Osceola School Grades

[Geo]

Jay Wheeler sent out an email blast yesterday about the latest school
grades in Osceola County:

Subject: 2009-2010 High School Grades

Osceola School District High School Grades . . . "WE
DID IT!"

Under the new high school accountability system, all
Osceola District high schools earned an "A" or "B" for
the 2009/2010 school year. The revised high school
grading formula now includes multiple components: FCAT
performance in reading, math, writing, and science;
College Readiness in reading and math, as measured by
SAT/ACT/CPT; Participation and performance in rigorous
courses, including Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment,
International Baccalaureate, and Industry Certification
classes; and Overall Graduation Rate and At-Risk
Graduation Rate.

This new measure is more representative of how all
students at our high schools are performing; every
student, Grades 9 – 12, is a factor in the high school
grade.

Highlights of the 2009/2010 school grades include:

Celebration High, under the direction of Principal
Laura Rhinehart, improved from a "D" to an "A."

Poinciana High, under the direction of Principal
Belynda Pinkston, improved from an "F" to a "B."

Gateway High, under Principal John Harris, and Liberty
High, under Principal Robert Studly, improved from a
"D" to a "B."

Osceola High, under Principal Gary Preisser, and St.
Cloud High, under Principal Pam Tapley, improved from a
"C" to a "B."

New Dimensions, under Directors Tina Cafiero and Jackie
Grimm, improved from a "B" to an "A."

Harmony High, under Principal Buddy Butler, maintained
a "B."

Professional/Technical High School (PATHS), under
Principal Pete Hodges, and The Osceola County School
for the Arts, under Principal Mytron Lisby, maintained
"A's."

Overall, FCAT points increased for all high schools.
Graduation rates increased in all high schools.
Osceola School District's graduation rate improved from
79.2 percent in 2008/2009 to 83.5 percent for the
2009/2010 school year. Osceola County also continues to
have a lower dropout rate (1.4 percent) than the state
average (2.0 percent.) Participation in rigorous
courses increased in all high schools.

Congratulations to all teachers, support staff, and
administrators on the exciting news of the high school
grades and graduation rates. We are seeing the results
of very hard work, as well as a collective focus on
students and their individual success," said
Superintendent Dr. Michael A. Grego. "Our teachers and
administrators are working tirelessly together to share
best practices and raise student performance. These
impressive grades clearly show that Osceola County
students are successfully competing with students
throughout the state of Florida and the nation.

This was my response to Jay:

'Gateway High, under Principal John Harris... improved
from a "D" to a "B." '

What's funny is that this is the one detail that I am
personally in a position to know the accuracy of, and
it would appear not to be accurate.

Isn't it true that Susan Dupree is really responsible
for this achievement since the results you are
reporting are from FCATs taken before Dr. Harris was
involved at Gateway?

Jay replied:

You are correct.

So I suggested:

I hope you will be sending a correction.

Jay replied:

No I will not be emailing a correction.


At first blush this news sounds terrific. But I am a little concerned
about the reliability of the new "high school accountability system".
I just hope that we are not relaxing standards for the sake of
appearances while our kids are insufficiently challenged to compete on
a global basis.

What is especially troubling is that my son's principal at Gateway
High was apparently fired and replaced by Dr. Harris due to poor
performance of the school as a whole (ie. the "D" grade that Jay
reports above).

Yet now we learn that this change in leadership may have been
premature and Susan Dupree (Gateway's former principal) was actually
doing just fine, according to the new standards of measurement. Was
she treated unfairly? This coupled with the sudden and recent
departure of the International Baccalaureate director and his
assistant at Gateway High makes me wonder what is really going there.

[sainted]

Typical of Jay Wheeler's audacity. He truly believes he is error free. If only it was true. He refuses to do all the tasks he needs to do as a school board member, yet people in his district returned him to the school board for another 4 years. What on Earth were they thinking?

--- On Wed, 12/8/10, Geo <IIDIMG...@spammotel.com> wrote:

[Geo]

To be honest Mark, although I couldn't vote for him (I am not in his
district), I have been a supporter of Jay Wheeler for years. I can
remember when he was the only school board member who opposed Blaine
Muse and the apparent lack of accountability in Osceola schools.

But lately I have been having doubts about Jay. I have been witness
(via my sons still in school) to some odd things going on in the
school district over the past few years and I think that perhaps we
need to start talking openly about them, since Jay seems not to be
listening. I am hoping that perhaps Tom Long can look into some of
this stuff once he takes his seat on the school board.

[Fred Hawkins Jr.]

I know both Jay and Tom. I have worked on issues with both. Both men have their passion on issues. Tom has always been open to hearing concerns and listens to people.

Fred Hawkins, Jr.
Osceola County Commission
District 5

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