Statewide Computer Based Student Testing Fails – Again
April 20, 2015
Statewide computer-based testing was once again down Monday morning in Florida, causing school districts across the state to delay or postpone testing in grades 5-10.
A technical problem prevented schools from logging into the testing server, according to Escambia County School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas.
“Because of the time zone difference between here and South Florida, we knew beforehand that the problems existed at the state level,” Thomas said. Those statewide vendor problems were resolved by about 9:30 a.m.. “Many of our students never knew there was a problem. It was fixed before most of our middle schools were in session.”
Each individual school in the county decided how to proceed with testing today after the system was back online, the superintendent said.
““This morning, AIR’s President of Assessment notified me of a technical change that was made to the Florida Standards Assessment testing system over the weekend that was not approved by the Department. This change was unnecessary to the administration of the Florida Standards Assessment and resulted in a disruption that hindered students from being able to log in to the system and take their test today,” Education Commissioner Pam Stewart said. “The company’s failure to follow protocol is absolutely unacceptable and the Department will hold AIR accountable for the disruption they have caused to our state’s students, teachers and school staff.”
The new Florida Standards Assessment tests have been plagued by by technical problems and cyber-attacks that have prevented students for logging on, or sometimes finishing. In March, Escambia County suspending testing for days due to the statewide vendor problems. Only about 150,000 eighth-, ninth- and 10th-grade students had been able to take the Florida Standards Assessment writing test — about a quarter of the students registered for that exam — by the second day of failures in March.
American Institutes for Research, a non-profit group, has a six-year, $220 million deal to design and deliver the tests.
Century Correctional Inmate Labor Saves Thousands For Schools
April 20, 2015
Inmate work crews from Century Correctional Institution are continuing to provide thousands of dollars worth of labor to towns and schools in the North Escambia area.
Recently, CCI inmates completed several projects on the Northview High School campus. They cleaned overgrown foliage from around the school’s retention pond, which school officials said had become a dangerous eyesore along Highway 4. The prisoners also painted a storage shed on the campus and edged sidewalks.
All total, Northview officials estimate the Century Correctional prison labor save the school about $8,000 in just a few days.
About 200 CCI inmates per day –less than 15 percent of the total inmate population — work on multiple prison works crews from Century Correctional’s Main Unit on Tedder Road and the Berrydale Forestry Camp near Jay. Dedicated crews are assigned to the Town of Century, the Town of Jay, Gulf Breeze and other entities.
The prisoners also work on projects for multiple schools in addition to Northview, but they are only allowed on campus when students are not present. Earlier this year, CCI inmates delivered 25 newly constructed picnic tables to Escambia Westgate School. It’s estimated that Escambia Westgate saved about $5,000 with the Century Correctional built tables versus purchasing commercially available tables.
Pictured top: A cleaned retention pond at Northview High School. Pictured inset: The pond prior to clearing. Pictured below: A storage shed on the Northview campus painted by inmates. Pictured bottom: CCI inmates deliver new picnic tables to Escambia Westgate School. NorthEscambia.com and submitted photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Schools Release 2015-2016 School Calendar
April 20, 2015
The calendar for the 2015-2016 school year has been released by the Escambia County School District.
To download the calendar (pdf), click here.
2015 Fall Semester Highlights:
- Teachers will return to schools on Monday, Aug. 10, 2015.
- Students are to report on Monday, Aug. 17, 2015.
- Labor Day Holiday will be observed Sept. 7, 2015. (Schools and offices will be closed.)
- Students will have Oct. 12, 2015 off – Teachers have a planning day.
- Veteran’s Day Holiday will be on Weds., Nov. 11, 2015. (Schools and offices will be closed.)
- Students and teachers will have Nov. 25, 2015 off. (Offices will be open.)
- Thanksgiving Holiday will be observed Nov. 26 and 27, 2015. (Schools and offices will be closed.)
- Schools and offices will be closed for the Winter Holiday, Christmas and New Years from Dec. 21, 2015 to Jan. 1, 2016.
2016 Spring Semester Highlights:
- Teachers return from the winter break on Mon., Jan. 4, 2016. (Students off.)
- Students return to school and begin the second semester on Tues., Jan. 5, 2016.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day will be observed on Jan. 18, 2016. (Schools and offices are closed.)
- Students will have Feb. 15, 2016. (Pres’s Day) off – Teachers have a planning day.
- Students and teachers are off for Spring Break March 21 to 24, 2016. (Offices are still open.)
- Spring Holiday will be observed March 25, 2016. (All schools and offices will be closed.)
- The last day of school for students will be Thurs., May 26, 2016.
- Memorial Day will be observed on May 30, 2016. (All schools and offices will be closed.)
- Last regular working day for teachers will be Tues., May 31, 2016.
Man Charged With Dumping Paint
April 20, 2015
An Escambia County man is facing a felony charge after allegedly dumping dozens of gallons of paint into the ground.
Ezequiel Santos-Gomez was charged with littering in any quantity for commercial purposes, a third degree felony, and disposal at an unpermitted sold waste facility.
Escambia County Code Enforcement received an anonymous complaint about the improper disposal of paint. Code Enforcement and Florida Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement officers responded and found an excavated pit that was 5-feet wide, 11-feet long and 4-feet deep. They reported finding white paint around and inside the pit, along with about 100 five-gallon plastic buckets stacked adjacent to the pit, located in a residential area near Pensacola Christian College.
Santos-Gomez reportedly told officers that he checked an could only dispose of 20 gallons per day at the landfill.
