Beach school slips to “B” grade for 2010/11
Since 2004, Beach Elementary School has been regarded as a grade “A” school by the Florida Department of Education. On Thursday, the seven-year streak ended.
On that day, the state school system released elementary and middle school school-by-school grades for the 2010/11 school year, and the Beach school received a “B” grade.
Florida’s scoring system has changed, and the overall school grade reflects points from three criteria, according to Beach Elementary Principal Larry Wood.
“It’s based on the number of kids that passed the FCATs in third, fourth and fifth grade, the number of kids that made learning gains in Reading and Math from one year to the next and also the percentage of the lowest 25 percent of the kids from the prior year that made learning gains in Reading and Math,” he said.
Since Beach Elementary has a low enrollment number, percentage points for each student is critical. This past year, 23 students gradated from fifth grade, while 36 children received academic diplomas from their final year in the elementary school in 2009/10.
“With our small school, each child represents five percentage points. To get an “A,”
six children would have had to pass the test that didn’t pass it, or showed learning gains from one year to the next,” said Wood. “Only six kids made a difference between the “B” and the “A.” As that number gets smaller, each kid represents a larger percentage.”
The Beach school principal cites changes in economy, the FCAT test and the curriculum. Data and effective time management will factor in the future to help raise the grade.
“We are going to address those changes. One of the ways we will do that is by stretching the school day to include activities before and after school. I am going to meet with staff, and we will develop ways to use that time before school more wisely,” said Wood. “We’ll also have staff to work after-school hours with kids that are identified to have needs in certain areas.”
The state school system has released overall school grades since 1998. Beach Elementary received a “B” grade that year and in 1999. Since then, it received an “A” in 2000 and 2001, followed by a “B” in 2002 and in 2003, before its “A” streak.
“In my mind, we are still an “A” school,” he said. “We are still providing the same education. The difference, which is in some of those changes that I mentioned, caused us to get a “B” in the scoring system. But, I have every confidence given the outstanding skills and abilities of my staff and addressing those specific needs, that we will be an “A” school again.”