Board Of Ed Looks To Avoid Another Grades Fiasco
June 19, 2013
Looking to avoid another botched rollout of school grades this year, the State Board of Education on Tuesday asked Education Commissioner Tony Bennett to appoint a task force to examine the test scores used to calculate the grades.
The move comes just a few weeks before the grades are set to be released, and with superintendents warning that preliminary calculations already show a possible collapse in the grades for schools across the state.
“The resulting grades show nearly 10 times more ‘F’ elementary schools in our district,” said Hillsborough County Superintendent MaryEllen Elia.
Educators suspect the grades are being complicated, at least in part, by a slew of changes to the state’s testing regimen and standards. In addition to the increased standards, a provision put in place last year to keep school grades from dropping more than one letter is set to expire.
In all, there are 13 changes being made to the scores this year after 19 were approved by the state board last year, said Miami-Dade County Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who along with Elia spoke to the board at its Tuesday meeting to push for change.
“When you put all of that together, I don’t think anybody’s taken the time to examine the implications of the simultaneous coming together of all these variables,” Carvalho said.
While it was mentioned only in passing at the meeting, last year’s mishandling of the release of state grades formed part of the backdrop for Tuesday’s discussion.
Bennett’s predecessor, Gerard Robinson, resigned in 2012 after less than a year on the job after the public-relations pounding the department took when FCAT scores collapsed, followed a few months later by a school grades mix-up.
The Florida Board of Education was forced to lower passing grades for the statewide writing tests last year after the passing rate plunged from 81 percent to 27 percent for fourth graders and showed similar drops in eighth and 10th grades.
Then, in July, the department had to reissue grades for 213 elementary and middle schools and nine school districts as part of a “continuous review process.”
Within weeks, Robinson was gone, though he said the resignation was to allow him to spend more time with his family.
But Carvalho said that at least one problem had been repeated, saying the state had not done enough to prepare parents for the possibility of a widespread drop in grades as standards increased, and clarifying that students might be learning more even as the grades fell.
“Now we are but a couple weeks away from the release of letter grades,” he said. “It’s too late.”
Bennett and board members are hoping that’s not the case. The task force will include superintendents from different regions of the state as well as state officials who deal with the testing and accountability system. While no board meetings are scheduled before September, Chairman Gary Chartrand said one could be called if Bennett’s group recommends changes.
“It may be late, but it’s not too late,” Chartrand said.
The task force is expected to be put together by sometime next week.
By Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Summer Ball: Northview Splits Games With Escambia
June 19, 2013
In summer baseball Tuesday, the Northview B team lost to Escambia High 3-1. The Northview Chiefs A team shut out the Escambia Gators 6-0 in a four-inning game called due to lightning. Photos by Ramona Preston for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Poll: Scott Shows Improvement, Still Trails Crist
June 19, 2013
With the Democratic field remaining unsettled, Republican Gov. Rick Scott is seeing improvement in his poll numbers — though he still trails former Gov. Charlie Crist by double digits in a potential 2014 election battle.
Quinnipiac University on Tuesday released a poll that shows the Republican-turned-Democrat Crist leading Scott by a margin of 47 percent to 37 percent. While that is a significant edge for Crist, it is down from a 16-point margin in a March poll.
Another sign of improvement for Scott: In the new poll he is viewed favorably by 40 percent of voters and unfavorably by 42 percent. While he is still underwater, Scott’s numbers have improved since March, when he was viewed favorably by only 33 percent of voters and unfavorably by 46 percent.
Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said it is an indication of how low Scott’s poll numbers have been that he can “take some solace” from only trailing Crist by 10 points. Also, Brown pointed to improvements for Scott in other parts of the poll, though he described the governor’s job approval and favorability numbers as “tepid.”
“Now that doesn’t mean that happy days are here again for the governor, but if he is going to make a comeback these are the kind of steps that would be required,” Brown said in a news release announcing the poll results. “Whether it is the start of something larger, we’ll see in the coming months.”
