Northpinellas: At-risk students may see changes

At-risk students may see changes

A School Board plan to revamp the dropout prevention program includes closing a school and raising standards.

By EDIE GROSS

LARGO -- Robinson Challenge Elementary gave Ann Suchan's youngest daughter exactly what she needed: confidence in herself and an academic boost.

"She gathered quite a bit of self-esteem and a lot of confidence, something I knew wouldn't have happened in a regular school," Suchan said of the fifth-grader, who began attending the school in fourth grade after almost being held back at another school.

Under a new proposal, fourth-graders would participate in dropout prevention programs at their zoned schools but would not attend Robinson Challenge anymore. In fact, Robinson Challenge would be closed under the plan, which School Board members will vote on Dec. 12.

Here's why: The school district is under pressure to have at-risk kids meet the state's tougher academic standards, something that has not been happening under the school district's current system, said Susan Bailey, director of high school education for Pinellas County.

"We need them to accelerate up to grade level," Bailey said. "Doing the same thing we've always done isn't going to do that."

For the past decade, fourth- and fifth-graders have attended Robinson Challenge and St. Petersburg Challenge elementary schools, and students in grades six through nine have attended Lealman Discovery and Clearwater Discovery middle schools. The four schools were the only ones in the county solely devoted to serving students at risk of dropping out.

To qualify for entry, a student had to have at least one of these four difficulties: failing grades, low test scores, a previous retention or attendance problems.

Under the new program, fourth-graders would participate in dropout prevention programs at their zoned schools.

Fifth-graders would move to Lealman Discovery and Clearwater Discovery, two schools likely to take on new names. (St. Petersburg Challenge closed last school year.)

Currently, students at the challenge and discovery schools spend 62.5 percent of each day in academic courses and the rest in elective classes such as music and art. The new program would put children in academic courses for 84.4 percent of each day, Bailey said.

The hope, of course, is that the extra emphasis on core classes will boost students' FCAT scores, help them perform better in middle and high school, and help them meet tougher state academic standards.

Consolidating the programs into two schools would also save the district some overhead costs, though specific numbers were not available Tuesday. All staff members at the challenge schools have been offered the option of following the fifth-graders to the discovery schools or switching to other schools.

Vocational teachers, who handle classes such as agriculture and electronics, may have a more difficult time with the transition because fewer electives would be offered, said Dee Burns, administrator for Dropout Prevention Services. But teachers would not lose their jobs because of the change, she said.

"We have such a shortage of teachers that it's really not a problem with people losing jobs," she said.

The two new schools would serve 960 students, almost as many as all the schools serve now.

Neither Lealman Discovery nor Clearwater Discovery would need to be expanded because both schools have room for more students, Bailey said. The fate of Robinson Challenge's campus is still to be decided, officials said.

Several teachers and parents have written letters to School Board members expressing their concern about how the changes would affect students. Board Chairman Tom Todd said he thinks the new plan would help.

"Change is always difficult because of the uncertainty about what that change is going to mean," he said. "This is really designed to improve the achievement of the students involved."