School grading plan survives debate

Gov. Bush and the Cabinet hear almost 4 hours of debate before approving the key for evaluating Florida schools.

By STEPHEN HEGARTY

© St. Petersburg Times, published December 15, 1999

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Jeb Bush and Education Commissioner Tom Gallagher made it clear Tuesday that while they will budge on some details of Florida's school grading plan, key elements of the proposal will not be compromised.

Bush, Gallagher and other members of the state Board of Education sat through nearly four hours of debate before approving a new set of rules governing the grading of schools -- the key to Florida's system for evaluating schools.

It was an exhausting day that had a bit of everything. Some teachers returned their bonus money in protest. A legendary educator from Chicago urged the state to stick with the plan. And a testing expert hired by Pinellas County was rushed as he attempted a highly technical dissection of the plan.

When it was over, four of the six board members agreed Florida schools will continue to receive A through F grades, successful schools will still get financial rewards, and the state will not make allowances for high-poverty schools.

"We're not going to create expectations different for one group," Bush said, dismissing suggestions that the plan is unfair to high-poverty schools that tend to get low grades.

Some members of the Cabinet, sitting as the Board of Education, agreed that the plan is seriously flawed.

"We started with a reverse Robin Hood philosophy; taking from the poor and giving to the rich," Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson said of the state plan to give cash rewards to schools that earn high grades. Nelson and Attorney General Bob Butterworth voted against the new rules.

The state began grading schools this past year, and on Tuesday, the State Board approved a set of rules that will spell out how schools will be graded for years to come. The largest factor in earning the grades is the state's Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which will be expanded this year to include grades 3 through 10.

Some speakers on Tuesday complained the tests already are too influential.

"Our schools have become centers for test preparation," said Mary Compton, a fourth-grade teacher at Gulf Gate Elementary School in Sarasota. Compton and four others from the A-rated school returned their bonus money to Bush in protest of the grading system.

"Five or six teachers are making a big grandstand play," Bush said before the meeting. "The fact that they want to give it back -- I'll take it, but it really won't change anything about this."

The set of rules approved Tuesday did incorporate some suggestions made by critics. For instance, some educators complained that it is unfair to hold a school responsible for a mobile school population. The proposal was adjusted so that students' scores will be counted only if the students are in the school in October and again during the February test.

Still some felt that no amount of tweaking will fix the plan.

"It is inherently flawed," said Florida Education Association President Pat Tornillo. When asked whether he liked the new plan, he compared it to "asking a death penalty opponent which form of execution he prefers -- electrocution or lethal injection."

As the public hearing wore on, time management become a sticking point. Pinellas County officials wanted a half-hour or more to lay out a detailed study of the grading plan. Superintendent Howard Hinesley was asked to keep his comments brief. He took five minutes. The consultant hired by Pinellas, James Popham, was forced to cut his presentation short.

An hour and a half later, legendary educator Marva Collins spoke in favor of the grading system for nearly 20 minutes, with much of her speech dealing with the Chicago schools.

The Pinellas presentation included several recommendations for changing the system. One recommendation -- that language-impaired students' scores not be included in accountability -- was incorporated into Gallagher's proposal on Monday. Other suggestions -- including one that the state recognize the role poverty plays in scores -- were rejected outright.

"What it's measuring is what kids come to school with," Popham said, "not what happens in school."

-- Staff writer Julie Hauserman contributed to this report.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.