State releases school grades – Hamilton County’s report card indicates improvements needed

Published 2:38 pm Wednesday, December 21, 2005

The Florida Department of Education recently released the 2005 school grades. This year the State Board of Education raised the proficiency level in writing to 3.5 on a six-point scale, and included Students With Disabilities (SWD) and Limited English Proficient (LEP) students in the learning gains components.

Despite the changes, Hamilton County students and teachers hoped to improve their schools’ grades this year. Each school implemented programs to encourage students to study and prepare for the test.

The two “A” schools in the county lost ground this year with North Hamilton Elementary (NHE) dropping to a “B” and South Hamilton Elementary (SHE) dropping to a “C.” Although Central Hamilton Elementary (CHE) and Hamilton County High School (HCHS) showed minimal improvement, they maintained their “D” grade. Greenwood is not eligible to be graded under the State of Florida A+ Plan.

School grades are based on how well students have mastered the Sunshine State Standards – the skills Florida teachers determined children must learn at each grade level. These skills are measured by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) and scores are classified into five achievement levels, with one being the lowest and five being the highest. Schools earn points based on how well students are doing, how much progress they are making (learning gains) and how much progress struggling readers are making.

Only Greenwood has satisfied the criteria to meet the federal guidelines for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind Act. NHE met Provisional AYP guidelines; CHE, SHE and HCHS did not meet AYP guidelines because they need improvement in one or more areas.

The No Child Left Behind Act requires each subgroup – all ethnic groups, students with disabilities, students learning English, and economically disadvantaged students – in schools, districts and the state as a whole to make AYP in reading, mathematics, writing and graduation rate. Schools that do not make enough progress for two years in a row are in need of improvement and must provide alternatives to parents, such as transferring to another school or participating in a different program within the school. Schools that need improvement two years in a row must provide tutoring.

The AYP designation recognizes the outstanding achievement of “A” and “B” schools. High performing schools that miss one or more other the 30 AYP criteria receive designation as Provisional AYP while working toward full compliance.

NHE missed an “A” by 15 points, making a “B” with 395 points. Jeff Burnam, NHE Principal, said, “It is very difficult to earn a ‘B’ grade, so I am very proud that we have earned a ‘B’. The students, faculty and staff worked very hard this year. We will continue to work hard to meet each individual child’s needs in reading, math, science and writing. I want to thank the NHE family and PTO for all their help and I appreciate the support that the community and the school district have provided.” According to Burnam, he aims to have an “A” school every year and will continue to work towards providing the best education possible for the students.

SHE made a “C” with 352 points. Johnny Bullard, SHE Principal, said, ” Naturally, we are disappointed that our school grade fell from an ‘A’ to a ‘C,’ but we see our grade as an opportunity not as a failure. I am proud of our students and staff members. They worked hard and did their best. I won’t say we did all we could do for our students, but we did ‘all we knew to do.’ Perhaps our ‘opportunity’ this year, will be an opportunity to learn more about how to better serve our students. Regardless of what the school grade reflects, we have ‘A+’ students, staff members, parents, and community supporters. Many thanks to our Superintendent, School Board, District Office Staff, Maintenance Staff, and to everyone in our school system for all their continued support.” According to Bullard, all of the schools are working hard and need the support of parents, grandparents, and community supporters. He states that students need to attend school every day; school attendance is one of the biggest single factors that helps determine a child’s success in school.

CHE showed a slight improvement with 314 points making a “D” and missing a “C” by six points. CHE Principal Clifford Cooks was attending a conference out-of-town and was unavailable for comment.

HCHS made 319 points for a “D.” According to HCHS Principal Gene Starr most high school grades in the state declined, while HCHS showed growth and gain. “Even with higher standards we were able to improve our scores and missed a ‘C’ by one point. The students and teachers worked hard and I am proud of them. We will stay the course and reap the benefits next year. I am also proud of the fact that the school made AYP for Exceptional Student Education (ESE), although the state as a whole did not.”

According to Superintendent of Schools Harry Pennington, although CHE and HCHS remained “D” schools, both improved in the total number of points earned as compared to the 2004-05 school year. All Hamilton County schools continue to strive toward excellence by providing quality programs and staff to enhance the education of all students.

Pennington said that school grades are based solely on the results of the FCAT. “This is just a snapshot of student performance taken once a year. Each parent is encouraged to contact the schools to see what is going in your child’s classroom. To receive an adequate measure of the success of a child’s education a parent also needs to look at individual report cards, progress monitoring assessments such as STAR reading and math, Scholastic Reading Inventories, and Compass Learning reports in addition to the student’s FCAT scores. Parents are encouraged to contact the schools to learn more about educational practices and programs that are being used to improve student achievement.”

By the end of August a school report card that provides a comprehensive look at each school in the district, including results under state and federal standards, as well as information on spending at each school will be available at each school site as well as at the public libraries in Jasper, Jennings and White Springs. For more information, visit www.myflorida.com or http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org.