Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
At the Tuesday, Aug. 16 school board meeting, Superintendent of Schools Doug Brow,n announced that the Greenville Elementary School had improved their school grade from an “F” to a “B.” This is a significant achievement that reflects the hard work and diligence of the school staff.
Each year the Florida Dept. of Education's Office of Accountability and Policy Research evaluates all public schools and releases a grade for the schools. Schools are graded on four areas of learning, including English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Achievement is measured by scores on standardized tests covering these four areas. In addition, schools are evaluated on learning gains in the areas of english/language arts and mathematics with special emphasis given to gains made by the lowest performing 25 percent of students in the school. Points are awarded for each component and then added together and divided by the number of available points to determine the percentage of points earned. The grading scale for the schools is: A = 62 percent of points or greater, B = 54 percent to 61 percent of points, C = 41 percent to 53 percent of points, D = 32 percent to 40 percent of points, F = 31 percent of points or less.
When asked how they achieved such a feat, ESE Support Facilitator, Natalie Irvine gave a simple answer, “A lot of hard work. We tutored for free after school. We worked hard for that improvement.” Recognition is certainly due to the teachers and staff at Greenville Elementary School, and they are not finished yet. Principal Geraldine Wildgoose already has her sights set on getting an “A” grade on the next assessment. The school's motto this year is, “Get an A every day!” If the clear dedication of the school staff is any indication, they are well on their way to reaching that goal.