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FCATs: Cause For Celebration

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 12, 2008

TAMPA - Alonso got its first A, and Chamberlain and Leto high schools pulled themselves up from D's in the most recent release of school grades.
Area high schools fared well when the state issued its school grades Tuesday. Alonso, Gaither and Sickles scored A's, and Chamberlain and Leto brought up their grades to C's.

The positive trend was reflected across the Hillsborough County school district. The number of A-rated schools tripled from last year, according to the district, and the total of D schools and failing ones decreased by almost half.

The state started awarding grades in 1999, though the formula it uses changes. Grades are based on Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores, with points given for benchmarks such as the share of students who meet high standards or the percentage of students in the lowest level who showed improvement.

Schools that get A's or improve a letter grade from the previous year receive about $85 per student to use for staff bonuses or other purposes.

For Chamberlain and Leto, the higher grades brought relief of breaking from the stigma of being D-rated schools.

Grades don't reflect the entirety of a school, said Chamberlain principal Jeff Boldt, but the public may form a perception of what goes on there based on the rankings. Although Chamberlain's staff and students thought their school was better than a D, the low grade made it hard to communicate the positive aspects to the community, Boldt said.

Leto also struggled with its image. Principal Dave Brown said he was happy for his teachers to have a higher grade to show for their classroom efforts.

"I know they do work so hard," Brown said, "and they take those perception comments to heart."

Administrators were starting this week to sift through data to see what factored into the increased grades and target areas for improvement.

Both schools made reading a priority for their students. Leto, a largely Hispanic school in Town 'N Country, has a large number of students who speak English as their second language. Reading tends to be the school's "Achilles' heel," Brown said.

At Chamberlain, Boldt also wanted to make sure no subject overlooked reading. He pulled together a strong reading team after having turnover in that staff in other years. He instructed his staff to make reading a priority.

"I don't care if you're a health teacher," Boldt said. "You can teach reading skills, and you can preach the importance of reading."
Chamberlain also reached out to its "silent majority" of students. The top students get challenged with a roster of Advanced Placement classes, and the lowest-level students have remediation and tutoring available. Teens who fall in neither category can get ignored, Boldt said. He had each administrator and faculty member adopt two to three students who were at risk or needed a boost to bring their scores up higher.

Leto was part of a pilot program in Hillsborough for the "Springboard" curriculum, which required additional teacher training and emphasized including critical thinking skills in lessons.

Critical thinking is crucial when students take the FCAT, said Elizabeth Tuten, assistant principal. Teachers were urged to depart from traditional lectures and encourage students to solve problems rather than listen passively.

The Chamberlain and Leto principals received telephone calls Tuesday morning congratulating them on their results. Both men began contacting their staff. Boldt said he hopes the taste of success pushes faculty and students to want more and aim for a grade Chamberlain has never received: B.

Leto was pleased, but also didn't plan to relax.

"We'll celebrate," Brown said, "and get right back to work."

Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503 or cpastor@tampatrib.com.

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