In Pasco County, school officials have been similarly vexed. School there ends June 6, allowing a little more breathing room. District officials hope they will have a day or two to digest the FCAT results before making promotion decisions. Ruth Biggs, Pasco's director of curriculum and instruction, said schools there will write the promotional paperwork using their best available information. Then, as soon as the test scores arrive, they'll scramble to see if the scores merit a change.
Local educators say districts around the state are grappling with the same problem.
JoAnn Carrin, a Department of Education spokeswoman, said her office sympathizes with districts as they try to comply with the law. But she said it is important to remember that the FCAT scores are not the only determinant of promotions. Performance in the classroom and on other tests also counts. Teachers, Carrin said, are probably in the best position to judge. Carrin said school districts might have to consider putting off their promotion decisions on some children until the test scores arrive or until they get a better picture of a child's progress during summer school.