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Escambia District Did Not Release School Grades. But Now We Have Them.
August 23, 2021
EXCLUSIVE — Escambia County A-F school grades were not released this year by the school district because they did not opt-in to receive the grades from the state.
But now, for the first time, Escambia County parents can see the grade for their child’s school here on NorthEscambia.com. Those grades are below.
The letter grades were calculated by Rep. Michelle Salzman using test scores that were released by the state and the precise formula that would have been used by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE).
“I received a lot of inquiries about school grades from constituents, community leaders and media outlet,” Salzman told NorthEscambia.com ” I am extremely proud of our teachers, and these grades are a direct indication to the importance of having your children in school. Now that we know where we are, we can navigate together.”
A.K. Suter Elementary, Byrneville Elementary, Cordova Park Elementary, Hellen Caro Elementary, Molino Park Elementary, Pensacola Beach Elementary, Brown Barge Middle, West Florida High, and Escambia Virtual Academy were all A schools under Salzman’s calculations.
On the other end of the scale 11 schools received an F — Bellview Elementary, Ensley Elementary, Global Learning Academy, Lincoln Park Elementary, Myrtle Grove Elementary, Navy Point Elementary, O.J. Semmes Elementary, Sherwood Elementary, Warrington Elementary, Bellview Middle, and Workman Middle
Escambia County opted not to have the state calculate the school grades under a pandemic-related FDOE emergency order issued in April that gave that choice to school districts.
“This is the ultimate flexibility and reinforces the compassion and grace we have used throughout this pandemic in making these decisions,” Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran said at the time.
“The state did not calculate a letter grade (for Escambia schools), and that was really important because that’s what people use in their assessment of the school is a letter grade. I have to say the commissioner was right on point with this because our test scores were impacted; they did drop,” Escambia School Superintendent Tim Smith said as the new school year got underway. “Had grades been assigned to the schools it would have been devastating so we knew that the possibility of that happening existed.”
“When a good school goes from a C to a D, that has a very dramatic impact on the school,” he said, adding that could be “some devastating news, some really demoralizing news”.
Escambia County school grades, as calculated by Salzman, were as follows for the 2020-2021 school year:
Comments
29 Responses to “Escambia District Did Not Release School Grades. But Now We Have Them.”
REGARDING:
“the school issued chromebooks are really pieces of crud to begin with.”
I wonder how you reach that conclusion. I have been using them for years for personal use like right now, haven’t had a bad one yet. What improvement do you suggest?
David for details
My son goes to Booker T Washington High and last year was a mess. I had issues with teachers not communicating with me. He was an in school kid and they had to submit everything through computer. But, if the teacher couldn’t read the picture they would give a bad grade instead of just asking to see the work he did on paper just to take a picture for a teacher he was going to see in class. So, I get how the school ended up as a C school.
The one solution to failing schools is to tie the parents government handouts to student performance in the classroom. This would get you the parental involvement you need in the schools. If we started cutting the parents money Johnny would come to school with a whole new attitude about learning.
It’s sad to see so many schools with such a low grade. I saw someone say that the schools need new admin and teachers. I have seen, first hand, excellent teachers and support staff working at one of these F schools. These folks worked their butts off to teach, mentor, love, encourage, and respect their students. But, in return they received little to no help from admin outside of the school or from the parents when dealing with bad behavior, when dealing with a student that wouldn’t complete their work, and many times when dealing with the parents poor behavior.
These same teachers went on to work elsewhere, where the staff worked just as equally hard together, but the parents and children had better attitudes. Not always were the situations perfect, but a far cry better.
I feel the failings come from the governmental part of the system (school board, superintendent, governor, etc) and with the mentality of the families within those districts. Just because you may not have a lot of money doesn’t mean you should allow yourself and your child to act a fool. To the contrary, you should be working harder to help your child succeed.
I equally dislike the attitudes of many affluent parents who allow their children to have bad attitudes. Just because you have resources doesn’t give you an excuses to be a jerk.
