Gradebook

Brooks De Bartelo teacher is honored by state charter school organization

Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools

Areon Atkinson

The athletic director of Tampa's Brooks De Bartolo Collegiate High School has been named Champion Teacher of the Year by the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools. Areon Atkinson, who was nominated by parents at the school, was recognized recently at the organization's annual conference in Orlando. The Fort Lauderdale based organization represents 75 percent of all charter schools in Florida.

Ties & Tennis Shoes 5K coming up

Overdid it on Thanksgiving? Need to burn 300 calories?

The Pinellas Education Foundation's annual 5K fundraiser is this weekend and it's not too late to register.

The Ties & Tennis Shoes 5K is scheduled for 8 a.m. Saturday at Tropicana Field. The event is a fundraiser for the Take Stock in Children scholarships, which help low-income students pay for college tuition. For serious runners, the course is chip-timed and has race bibs. There's also a one mile fun run and kids dash. The 5K finish line is on the turf at the Trop. Runners are encouraged to wear decorated tennis shoes.

The night before the race - that would be Friday - there's also a gala. 

Is passing Florida's new 11th-grade reading test good enough to graduate?

Florida debuts its new Florida Standards Assessments, or FSAs, this spring, replacing the FCAT that held so much sway for 15 years.

No one has seen the tests. But questions about its impact are rampant. Many focus on the consequences associated with the results: Will third graders still be retained based on their reading scores? Will the state give schools more time to make the transition from one set of standards and exams to the next?

At a recent Pasco School Board meeting, testing supervisor Mark Butler said he had been unable to get an answer to one key query — If a student passes the 11th-grade reading FSA, but failed to get an adequate score on the 10th-grade reading FCAT (a graduation requirement), will that FSA result allow the student to graduate?

For now, at least, this is one of the high stakes associated with state testing that remains in place.  The FCAT test will still be the gatekeeper.

Florida Department of Education spokeswoman Cheryl Etters told the Gradebook that the FSA will not carry a "passing" score until the state sets its cut scores next year.  …

Florida education news: Charter schools, single-gender education, classroom supplies and more

CHARTER SCHOOLS: The number of applications to open charter schools in Florida decreases, but the percentage approved rises, the Naples Daily News reports. • A troubled Duval charter school gets a chance to improve its operations and remain open, the Florida Times-Union reports.

SINGLE-GENDER EDUCATION: Some Broward schools stick to separating boys and girls despite concerns that the practice has no proof that it works, the NY Times reports.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES: Miami-Dade teachers turn to online crowd funding to support classroom materials they otherwise can't afford, the Miami Herald reports.

TURNAROUND: A Seminole elementary school with failing state grades becomes a robotics magnet to help improve its performance, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

ACCUSATIONS: The wife and son of a Leon principal accused of taking school property for personal use allege that his accusers are lying in an attempt to cover up their own wrongdoing, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. 

WALKING TO SCHOOL: A Florida representative refiles legislation to identify and deal with hazardous walking conditions to schools, the Daily Commercial reports.

Florida education news: Diversity, leadership, profits and more

DIVERSITY: Florida's public schools are among the most diverse in the nation, the Palm Beach Post reports.

VOUCHERS: A court review of Florida's school voucher laws is long overdue, the Sun-Sentinel editorializes.

LEADERSHIP: The University of Florida's new president helped save Cornell University from financial crisis, the Ocala Star-Banner reports.

FOR PROFIT: The WyoTech campus in Daytona Beach draws attention from federal investigators and criticism from former students, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.

TESTING: Florida third graders still face retention if they don't score well enough on the state's reading test, even though the test is new, State Impact Florida reports.

Florida education news: School choice, virtual school, reading lessons and more

SCHOOL CHOICE: The Pinellas school district launches a new marketing campaign aimed at drawing families back to the public schools. • Thousands of Duval students transfer out of their neighborhood schools using the district's choice programs, the Florida Times-Union reports.

VIRTUAL SCHOOL: The Florida Department of Corrections expands its online high school education program, NorthEscambia.com reports.

EQUAL RIGHTS: A Brevard teacher who has asked his district to protect the rights of gay employees has filed suit seeking same-sex marriage in Florida, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

HIGH STANDARDS: Critics say federal academic standards for students learning English are too high, the Palm Beach Post reports. (Paywall)

A PLACE TO LIVE: An Orlando teacher tries to educate Floridians about homelessness, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.

PUBLIC RECORDS: A former Lee administrator blitzes the district with records requests to try to prove wrongdoing at the top, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.

READING LESSONS: The Manatee school district joins a national campaign aimed at improving children's reading proficiency, the Herald-Tribune reports. …

Pinellas reaches out to parents with new app

The Pinellas County School District has been trying a variety of methods to reach out to parents. 

District officials have increased marketing efforts to alert families about the variety of school choice options available to them. They sent direct mailers to families. They started parent "academies," or classes focused on specific topics of interest, such as new academic standards and how to create a learning environment at home.

They also recently released a parent engagement app for mobile devices. The app cost about $5,000 to develop and is meant to give families another way to connect. With the app, which is a free download, parents can connect to parent portal and see how their student is doing in school. They also can access games and information about the school district.

Find out more about the app here.

