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how local are reacting to F schools.
$2 million proposed for 3 F schools
By Mary Ellen Flannery, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 5, 2002
School district officials released a $2 million plan Thursday that promises to help the three Palm Beach County schools that earned their second F from the state Department of Education this year.
The plan calls for more teachers, more tests and longer hours for some teachers.
With 24 teachers hired at the three schools to work on reading, writing, math and good behavior, plus more training and support for all staff members, school officials aim to get the three schools up to C grades this year.
"Our aim is to make sure the students in these schools achieve," said school district spokesman Nat Harrington. "This plan was put together by a lot of people doing a lot of work, after a lot of soul-searching at the district level, the area level and the school level."
The three schools that have failed twice are Lincoln Elementary and West Riviera Elementary, both in Riviera Beach, and Glades Central High School in Belle Glade. Now, because of their poor records, parents at these schools have the option of taking the state's money and sending their children to private school, or transferring to a public school with a C grade or better.
So far, at least 185 Palm Beach County parents have told state officials they want the vouchers.
But county school officials also are doing their best to make the three schools a better place for their remaining students. Since hearing of the failing grades last month, educators have been working on intervention and assistance plans.
First, they reviewed the existing resources, personnel and finances, and test scores. Then, they based their recommendations on "validated, research-based principles... that have proven effective in increasing student achievement," according to the inch-thick document.
They plan to test more frequently, and also plan to give more targeted support to the lowest-performing students.
"This is the plan that will work to make sure these schools get everything they need from the school district," Harrington said.
The plans, which the school board will discuss Monday, also will be reviewed by state officials at an education summit in Tampa next week. The plans are subject to the approval of the state Cabinet on Aug. 13. School starts Aug. 14.
Lincoln Elementary
• The goals: At least half of the students will score Level 3 on the FCAT reading and math tests, and 40 percent will score a 3.5 on the writing test. (Level 5 is the highest in reading and math, and a six is perfect in writing.)
• The strategies: Each week, every student's skills will be charted, and teachers will meet to talk about student performance. All teachers will teach an uninterrupted 90-minute reading block, a 90-minute writing block and a 50-minute math block each day.
• The help: The district will spend $234,820 on four teachers to work with the lowest-performing students, $117,410 on two teachers to make sure Lincoln's reading classes have just 15 students each, and $78,576 for an additional assistant principal to help inexperienced teachers. Another $75,000 will be set aside to reward teachers for gains, and $30,000 to pay teachers during training sessions.
Also, $64,427 from the state's "Just Read" grant will be spent to hire a master teacher in reading and a master teacher in math. Each will teach two classes a day. The district also will spend $58,705 to hire an in-school suspension teacher. Last year, Lincoln's out-of-school suspension rate was about 12 percent, while similar schools had a rate of about 3 percent.
The total cost at Lincoln will be $723,365.
West Riviera Elementary
• The goals: At least 60 percent of the students will score Level 3 on the FCAT reading and math, and 40 percent will score a 4 or higher on the writing test.
• The strategies: Teachers will give weekly assessments, and 80 percent of students must master them. All teachers will teach an uninterrupted 90-minute reading block, a similar-sized writing block and a 60-minute math block.
• The help: As at Lincoln, $234,820 will be spent on four teachers to help the worst students, $58,705 on one teacher to lower reading class sizes, and $78,576 on an assistant principal. Another $50,000 will be set aside to reward teachers, and $30,000 to pay them during training.
Also, like Lincoln, $64,427 will be spent on two master teachers, and $58,705 on an in-school suspension teacher.
The total cost at West Riviera will be $639,660.
Glades Central High School
• The goals: At least 26 percent of Glades Central students will meet high standards in reading, 41 percent will meet high standards in math, and 95 percent will meet high standards in writing. The passing rate for algebra will go up from 52 percent to 70 percent.
• The strategies: Teachers will give reading and math tests twice a month and analyze the data. New software will be used in all 10th-grade classes to help with reading, and a $150,000 "I Can Learn" lab for algebra will be set up.
• The help: The district will set aside $100,000 to pay 15 teachers to work an extra seven hours a week, writing lessons and tutoring small groups of students on weekdays and Saturdays. Also, it will set aside $100,000 to reward teachers for learning gains.
It will pay $78,576 for an additional assistant principal; $64,427 to hire two master teachers, one in reading and one in math; $58,705 to hire a science teacher; $40,000 to extend the hours of some teachers; $21,400 to reimburse master teachers for mentoring time; $20,000 for additional software licenses for intensive reading and math lessons; $17,000 for staffing during Saturday program; and $5,000 for a reading consultant to train teachers.
The total cost at Glades Central will be $633,962.