The lack of support from parents and from non-school grounds personnel is what is causing teachers to leave and for the next generation of teachers to not show up.
We have to do better starting with us. We have to fight for our children, but we must make sure at the same time that we are raising them to always strive for their best.
All the schools with “F’s” & “D’s” deserve better support, more funding, better programs, teachers and staff for all those students. Too many people are failing too many children. These are also in areas which have low-income families that could use a better school system to brighten, encourage, and help promote a productive future. The district lines ruined transportation, separated communities, and it’s wasting thousands of dollars. All because certain people don’t want their kids riding the bus with others. Politics getting involved is why these grades look embarrassing, why we’re short bus drivers, and nobody wants to work for the school system making $9 -$12 hr vs the $15 at McDonald’s. The old and new Superintendent should be embarrassed.
@Hal
@AT
Interesting. Thanks for the reply.
@P’cola
Also IB at the middle school level is not like PHS at the high school level–it’s not more rigorous or prestigious. Just a different educational philosophy.
@P’cola
FYI. A lot of students from the “A” schools that feed Workman go to private schools for middle school.
Education, healthcare, and childcare are where our taxes should be going. If we abolish the for-profit prison industry and the military-industrial complex, we would have more than enough to provide for everyone and eliminate some of the problems caused by poverty. In order for education to be effective, a child needs to have a stable home situation and great teachers. It’s not rocket science.
How about we give teaching a COMPETITIVE salary? If you want the best teachers, give them pay that’s worth working for! Our teachers are criminally underpaid, and it goes without saying that if we pay teachers more, more people will become teachers, and employers will have more to choose from to pick the best ones.
Let’s stop “fighting for freedom” in the name of lord petroleum and take away our government’s power to take literally anything and everything it wants by force. Shrink the military, shrink the prisons, shrink the police force, expand education, expand childcare, expand healthcare, and make sure that all children ACTUALLY have an opportunity to succeed in life.
The only reason our politicians don’t do this already is because they know it keeps the elites in a position of power over the working class. If they keep us in poverty, they keep us weak and fearful. We have the resources. The government chooses not to use them. It’s nothing short of criminal.
It seems that maybe all the D schools and F schools should receive new administrators! No need to keep what’s not working. Embarrassing that a High School is a D, guess it is a “better than an F” attitude. Should pull football & baseball this year, maybe that’ll have parents more involved & administration at their best.
@Hal
I see Cordova Park is an A, NB Cook is an A, Sutter is an A, Scenic Heights is a C, Holmes is a C, plus the IB program that pulls across districts. I understand that there are a few bad schools feeding also.
I don’t understand how if an A school is 5 pts and an F school is 1 pts how does (5+1)/2=1? It seems to that Workman should at least be a 3 if they can at least maintain the quality of what they receive on the input.
Some traumatized and some having language barriers. Way to go High schools. Middle schoolers not too far behind. We need to focus on the babies and how this stress is affecting their Elementary minds.
@P’cola
Workman’s feeder schools also have terrible grades. OJ Semmes is an F, GLA is an F, Warrington Elm is an F. With a student pop like that, it doesnt look like there’s much of a chance.
My son goes to Workman. This year was horrible for the grading and I am kind of shocked that Warrington has a better grade then them. I do know that the year was mostly spent with the kids being kept in other classes due to teachers being out for days and days. His Language arts teacher was out more than she was in and my son and his classmates spent more time in the library or the back of other classes. I don’t think it’s fair to base any scores off of last year what so ever. As for the IB coordinator, he’s an awesome person that the students love. The new principal needs to stop worrying so much about the shoes the kids are wearing and pulling them out of the class to call their parents for new ones and missing class time.
This is a PARENT problem. Teachers hands are tied by political nonsense eg they are forced to pass children to the next grade who may not even be literate. If a parent wants their children to get a decent education today they must step in themselves. Home school or private school or monitor / supplement public education which has lowered the bar so low it can’t compete with other countries. Sad to see several of these F schools provided excellent education just a few decades ago. Watching our country deteriorate before our very eyes.
