Districts get more time to appeal grades

The deadline for challenging school grades is pushed back because of tardy data from the testing company.

By STEPHEN HEGARTY

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 15, 2000

Florida school districts unhappy with their school performance grades will have more time to file an appeal.

Education Commissioner Tom Gallagher decided on Friday to push back by at least 30 days the July 28 deadline for appeals. With the deadline fast approaching, districts have complained that they have not yet received the electronic data files needed to analyze test results and devise an appeal.

The data files are late. As were the test scores. As were the school performance grades. This latest delay has been causing a good deal of stress among Florida educators.

"If we don't have the data files, we can't do a legitimate appeal," said John Hilderbrand, director of testing for the Hillsborough County schools. Until Friday's announcement, Hilderbrand and other testing directors worried they might miss the appeal deadline while waiting for the data files.

"That gives us a little breathing room," said Pasco County Superintendent John Long.

Long already notified the Florida Department of Education that he would appeal at least one school grade. Lake Myrtle Elementary School dropped from an A to a B this year, despite having higher scores in each area. Principal Monica Joiner said the state is wrong in claiming that Lake Myrtle fell short in one area -- by improving less than 2 percentage points in reading. Joiner claims they improved 2.4 percentage points.

Long expects to appeal other school grades as well -- as soon as he gets the electronic files that enable his staff to analyze the state's calculations.

Putnam County Superintendent David Buckles sent DOE a letter indicating that without the ability to analyze results fully, he would seek to beat the July 28 deadline for appeals by appealing each school grade for his district. Based on his cursory analysis, Buckles said he believes several grades were miscalculated.

"We have found many inaccurate student data, which has led me to consider the challenge of school grades," Buckles wrote to DOE. "However without the . . . disks, I have no way of verifying the extent of this."

Buckles wrote: "I feel that (the testing company responsible for the delay) has caused an erosion of public trust in Putnam County due to the length of time I have from the release of grades and me being able to challenge the grades."

Florida Department of Education spokeswoman JoAnn Carrin said the delay in shipping the data files is being blamed on "computer programming issues." She said the company that scored the tests for the state, National Computer Systems, still has not sent out the data files.

Gallagher has asked the company to pay $4.8-million in fines for delays in delivering test scores.

Carrin couldn't say Friday when districts would receive the electronic files. But recognizing the files are late, Gallagher decided Friday that districts can file appeals as late as 30 days after they receive their electronic data file.

Last year 57 schools filed appeals to get their grade changed, and 28 were successful in getting a higher grade.

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