HOLIDAY — Anclote High School principal Monica Ilse has no illusions about her school's grade when the announcement comes in early December.
"It is going to be an F," Ilse said matter-of-factly during a recent campus tour. "We've accepted it. We're going to move on. Honestly, that old news."
Students, faculty and staff got the first inkling that the news would not be good for their year-old school back in the summer, with the release of various state and national test results. Among the signals:
• 7 percent of students taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams earned passing scores.
• 36 percent of students taking the FCAT reading exam scored at grade level or better.
• 34 percent of students in the lowest quartile made gains on the FCAT reading exam.
Ilse knew the school would have its struggles. Located in a high-poverty, high-crime area, Anclote High has 70 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Many of the children have family or social issues well beyond schooling that affect their performance.
I recall teaching in Saginaw, MI. It was not uncommon for a high performing student to be threatened with violence if they scored high on an exam. If they wanted to get home without injury, then they had to respond to test questions by answering many questions incorrectly. I don't know if that is behind Anclote's 'F'. It could be that it is known by a large percentage of the students that if they don't study and fail exams that teachers will be blamed and potentially fired.
I doubt if most people care enough about was posted to have gotten to this point. You are a lot like the students in a failing school.
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