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Five Pinellas grade schools received D grades on the state report card. Principals at two of them talk about progress.
By CHRISTINA JEWETT
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 3, 2001
ST. PETERSBURG -- This year at Melrose Elementary School, fifth-grader Blake Lusty learned to say "sheep," "cow" and "crazy" in Spanish via live teleconference. At Lakewood Elementary school, students used a typing program that pronounces misspelled words as soon as the student types them.
Innovative programs didn't prevent either school from scoring a "D" on the report card issued by the Florida Department of Education, a letter grade below last year's mark. They are two of the five Pinellas grade schools that received D's this year.
When "controlled choice" takes effect in 2003, parents won't see the unmeasured successes at each school when they use grades as a guide to pick a school for their child. When they see the low grade, they may fail to notice that several percentage points in one category was all it took to edge each school into the D range.
"We were off by 2 percent in one category. What is that, one child, a matter of several questions?" said Susan Graham, principal at Melrose Elementary, a magnet school for communication and mass media. After serving as Melrose's assistant principal for nearly four years, she became the principal three months ago.
Her hunch is close. Ninety-three fifth-graders took the math portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, or FCAT. Fifty-four of them scored at Level 2 or higher. Had two more students reached Level 2, Melrose would have received a C rather than a D.
Thursday morning, after the grades were announced, Graham knew her first task was to boost morale among teachers. She circulated copies of an e-mail sent by one parent, a mother who said she could send her child to a private school but chooses not to because she feels her daughter is getting a superior education right where she is.
Melrose received a D in 1999 also, but that hasn't prevented the waiting list for the school from including 300 students. The magnet school employed a marketing specialist to promote it, directly mailing more than 9,000 parents of pre-kindergarten-age children.
The school also hired a math expert to assess the curriculum. At his suggestion, stacks of clocks, cubes and overhead display calculators await the hands of students who will use them next year.
"As a staff, we know we need to be consistent with our math progress," Graham said. "We continue to look for ways to improve."
Although Graham found the grade frustrating, she doesn't hesitate to point to progress. Teachers and staff rose to the challenge of running a school from 40 portable units parked behind Maximo Elementary School, 4850 31st St., while a $5-million renovation renewed the Melrose site.
"The team-building training really paid off this year," said Kelly Kennedy, who works with children with disabilities. She was referring to part of the 100 hours of training each teacher received this year. "We didn't skip a beat. We can't blame the FCAT scores on that."
At Lakewood Elementary School, 4151 Sixth St. S, principal Raymond Tampa isn't blaming anyone at the school for their drop. He cites the 70 percent turnover rate among students as a challenge for teachers. He noted that students float in and out of the system at a high rate because of the proliferation of mobile homes and public housing in the school's zone.
But the main problem, he said, is the inclusion of students with emotional and learning disabilities in mainstream classes. He is challenging the grade based on the scores of one such student and plans to identify special students earlier next year so they will be put in special classes where their scores will not be included with the mainstream batch.
Despite disappointment with the grade, Tampa indicated a transformation that has taken place since he became principal at Lakewood a year and a half ago. For the most part, he said, disrespect and defiance from many students has disappeared.
"When I first came here, kids were running in and out of class. You can see now that it's tranquil," Tampa said.
Indeed, students filed quietly through hallways, and some even reflected Tampa's courtly manner as he greeted students and teachers in a double-breasted, pinstripe suit.
"Mr. Tampa, would you like a cupcake?" one student asked as she passed in the hallway.
Tampa approached the behavior problems with a sweeping message: Respect each other. He conveys the message by personal example and commissioned a puppet show to reinforce the idea.
He has also hired two campus monitors to enhance a safe, positive learning environment.
Starting this year, two teachers stay after school twice a week for two hours to tutor children who need extra help. A staff position unique to Lakewood, "coordinator of attractor development and implementation," was filled by Raquel Russo, who is arranging hands-on activities to highlight the school's theme of wellness and environmental studies. Students will learn about where water comes from at Boyd Hill Nature Center as part of the themed curriculum that officials hope will sway parents to send their children to Lakewood when controlled choice takes effect in 2003.
That year, parents will be able to apply to send their child to a school of their choice within one of four areas in the county. It is the system that will gradually replace court-ordered busing for desegregation.
Tampa knows exactly what he would tell any parent who is concerned about sending their child to Lakewood.
"I'd say, "Please take a walk with me around the campus.' They'd see what I see every day -- commitment, professionalism and caring on the part of our staff. They'd see learning going on in all of our classrooms."