74 percent of Pinellas schools earn ‘A’ or ‘B’
Article published on Tuesday, July 8, 2008 |
PINELLAS COUNTY - According to results released by the state on July 8, 74 percent of Pinellas County’s 125 graded public schools received an “A” or a “B” in Florida A+ Plan.
The overall district grade was a “B” or 520 points, which is up six points from 2007’s 514 and only five points from the 525 needed for an “A” district grade.
Twenty percent of Pinellas schools earned a C. Only seven schools, or 6 percent, earned a D. Once again, there were no F schools in Pinellas, making it the only one of the state’s seven largest districts to have no F schools.
“Though school grades are not the only measure of students’ academic success, we’re pleased by the gains made by the majority of our students,” said Julie M. Janssen, interim superintendent. “Continued academic success wouldn’t be possible without the dedicated service of teachers and all those who come in contact with children each day. We are grateful for their hard work and pledge to continue to concentrate our efforts on attaining the highest possible achievement for each student.”
Here’s a breakdown of today’s results by grade and school level:
A – 50 elementary, 13 middle and three high schools.
B – 17 elementary, five middle and three high schools.
C – 17 elementary, three middle and five high schools.
D – one elementary and six high schools.
Two elementary schools (Clearview Avenue and Eisenhower) went up two letter grades from “C” to “A” this year. Two middle schools (Dunedin Highland and Largo) and six elementary schools (Fuguitt, Gulf Beaches, High Point, Mildred Helms, North Shore and Northwest) improved their grades from a “B” to an “A.” Overall, 16 schools improved a letter grade or more, 83 schools stayed the same, and 24 schools dropped a letter grade as compared to 2007.
School grades are based on student performance as measured by the Sunshine State Standards section of the FCAT. The school grade calculation is comprised of student performance in relation to high standards in reading, math, writing and science; annual learning gains in reading and math; and the annual learning gains in reading and math of each school’s lowest-achieving 25 percent of students.
Public schools statewide are not yet as proficient on the FCAT science test as they are on the other measures, and this has caused many school grades to remain the same and not improve year to year as in the past. The same is true in Pinellas, especially at the secondary level.
The learning-gain categories in reading and math for the lowest-performing 25 percent of students also have proved challenging. Any school with enough points for an “A” must have a minimum of 50 percent of students in the lowest 25 percent group make gains in both reading and math. “B” and “C” schools must have met the minimum 50 percent requirement in one of the previous two years.
Two Title I schools, Fuguitt Elementary and Tarpon Springs Elementary, no longer are under any sanctions through the federal No Child Left Behind system because they have made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for two consecutive years. In addition to those schools, the following Title I also made AYP this year – Frontier Elementary, Madeira Beach Elementary, Mildred Helms Elementary, South Ward Elementary and Starkey Elementary.
In order to meet AYP, each school must meet ALL the requirements:
School Grade (must be A, B or C).
Participation Rate (95 percent of each subgroup must be assessed).
Percent Proficient in Reading (This year the target is 58 percent at Level 3 or higher for each subgroup.).
Percent Proficient in Math (This year the target is 62 percent at Level 3 or higher for each subgroup.).
Writing (total population only – 90 percent at Level 3 or higher or a 1 percentage point improvement).
The subgroups considered in determining if a school meets AYP are (1) all students, (2) white, (3) black, (4) Hispanic, (5) Asian, (6) American Indian, (7) economically disadvantaged, (8) limited-English-proficient students and (9) students with disabilities.
Under the state grading system, the district’s Title I schools had 22 “A” grades, 13 “B” grades, 17 “C” grades and one “D” grade.
While measuring student performance is important, school grades are only one of the tools used to do determine how well a school is doing. Many other factors indicate the excellence of a school and its staff’s ability to motivate and inspire students.
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Article published on Tuesday, July 8, 2008
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