Congratulations to the students and staff at Byrneville Elementary, an “A” charter school!
I think we could raise the grades more by a few actions:
Implementing A Pre-K class. Adding Recess back. Giving people who watch our children, besides teachers, more than 13 an hour. I really think we are getting what we pay when you’re only paying people to watch your kids $10-$12 an hour. It’s not even a living wage at that point.
How is it that two A elementary and two C elementary schools plus the cream of the student population IB program results in a dumpster fire like Workman with an F? Is student value being destroyed at the Middle School level?
EVERY ONE of those “School Grades” begins with the day a newborn child is brought HOME and the learning, coaching, training, love, care, nurture that goes into preparation for Life and School.
Remembering when the Florida Dept of Education determined kids had scored TOO LOW on the Statewide Test that a directive was sent out from FL D of Ed that scores would be recalculated to RAISE Scores.
Echoing many others, throwing More of Taxpayer Money at the schools is NOT the Answer after decades of trying that….the Answer lies squarely at the feet of the Parents and Guardians of the kids and their Responsibility to instill GOOD Character and Incentives in their kids.
@Eric..if you’re a homeowner and pay taxes that’s a portion property taxes are for.
If you want more taxes then by all means buy a home and help out.
Many ways a person can help schools, teachers and cops, be part of the solution and not the problem.
Hmm. Let us digress, could this possibly have anything to do with the Administration being as disorganized as one could possibly be? They stuck kids into virtual courses despite knowing many of those kids would not have access to internet and that the school issued chromebooks are really pieces of crud to begin with. They failed to find a way to provide services to OHI 504 IEP and Gifted students.
$$ money isn’t the answer. Better teachers..these schools have some of our best. Home…is where the people lies. Many of these children have very unstable family life. Many take care of themselves. Until things change at home it’s an uphill battle. Behavior is also a huge problem that must be addressed. Disruption in a classroom hurts all those who want to learn. Hopefully this will be a better year…Goodluck to all our teachers.
No coincidence that the two schools that are truly “school choice” Brown Barge and West Florida are A schools. While parents are definitley a part of the equation, so are students that give a damn.
Clsm
School grades are relative to the rest of the state and the entire state was dealing with covid.
When a school gets an F that means they are at the bottom of Florida which is indicative of being entirely mismanaged and dysfunctional.
It’s like football. When both teams are playing in the rain you can’t blame the weather.
If your kids are going to one of these F schools not only are they not being educated, they’re also being exposed to a negative anti-social atmosphere everyday and that’s a threat to their mental health and social development.
Trust me, it’s bad.
Some of those schools could have more money and better teachers and all you’ll get is an F. So much of this comes down to parenting.
BYRNEVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, the little school that could! Teachers, parents, and staff who make education a priority and a fun experience have students who succeed. Congrats to all!
Covid kept kids out for 2 1/2 months of school on Spring 2020. Many parents opted to start school in the Fall of 2020 by remote. So so so many students never logged on or did not do the lessons and then had to be taken off remote and sent back to school. By then, they were so far behind their peers. These school grades are a reflection of that and prove that Covid or not, most students need to be IN school learning from a face to face teacher.
This is unsatisfactory. We need more tax for schools and teachers and cops
Workman’s expensive International Baccalaureate Middle Years School Programme is the most idiotic waste of money in the entire district. It’s nothing but endless volumes of empty nonsensical rhetoric without anything of substance. The wasted administrative position of IB Coordinator is a salary down the drain. The flying people across the country is another waste. The entire recertification process is just giving money away that goes outside of the community. And the hours that teachers spend implementing a “programme” with no pedagogical merit whatsoever is a waste of energy, time, and again money. IB provides no software, no textbooks, no assessments, no curriculum- it’s just an ambiguous philosophy that amounts to a bunch of air and a failing school.