Florida education news: new magnet, technology and feast

MAGNETIC: Parents can apply to Pasco County's new magnet school on Monday. 

TECHNOLOGY: Florida schools struggle to keep up with students when it comes to technology.

FEAST: Long-time kindergarten teacher hosts a special feast as retirement approaches.

SAINT: Cynthia Moore, an immediate past Hernando County School Board member, is near saintly, says a Times columnist.

CHOICE: Nearly a third of students in the Duval County School District chose to attend a school other than the one they were zoned for, reports the Florida Times-Union.

ENVIRO: An elementary school in Boyton Beach applies environmental lessons to its building, reports the Sun Sentinel. (Pay wall.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

The Gradebook is taking today off. We wish everyone a happy holiday with family and friends. 

Pinellas is closer to naming a communications director

Pinellas County Schools is expected to name a new communications director in December.

The job has been open since mid-August, when Donna Winchester left the school district to take a similar post at the University of Florida. The School Board agreed to downgrade the requirements for the position in September, apparently to attract a larger pool of candidates. Ron Ciranna, head of human resources, said the district received about 16 applicants for the position. Four candidates were interviewed in the first round, followed by three in the final round.

He expects superintendent Mike Grego to make a recommendation to fill the job at the Dec. 9 meeting. (That's the last board meeting of the year.)

Winchester had worked at the school district since 2009, after about a decade at the Times. She left to become the director of communications for UF, leading a couple major initiatives. 

Former Pasco principal faces state sanctions

Former Connerton Elementary School principal Anna Falcone avoided major penalties from the Pasco School Board in 2013, when it was poised to fire her for insubordination.

She still faces possible disciplinary action from the Florida Education Practices Commission, though.

Education commissioner Pam Stewart recently found Falcone "guilty of personal conduct which seriously reduces effectiveness as an employee of the school board." Stewart referred the case to the EPC for review and sanctions that could range from a reprimand to permanent revocation of her state certification. See the charging document here.

Superintendent Kurt Browning recommended Falcone for dismissal after learning she had repeatedly attempted to get confidential employee climate survey information, even after warnings to stop. Falcone denied wrongdoing. Through negotiations, she reached a deal in which the district agreed not to try to have her certificate revoked or suspended.

The district did, however, submit its investigation findings to the state Department of Education, as required by law. It will be up to the EPC to decide how to proceed with Falcone.

Florida education news: guns, sex ring and grade fixing

GUN DEBATE: The FSU shooting has revived a debate about whether guns should be allowed on campus. 

FRIENDSHIP: A high school club helps students with disabilities form friendships.

SEX RING: Teenagers were arrested for setting up a prostitution ring at Sarasota High School, according to the Herald-Tribune. More from WTSP.

GRADE FIXING: District officials say it was improper for Miramar High School to fix grades for football players, according to the Sun Sentinel. (Pay wall.)

SCIENCE PROBLEMS: Miami-Dade students solve problems with science and shoes, according to the Miami Herald.

Discovery nights happening now until January in Pinellas

With the application period for special programs coming up in January, schools in Pinellas County have started holding "discovery nights" to give parents and students more information about magnet and fundamental schools. School tours also have started. 

The Pinellas County school system has more than 60 choice programs total for students in elementary, middle and high school. Not all of the programs are available to every student, of course. Some are limited by geography. Others have special entrance requirements. The district opened several new programs this year, including two technology magnet elementary schools and a middle school engineering program. It also has new programs slated to open for the 2015/16 school year. 

Parents and students who are interested in learning more about a particular program should schedule a school tour and attend a discovery night. 

Find more information about school programs and discovery nights here. …

Apply for Pasco's first magnet school starting on Dec. 1

After lengthy preparations, the Pasco County school district is ready to begin receiving applications for its first magnet school, beginning on Dec. 1.

Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School, with a focus on science and technology, will open in August for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. It is built for 762 students.

Admission will be based on a lottery system, and not on a first-come, first-served basis. So it doesn't matter when a family submits its application, so long as it arrives by the Jan. 15 deadline. The applications will be accepted online only, and will be available on the district website.

Families living in the attendance zones for Oakstead and Connerton elementary schools will get added weight in the lottery, to help ease crowding at those campuses. Children of Sanders employees also will receive preference. …

Florida education news: Campus life, school security, student calendar and more

CAMPUS LIFE: Eckerd College president Donald Eastman III takes some heat for suggesting that students abstain from casual sex and drink less alcohol as a way to stem sexual abuse.

SOLD: Corinthian Colleges has sold all its Florida campuses, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reports.

SECURITY: Manatee school officials review the Attorney General's opinion that says the district may hire armed campus guards who are not law enforcement officers, the Bradenton Herald reports. • A Sarasota lawmaker tries again to pass legislation allowing some school employees to carry concealed weapons, the News Service of Florida reports.

STUDENT CALENDAR: The St. Johns school district grapples with setting its semesters and vacations in the face of a late Labor Day in 2015, the St. Augustine Record reports.

WRONGED: A former Palm Beach teacher receives back pay and damages after a judge found her district did not provide her proper support before firing her, the Sun-Sentinel reports. 

CLIMATE SURVEY: The Marion school district gets a state report detailing its disconnect with employees, the Ocala Star-Banner reports. …