Crist, who served as the Republican governor from 2006 to 2010 before losing an independent bid for the U.S. Senate and then becoming a Democrat, has not announced whether he will run against Scott next year. Similarly, former state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, who narrowly lost to Scott in 2010, has remained coy about whether she will run again.
The only prominent Democrat who has announced a bid is former Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich of Weston. The new poll shows Scott leading Rich by a margin of 42 percent to 36 percent. It also shows that voters know little about Rich, with 84 percent saying they hadn’t heard enough about her to offer an opinion.
Though U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., has repeatedly said he does not plan to run for governor, the poll shows he would lead Scott in a hypothetical match-up by a margin of 48 percent to 38 percent.
Scott during this spring’s legislative session focused on a narrow agenda that included popular ideas such as raising pay for public-school teachers and cutting taxes for manufacturers. He also has been traveling the state to appear at choreographed bill-signing ceremonies and to talk about job creation, the issue that he rode into office in 2010.
“The governor needs to make voters believe he is responsible for a better economy. That’s the key to his electoral future,” Brown said. “He isn’t going to get re-elected because he is Mr. Personality. He needs to essentially convince voters, ‘You may not like me, but I’m the guy who is making things better,’ ”
In some ways, Scott has had the early campaign to himself as Democrats continue to sort out who will run in 2014. But if Crist jumps into the race, he will start out more popular than Scott.
The Quinnipiac poll shows that 48 percent of voters have a favorable view of Crist, while 31 percent have an unfavorable view. Independent and women voters particularly have a better opinion of Crist than they do Scott.
The state Republican Party has already started a daily barrage of criticism of Crist, including attempts to highlight changes in his positions since he left the GOP. In the Quinnipiac poll, 47 percent of voters viewed the party-switching as a positive, while 44 percent saw it as a negative.
The Connecticut-based Quinnipiac regularly conducts polls in Florida and other states. The poll released Tuesday was conducted from June 11 to June 16 and included 1,176 registered voters. It had a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Arrest Made In Early Morning Beach Murder
June 18, 2013
An arrest has been made in an early Tuesday morning Pensacola Beach homicide.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has charged 20-year old Damarcus “Smiling Gangsta” Jenkins with second degree murder in the shooting death of 34-year old Michael Leslie Harris of Milton.
At about 3:45 a.m. the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shots fired disturbance at Casino Beach. Investigators said Harris was shot multiple times by Jenkins, including at least once after he fell to the ground. The shooting happened after Jenkins witnessed Harris fighting with a female believed to be his girlfriend, but they say the shooting was after the fight was over.
Deputies found Harris not far from the iconic beach ball water tower, dead with gunshot wounds to his upper torso. Investigators spent the next several hours combing the beach for clues.
Tuesday afternoon, investigators said they were seeking four persons of interest for questioning in the shooting. Jenkins was one of those four people. The other three persons were located and questioned, but were not charged with any crime as of Tuesday night.
Anyone with any information regarding the shooting is asked to contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9630 or Gulf Coast Crimestoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
Commissioner Looking For Non-Profits That Need Space In Century
June 18, 2013
Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry is reaching out to the Century Town Council and the Century community in an attempt to put empty county real estate to good use for area non-profits.
One half of the old county health department building on Church Street in Century was left empty when a dental provider pulled out of town; the other half of the building is occupied by the non-profit faith based Health and Hope Clinic. Barry told the Century town council Monday night that Escambia Community Clinics may be able to provide dental services in the building, if not the space is available.
Next door, the former 1,664 square foot post office building is owned by the county and is also available space.
“I want to see these taxpayer assets utilized,” Barry said. “I want to see some non-profit in there that’s doing some good for this community.”
The space cannot be leased to any for-profit business.
Anyone wishing to make suggestions on how the buildings can be utilized can do so in the comment section below, or call Barry’s office at (850) 595-4950.
