Her classmate, Coulter, doesn't worry that too much time is spent on FCAT preparation. It's like killing two birds. Bushey at Jesse Keen said the focus is teaching the Sunshine State Standards that Florida has set and that would be done even if the school were not graded. Likewise, Faye Smith at Ben Hill Griffin Elementary in Frostproof doesn't dwell on the school grade and didn't publicize the A the school received last year. Weeks, of Denison, doesn't like that grades don't take into consideration factors that affect student learning, such as poverty.
Martin knows as well as anyone what it means to have a low grade.
After Auburndale Central was labeled as failing, the enrollment dropped by 60 students. When the grade went up, the enrollment went back up. The community began to see them with more respect and this year has been positive. She said the faculty also has learned how to interpret test data. Now, she worries about the children who don't speak English as a native language who are counted for school grades after two years in this country.