St. Johns County schools face reality of past success

The St. Johns County School Board began hearing improvement plans from each school in the district Monday.

Schools reflected many of the trends within the district, which is confronting issues of testing, ever-changing legislation, under-funded mandates and a rise in at-risk youth.

Among high school principals, one of the most prevalent challenges they cited was preparing for the upcoming changes to state-wide assessments. Principals Cathy Mittelstadt of St. Augustine High and Kyle Dresback of Allen D. Nease High both warned of "aha moments" coming.

Maintaining vs. improving

The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) will be replaced with the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) system starting next school year.

Many principals said an additional challenge would be providing the resources, infrastructure and professional development necessary to properly conduct the assessments.

Board member Bill Fehling said standards will come and go and schools can only worry about what they can control.

Many schools have put an emphasis on improving proficiency in reading and writing. Others have looked into making students with behavioral or learning disabilities more comfortable in classrooms.

Some are just looking to maintain the success they've already seen.

"Once you get into the (90 percent) range, it's very hard to make progress in that area," Dresback said about trying to further improve his school's proficiency levels.

Other principals, like Jay Willets at Pacetti Bay Middle are faced with taking over schools that have seen sustained proficiency and school grades in recent years.

Principal Jewel Johnson of Alice B. Landrum Middle said it was daunting to see good grades across the board in recent years. Still, she said realizing that everything matters has helped her see where they can make improvements.

Changing realities

Board member Bill Mignon said principals should also be aware of how the pressures to perform under the new assessments could potentially cause teachers to transfer their stress onto students.

"I think it's something we need to look at," he said. "Mental health is not confined to students, it's confined to the total operation."

Though concerns over the new assessments have focused on the effects on students, Mignon said the overall attitude toward the testing starts with the character of those at the top.

"It's easy to have good character when everything is perfect," Superintendent Joe Joyner said. "I see (principals) demonstrate leadership, I see them demonstrate toughness during difficult times, and I see them standing up for the right things and the right children."

The presentations are also an opportunity for principals to share what makes their schools unique in terms of the populations they serve and the programs and services they provide.

"Students come to us in various situations," said Principal Cynthia Williams of St. Johns Technical High, which works with many at-risk youth in the district. "There's no traditional standard when it comes to our students."

Many schools, under different circumstances, stressed a need for more collaboration among teachers and administrators to identify needs, fill in gaps and prepare for upcoming changes.

"We remain very focused on all the extra things so that teachers can teach," Principal Dawn Sapp of Bartram Trail High said.

This year, schools were divided into sessions by grade level. High, middle and alternative schools made their presentations Monday. All elementary schools will present today.

"We're not a cookie cutter," Fehling said. "We may build schools that look alike, but they're all different."

Florida statutes require school boards to annually approve and require implementation of a school improvement plan for each school in their district. Improvement plans are ultimately submitted to the state.