Report card grades are important for students, especially at the end of the year. But they’re just as important for the schools themselves, with Pasco County Schools seeing some room for improvement.
Schools in the district saw grades drop this year, with fewer schools receiving marks of A and B, and more getting the dreaded marks of D and F, according to a release.
However, five schools rose a grade, including Taylor, Lacoochee and Giella elementary schools, as well as Pasco and Rushe middle schools. The elementary schools and Pasco Middle stepped up from Ds to Cs, while Rushe improved from a B to an A.
There remains some question on what the final elementary school grades are going to be, the district said, especially since Pasco is among several districts questioning fourth-grade writing scores. Some superintendents, including Pasco’s Kurt Browning, believe it has caused lower-than-expected grades for elementary schools in the district, where 15 maintained their grades, and 25 actually saw their grades drop.
Overall, six elementary schools earned an A, eight received a B, 14 a C, 12 a D, and five an F. Of the 15 middle schools, three were graded an A, another three a B, two a C, six a D, and none received an F. Both Long and Seven Springs middle schools maintained their A grades.
“These are very challenging times,” Browning said, in a release. “Providing stability and clarity to the school accountability system during the transition to new standards is almost impossible as we attempt to prepare for the future and continue to test the past.”
