that had the most to gain, many of which serve our most disadvantaged communities," Bush said in a statement. "Our kids are proving that an F doesn't mean 'failure,' it means 'future improvement.' " Little River principal Gloria Barnes credited extensive tutoring programs, some led by students from Florida International University, with helping students turn around. "We're striving to become C, B and A," said Barnes, whose school has many students who are mobile or on free- or reduced-lunch, an indicator of poverty. "We're looking forward to moving up." St. Petersburg High School has already taken that journey from C to A. Principal Linda Benware was stunned to be one of two A high schools in Pinellas. St. Petersburg High urged students to be in school, served granola bars and juice for test day breakfasts and handed out "I survived the FCAT" T-shirts to students who made it to all three test days. "It was a total school effort," Benware said. "It was not for the A. It was for the kids." But it was not all sunshine and happiness around the state. Many schools were frustrated to find out that though they improved or maintained their scores, it wasn't enough to hold onto good grades. Westside Elementary School in Hernando County, for example, saw improved scores in reading, writing and math. Yet the school went from an A last year to a C this year. The problem? A couple more students scored in the lowest reading level this year than did in 2000. "I just feel it brings into question the validity of putting a grade on the performance of a school and then . . . giving funding to the school for their performance," said Hernando schools Superintendent John Sanders. "Something's wrong." Getting an A or improving a letter grade doesn't net just a pat on the back. It also brings money from the state -- $100 per student. The state gave out 568 A's and even more schools showed improvement. The state budgeted about $80-million for the cash rewards. About $25-million will go toward helping D schools improve. The grades are computed using scores from the annual Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test in reading, writing and math. For high schools, the state also studies the dropout rate, though that figure did not hurt any school's grade this year. All four schools statewide that earned F's last year improved to D's. And the 78 schools that earned F's the year before also continue to hover above failing. To be eligible for private school vouchers, schools have to be labeled failures for two years out of four. With no F's this year, the state's voucher program for failing schools -- once expected to be the nation's largest -- remains tiny. Just 50 students from two Escambia County schools are using failing school vouchers that became available in 1999. The fact that Florida no longer has F schools raises this question: Is the bar set where it should be? "How good is good enough?" said Jim Watts, vice president of the Southern Regional Education Board. "What are the expectations in terms of how much improvement you're expecting from one year to the next? It's a balance between challenging standards and being reasonable." The state has tinkered with the grading system since it started three years ago. Last year, the scores of mobile students weren't counted, helping some schools' grades improve. This year, the state did not count the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test's performance items, which involve long answers or graphs. Crist has said excluding the performance items was not expected to make a big difference in scores, but a state study indicated that it could help scores. More changes are on the horizon. The state will begin field-testing a science exam that soon will be included in school grades. The state plans to raise standards in reading and math, and maybe writing. Those changes were planned for next year, but no date has been decided. One big change will affect grades next year and should answer complaints of educators, who have said it is unfair to compare one group of students this year to a different group of students from last year. Beginning with the 2002 grades, the state will begin tracking individual student progress. If the state had been doing that all along, principal Brenda Dawson is sure Shadowlawn Elementary School in Miami never would have been an F. Many students come to the school, in a poor neighborhood, unprepared to learn. Yet, she said she has seen great improvement, especially for those children who participate in after-school and Saturday tutoring programs and a new family literacy initiative. In one year, the percentage of students meeting state writing standards rose from 48 to 95. "We have extra computers in the schools. We received help from colleges. We received funding so we could provide additional materials and staff development," Dawson said. "Sometimes bad things happen for good reasons." - Times staff writers Alisa Ulferts, Robert King, Kent Fischer and Melanie Ave contributed to this report. * * * Click here to search the Florida Department of Education's 2000-2001 School Accountability Report
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