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Pasco gets 'A,' but high school scores troubling

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By RONNIE BLAIR | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 18, 2009

LAND O' LAKES - The Pasco County School District received mostly high marks Thursday as the state released school grades, but the report brought troubling news for several high schools.

More than 84 percent of Pasco's schools earned an A or a B and the district itself earned an A for the second year in a row. The school grades are based largely on Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores.

"We are absolutely thrilled," Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said. "It's very exciting to be able to say we continue to shine."

She said the accomplishment is especially satisfying because 2008-09 was a difficult year with the poor economy, and teachers and district staff performed their duties under a lot of stress.

On the downside, four high schools – Ridgewood, Wesley Chapel, Gulf and Hudson – earned D's and four others dropped from a B to a C.

"That is very disappointing," Fiorentino said.

Many of the high schools dropped a letter grade because students who score in the lowest 25 percent didn't make enough learning gains, she said. When that happens, the state Department of Education drops the school a letter grade despite the school's overall score.

Land O' Lakes High, for example, scored well enough to earn an A, but received a B.

"We definitely need to dig a little deeper into how we are addressing the needs of those kids," Assistant Superintendent Jim Davis said.

He said the lowest-performing students at Wiregrass Ranch High and Sunlake High – both B schools – did show large learning gains.

School districts across the state also saw high school grades drop.
Elementary schools and middle schools fared better. Every middle school in Pasco made an A or a B, as did 91 percent of the 44 elementary schools.

District officials were especially happy with the performance of Title I schools, which have a high percentage of children from low-income families.

Elena Garcia, the district's Title I supervisor, said 95 percent of the schools maintained or improved their grades and 84 percent earned an A or a B.

Cox Elementary in Dade City, which was a D school last year, improved to a C.

Three Title I schools – Giella , Locke and Pasco elementaries – were among the 13 Pasco schools that made adequate yearly progress, or AYP, under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Thirteen is the highest number of schools Pasco has ever had make AYP. Peggy Jones, the district's research director, said that number is especially significant because the reading and math proficiency benchmarks for AYP increase each year.

Keyword: FCAT to view schools' scores.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 259-7065

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