Test results celebrated

IN HILLSBOROUGH: The county saw improvement in 50 percent of its schools, but some still question the test.

By MELANIE AVE

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 31, 2001

TAMPA -- Hillsborough's report card from the state came out Wednesday and showed a slight dip in the number of A and D schools, a jump in B's and C's and, to the delight of everyone, no F's.

State: No F's this time Hillsborough: results celebrated Pinellas: mixed grades Pasco: just about average Hernando: scores rise, grades don't Citrus: grades dip

While the number of schools increasing to an A or falling to a D were not as great as last year, some schools made surprising leaps under Florida's A+

Plan. Palm River Elementary School was the district's only school to move from a D to an A. Jefferson High School improved to a C, leaving no D high schools in the county this year.

And Wilson Middle School in Hyde Park recouped the A it lost last spring to a C in what has been three years of a grading roller-coaster ride.

For many schools, the grades were a perfect way to end the year. Schools let out for the summer on Thursday after a half day of classes.

"I'm almost ready to cry," exclaimed Palm River principal Lillian Wagner, just minutes after learning her school's grades on the Internet. "I think we're all going to have a big hugging session after school."

Others were more mellow, warning parents to look beyond a single grade to decide if a school is doing a good job of educating children.

"We worked very hard," said Lopez Elementary assistant principal Al Dahma, whose school found keeping an A tough. "I hope nobody judges us by that C. If you take a look and interpret the scores, you'll find we did really well."

Overall, about 50 percent of the schools stayed the same, 25 percent improved by at least one letter grade and 25 percent fell. Schools that earn A's or increase their grades are eligible for an extra $100 per student from the state.

Last year, Hillsborough received $5.5-million. Eligible schools earned between $40,000 and $250,000 each under the state's merit program.

The state Department of Education determines the school grades based on standardized test scores in reading, writing and math and other criteria, such as percentage of eligible students tested, improvement or decline in reading level of the lowest performing students and absences.

This year, there were 39 A's, 24 B's, 80 C's and 10 D's. Last year, there were 47 A's, 16 B's, 73 C's and 18 D's.

Only one charter school, Terrace Community School, received a grade. The Temple Terrace school earned a B. Five schools that opened this year were not graded.

District officials said they knew the number of A schools would probably decline because of the stiff criteria required to keep the top grade possible.

Superintendent Earl Lennard described it as a quirk in the testing system.

"The improvement is continuous even recognizing the fluctuation in the A schools," he said. "This shows they're absolutely improving in the instructional program."

At the high school level, Bloomingdale dropped to a B from an A and King earned an A after two years of pulling C's. Though some worried if Jefferson High would again earn a D, the school improved to a C.

For William's Middle School principal Quincenia Bell, seeing her school end two straight years of D's, securing a C was a major achievement.

Throughout the year, the school sponsored special camps to get students ready for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

"I'm just delighted beyond belief," said Bell, a first-year principal. "It makes it all worthwhile."

Wilson principal Jean Hamilton, calling herself a "happy camper," said if she has to live with the state's grading system, she's pleased her school won back its A grade from 1999.

She said the testing system unfairly compares this year's eighth-graders to last year's.

"You cannot compare apples against oranges," she said. "That's what the state is doing now."

Squeals of joy could be heard blaring through the halls and classrooms of Wimauma Elementary School, in southern Hillsborough County.

The school, filled with students whose parents are Spanish-speaking migrant farm workers, earned an A after receiving a C last year and a D the year before.

Wimauma principal Carol DeAgazio said resource teachers have worked diligently to boost students' skills in reading, writing and math, overcoming the language, cultural and economic barriers the children face.

"The staff worked so hard," she said. "The children worked incredibly hard. We have been prepared and prepared. I was shaking when I heard the news."

- Melanie Ave covers education and can be reached at (813) 226-3400.

Click here to search the Florida Department of Education's 2000-2001 School Accountability Report

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