Slowpokes Should Get Out Of The Left Lane
June 18, 2013
A massive transportation bill signed by Gov. Rick Scott will require slow drivers to move out of the left lane or face potential fines. The bill bars left-lane drivers from going more than 10 mph below the speed limit if they know they are being overtaken from behind by faster-moving vehicles. The bill includes exceptions, such as when drivers are preparing to turn left at intersections. Violators of the new requirement could face a $60 fine.
Santa Rosa Teacher Arrested For Soliciting Former Student
June 18, 2013
A Santa Rosa County middle school teacher is being held on a $1 million bond for allegedly using Facebook and text messaging to solicit sex from a former student.
Robert Todd Crutchfield, a sixth grade social studies teacher at King Middle School in Milton, was charged with using a computer to seduce a child and traveling after use of a computer to lure a child.
The investigation by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office found Crutchfield contacted a former student on Facebook. After the 14-year old female accepted a friend request from 41-year old Crutchfield, a conversation began. The conversation later continued via text messaging.
During the course of the texting, the conversation became sexual in nature. An adult who was affiliated with the juvenile was contacted who then notified the Sheriff’s Office. Investigators were able to continue the conversation with Crutchfield where he ultimately told the juvenile he was interested in meeting in person.
Along with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, investigators arranged for Crutchfield to meet them at a specific time and location, thinking he was meeting the teenager. Instead, he met law enforcement officers that placed him under arrest. A search warrant was executed at his residence where additional items were taken into evidence.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office is continuing this investigation. If anyone has any information related to this case, they are urged to contact the Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes unit at (850) 983-1230 or CrimeStoppers at (850) 437-STOP.
FHP Looks For Clues In Jay Hit And Run Wreck
June 18, 2013
The Florida Highway Patrol is looking for a man they say became aggressive and fled the scene of a wreck Monday afternoon in Jay.
The FHP said the driver of a full sized pickup truck was westbound on Highway 4 approaching Booker Lane about 3:30 p.m. when he failed to stop before he rear-ended a 1997 Ford 250 waiting to make a left turn.
The driver of the first truck became verbally aggressive before fleeing the scene, according to FHP. The truck was described as a 1990’s, light brown, full sized Chevrolet type pickup. The truck has front end damage. The grill and headlight were popped out at impact, but stayed connected to the vehicle. The driver was described as a white male, 5-foot 7 inches, white male with a star tattoo around his navel.
Anyone with information on the man’s identity is asked to call Trooper J.M. Tucker at (850) 484-5000 ext 330 or email JoshuaTucker@flhsmv.gov.
The driver of the pickup that was rear-ended, 52-year old Zane B. Burkhead of Jay, was not seriously injured in the crash.
George Touart Applies For County Administrator Job
June 18, 2013
Interim County Administrator George Touart is one of 63 applicants that want to become Escambia County’s permanent administrator.
Touart was hired temporarily in November and took the post December 1 after the county commission fired Randy Oliver. Touart served as county administrator for five years, resigning amid ethics questions in 2007. All formal ethics complaints against him were dismissed.
“This would be nothing less than temporary until we could find a qualified, permanent, top shelf, class act replacement,” Commissioner Gene Valentino said as he made a motion
A five-person citizen committee has been named by the Escambia County Commission to review each of the applications and select finalists for the job.
Reptiles Invade The Molino Library; The Noise Guy Heads To Other Libraries
June 18, 2013
Participants in the West Florida Library’s Summer Reading Program had a chance to get up close and personal with some slithery snakes and more Monday afternoon at the Molino Branch Library.
The Summer Reading Program continues the rest of the week and throws out that old saying about being quiet in the library with Charlie “The Noise Guy” Williams. Programs will be held:
Monday: Main Library noon
Tuesday: Tryon Branch 1:30, Westside Branch 4:30
Wednesday: Century Branch 3:30
The 2013 Summer Reading Club will be held weekly through August 10. Children can register at any West Florida Public Library.
Pictured: A reptile demonstration at the Molino Library Monday afternoon. Submitted photos by Heather Murphy for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
