Levy looks to improve FCATs

Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Test grades are in for a few middle and elementary schools in Levy County. Despite As and Bs across the board, superintendent Bob Hastings wasn't excited with the results.

"When you're green, you're growing," Hastings said. "When you're ripe, you're rotting. We want to keep growing and progressing. That's where we're at."

Hastings said that while the FCAT scores from the 2010-11 school year are "good," he's not satisfied with the results. This summer, faculty has been researching what has been successful in other school districts, with teachers closely examining what's being done in Baker and Citrus counties, where scores are traditionally high. Board member Paige Brookins pointed that out during Tuesday's board meeting, applauding the efforts of a couple of elementary teachers who traveled to other schools "even when they're not getting paid" to do so.

"We're trying to see why they're having success," Hastings said. "I don't think our people need to work any harder. I don't think we need any different programs, but we want to be that top rung. 

"Our kids are just as good and our teachers are just as good, so what little bit we're missing, we want to make sure that we have it so we can be that top level."

Middle schools at Chiefland and Williston, and Yankeetown's combination school scored As while Chiefland Elementary, Nature Coast Middle School, Whispering Winds Charter School and Williston Elementary school scored Bs. 

All of the grades were the same as the 2009-10 school year assessments with the exception of Chiefland Elementary sliding from an A to a B and Whispering Winds improving from a C to a B.

Scores for Bronson schools and other high schools won't receive their FCAT grades until November. Bronson Elementary's scores still are listed as "pending" as well because of an ESE program that has three high school-aged students on its campus.

Last year, Chiefland became the first Levy County high school to score a grade of A. FCAT grades are released by the Florida Department of Education.