It was estimated that 60 gallons of paint had been dumped in the pit.
Weekend Livestock Show Award Winners Announced
April 20, 2015
Award winners have been announced from Saturday’s Gulf Coast Agriculture and Natural Resources Youth Organization (GCA & NRYO) Spring Livestock Show in Molino. The complete list is below.
For an earlier story about the show, click here.
Pictured is Haylee Weaver and her 1,425 pound Grand Champion Market Streer named “Breakaway”.
Click the list below to enlarge
Photos by Meridith Caum for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos At Smokies Rained Out
April 20, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos’ series finale against the Tennessee Smokies was postponed on Sunday due to rain. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader in Pensacola on Wednesday, May 6th beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Pensacola hosts Tennessee next month on May 5-9. This is the third game postponed due to rain for the Blue Wahoos this season.
The Blue Wahoos travel to Birmingham to face the Barons in a five-game series with the opening game scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Monday night. Scheduled to take the mound is RHP Robert Stephenson (0-1, 4.76) for Pensacola and RHP Frankie Montas (0-0, 1.69) for Birmingham.
The Blue Wahoos return home to Pensacola Bayfront Stadium on April 25 against the Biloxi Shuckers.
Rain Doesn’t Dampen Spirits At Greater Escambia Relay For Life (With Photo Gallery)
April 19, 2015
Rain may have forced te Greater Escambia Relay for Life from outdoors at Tate High to indoors at the Pensacola Fairgrounds this year, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of hundreds of people “relaying” together to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.
At last report, the 44 teams and nearly 500 participants had raised over $70,000 in the fight against cancer.
Pictured above and below: Taking part in The Greater Escambia Relay for Life. Pictured inset: Midday entertainment from Pensacola Gymnastics. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Youth Livestock Show Held At New 4-H Barns In Molino (With Photo Gallery)
April 19, 2015
The Gulf Coast Agriculture and Natural Resources Youth Organization (GCA & NRYO) Spring Livestock Show was held Saturday in Molino. It was the first youth livestock show and sale at the newly complete 4-H barns on South Highway 99 just north of Chalker Road.
FFA and 4-H youth ages 8-18 exhibited rabbits, poultry, swine and cattle followed by a live auction.
The GCA & NYRO is a support organization of 4-H and FFA. The organization gives the youth of Escambia County and surrounding counties of Florida and Alabama the opportunity to show off skills they have learned from their 4-H and FFA animal sciences projects. Local 4-H youth worked diligently on their projects this year before competing in the event.
FOR AN AWARD WINNER LIST, CLICK HERE.
The day began with a ribbon cutting for the new 4-H facilities.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Grocery Prices Up In ‘Spring Picnic’ Survey
April 19, 2015
Higher retail prices for several foods, including sirloin tip roast, ground chuck, deli ham and orange juice, resulted in a slight increase in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Spring Picnic Marketbasket survey.
The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $53.87, up $.60 or about 1 percent compared to a survey conducted a year ago. Of the 16 items surveyed, eight increased and eight decreased in average price.
“Several meat items increased in price, accounting for much of the modest increase in the marketbasket,” said John Anderson, AFBF’s deputy chief economist. “The 1 percent increase shown by our survey tracks closely with the Agriculture Department’s forecast of 2 percent to 3 percent food inflation for 2015,” he said.
Items showing retail price increases from a year ago included:
- sirloin tip roast, up 14 percent to $5.71 per pound
- ground chuck, up 12 percent to $4.61 per pound
- orange juice, up 7 percent to $3.47 per half-gallon
- toasted oat cereal, up 7 percent to $3.12 for a 9-ounce box
- deli ham, up 6 percent to $5.53 per pound
- eggs, up 4 percent to $2.05 per dozen
- shredded cheddar cheese, up 3 percent to $4.59 per pound
- potatoes, up 2 percent to $2.74 for a 5-pound bag
These items showed modest retail price decreases compared to a year ago:
- flour, down 9 percent to $2.52 for a 5-pound bag
- bacon, down 8 percent to $4.44 per pound
- apples, down 8 percent to $1.47 per pound
- chicken breast, down 7 percent to $3.28 per pound
- whole milk, down 6 percent to $3.45 per gallon
- vegetable oil, down 6 percent to $2.67 for a 32-ounce bottle
- bagged salad, down 5 percent to $2.47 per pound
- white bread, down 3 percent to $1.75 per 20-ounce loaf
Price checks of alternative milk and egg choices not included in the overall marketbasket survey average revealed the following: 1/2 gallon regular milk, $2.24; 1/2 gallon organic milk, $4.47; and one dozen “cage-free” eggs, $3.57.
The year-to-year direction of the marketbasket survey tracks closely with the federal government’s Consumer Price Index report for food at home. As retail grocery prices have increased gradually over time, the share of the average food dollar that America’s farm and ranch families receive has dropped.
“Through the mid-1970s, farmers received about one-third of consumer retail food expenditures for food eaten at home and away from home, on average. Since then, that figure has decreased steadily and is now about 16 percent, according to the Agriculture Department’s revised Food Dollar Series,” Anderson said.
Using the “food at home and away from home” percentage across-the-board, the farmer’s share of this $53.87 marketbasket would be $8.62.
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Smith Completes Parris Island Training
April 19, 2015
PFC Cody Dewayne Smith graduated recently after 13 weeks of Marine Corp training at Parris Island, SC. Smith served as a squad leader during his training. He was awarded as an expert in rifle markmanship and was promoted to private first class. Smith is the son of Rex and Theresa Smith of Jay.