Several Pinellas schools again receive D's from FCAT scores

The number of Florida high schools earning A's from the state more than doubled this year, but Pinellas County's lowest-performing high schools failed to gain traction according to data released Tuesday by the state Department of Education.

Five schools that consistently have struggled on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test — Boca Ciega, Dixie Hollins, Gibbs, Lakewood and Northeast — again received D's. Another school — Tarpon Springs High — joined them.

The news came as a blow for schools where ninth- and 10th-grade reading scores improved. Several principals expected to see the success reflected in their overall grade, said Harry Brown, deputy superintendent for curriculum.

"I think many of those D high schools could have been C's," Brown said, "but they would have had to have percentiles in the high 80s or 90s in other areas to make up for the low science scores."

The news was brighter at the elementary level, where 10 schools improved their letter grade. Three schools — Clearview Avenue, Eisenhower and South Ward — improved by two letter grades.

Among elementary schools showing gains were two Title 1 schools, where a high percentage of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Fuguitt and Tarpon Springs elementary schools both made "adequate yearly progress" for the second year in a row under federal No Child Left Behind standards, releasing them from "school in need of improvement" status.

Other high-poverty schools weren't as successful. Of the district's 54 Title 1 schools, 47 failed to make progress, according to the federal standard, up from 38 last year. It was a trend mirrored statewide, where 76 percent of Title 1 schools failed to make progress compared with 66 percent last year.

On the state standard, 2,125 of 2,889 schools that are graded earned A's or B's, up from 1,942 last year. Meanwhile, the number of D and F schools dropped from 299 to 199.

Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith attributed the gains to a long-term commitment to accountability and focused attention on teaching and learning.

The letter grades, handed out for the 10th straight year, are based on FCAT scores in reading, math, writing and science. The formula considers how many students reach a basic level of proficiency in each subject and how many improve from the year before, putting a premium on gains made by children who struggle the most.

Times staff writer Ron Matus contributed to this report. Donna Winchester can be reached at winchester@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8413.

Comments on this article

by Marty S.	Jul 10, 2008 9:15 PM
Eisenhower is 50% immigrant (Hispanic) and they raised their grade level TWO grades. Don't tell me poor neighborhoods result in poor grades. Thanks Ike! You've single handedly proved all the leftist libs wrong!

by Barbara	Jul 10, 2008 8:51 PM
Unfortunately the solution still stems from the home. Teachers can only teach, but the parents are the ones that must support and follow up what happens at school. Sports cannot take the place of reading, writing and arithmetic at ele or high school

by Kim	Jul 10, 2008 8:48 PM
There is a definite link between poverty & low scoring schools! Have you ever seen an affluent school get a D? Who values education more? Quit blaming the teachers. They can only do so much. Change has to happen at home, beginning with attitudes!

by clay	Jul 10, 2008 5:48 PM
What a shame. I know the teachers at TSHS work diligently to get students to pass FCAT. What can they do to get kids who don't care to pass? Nothing. It all begins at home. Notice most immigrant parents in TS, had successful kids. Why??

by Dave	Jul 10, 2008 11:03 AM
Isabelle, deadbeat dads and not holding them accountable is "lack of discipline";Andrea, keeping a family requires sacrifice - especially if you are poor. Dead beat dads do not step up to that "sacrifice" (lack of discipline??)Bill Maxwell agrees??

by Lisa	Jul 10, 2008 10:51 AM
The Fcat does not measure all of the childs abilites. My son is so smart, easygoing and dyslexic. Da Vinci, Wright brothers, Ford, Swaub,Edison.... all dyslexic. Shoud these bottom testers be weeded out to improve the school score. Teachers Help!!!!

by larry	Jul 9, 2008 10:44 PM
Thanks, Jeb, for privatizing education and pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the FCAT company. Wait, don't you own part of that company? Fishy

by Jane	Jul 9, 2008 7:47 PM
Parents parenting is the main answer to children not taking learning seriously. Reading to children, encouraging imagination, thinking skills through play. The education is in the schools. Ask - Why do so many immigrant children rise to the top?

by Joe	Jul 9, 2008 4:28 PM
I support the FCAT, we at least need some measurement of progress. Teachers Unions don't like them because they do not want to be held accountable. They just want more & more money, and a tenured position. The only CHANGE we need is privatization.

by Mike	Jul 9, 2008 3:48 PM
What an embarrassing statistic for the St Petersburg area high schools.

by single	Jul 9, 2008 3:32 PM
If a family and a child want to excel they will. Regardless of single or two parent, neighborhood, etc. Personally I wish the FCAT wasn't the ultimate measuring stick. It's like this years NE Patriots, great regular season but lose the Super Bowl.

by Isabelle	Jul 9, 2008 1:49 PM
Dave, let me remind you, that poor single mothers often stay poor because of absentee dead-beat fathers who are not held accountable, Remember, it takes two to make a child.

by Kara	Jul 9, 2008 10:55 AM
I know of a single mother who is sending her daughter off to Julliard with a full academic scholarship, so don't generalize so much. Society as a whole needs to step up and take the blame for their priorities. Education in Florida is not a priority.

by mom	Jul 9, 2008 10:40 AM
Unfortunately those grades are a reflection of the worst kids.A lot of those "D" schools also send kids to Ivy League colleges. It can be really hard to improve those kids that hardly show up. Don't judge a school by those numbers too much.

by anothermom	Jul 9, 2008 10:39 AM
Lots of teachers and administrators in some of those "D" schools work harder than the ones in the "A" schools. A lot of high performing kids come out of those schools.The results of 2 or 3 kids in the bottom 25% can be the difference between a B or D

by billv	Jul 9, 2008 10:04 AM
Lower pay, Larger class size, Cut expences, Make Principals accountable. Is this our School Board's answer? Some results cost money and require accountable parents.

by andrea	Jul 9, 2008 10:04 AM
i disagree with dave's assertion that the disintegration of the family stems from lack of discipline. there are various reasons for family's problems so to use such a wide sweeping judgement shows more condemnation than constructive ideas.

by Upset Floridian	Jul 9, 2008 9:27 AM
Solution...GET RID OF FCAT!!! A grade given due to test scores doesn't constitute a school's academic success, if a kid improves slightly, that's a positive & should be praised. Most kids do not test well, but if read to them would excel. CHANGE!!!

by Scott	Jul 9, 2008 9:27 AM
The facts are that every child can excel - every one. The commissioner has it right. Grades improve when there is a long term commitment to accountability. Keep it up and leave no one behind. It's the honorable thing to do!

by Dave	Jul 9, 2008 9:27 AM
Your article implies a relationship between poverty and schools with low scores. Poverty is usually derived from single mothers, Single mothers from disintegration of the Family, Disintegration of the Family from lack of discipline. Break the cycle!!