Learning Curve

The West Coast has beautiful beaches, a picturesque bay, wonderful weather, a huge array of home choices and several public school systems with varying policies and approaches. That situation can be daunting, especially for parents who use schools as a basis for determining where to live.

Since your address will determine which schools your sons and daughters will be eligible to attend, and since getting an exception to send them elsewhere can often be difficult, it only makes sense to shop for schools while you are shopping for a home.

An Internet search can be a good way to start researching local schools. It can help you narrow down the list while saving gasoline and telephone tag time.

If you don’t have a computer, or if it’s packed up with all your other worldly goods, public libraries usually have computers for public use. The first stop should be the Florida Department of Education Web site at www.fldoe.org, where you can find a complete listing of every school in the state and their most recent performance grades.

Florida Homebuyer West Coast can also help. Following is a primer describing local school systems, how they operate and how to evaluate them based on standardized test scores and other factors.

THE ABC’S OF FCAT
In Florida, schools as well as students are graded, from A to F. The school’s grade is based, in part, on how its students perform on a standardized test called the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. FCAT testing starts at third grade and continues through the 11th grade. Students in third and 10th grades must pass the FCAT to progress.

The test has been somewhat controversial. Proponents say the FCAT provides a fair and balanced method of rating how much students are learning—and how effectively teachers are teaching. It brings accountability, they say, where previously there had been none.

Critics, however, claim the FCAT forces teachers to “teach to the test,” thereby producing students who become more proficient at test taking than anything else. Plus, they say, the FCAT penalizes schools where students are economically disadvantaged or where a significant number speak English as a second language.

In any case, raw FCAT scores are only part of the calculation when school grades are determined. In addition, there’s a measurement of how much low-performing students improve their scores from the previous year.

Schools that receive an A are obviously succeeding, but schools that receive lower marks aren’t necessarily doing a poor job. Indeed, relying strictly on a letter grade to assess a school can give a misleading impression.

For example, less-than-expected FCAT improvement from a relatively small group of low-performing students will result in a lower grade for an entire school even if most other students do very well.

Also, a school serving a significant number of children who speak English as their second language—not uncommon in multicultural Florida—may receive a grade that does not necessarily reflect how well students are learning.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK
In the West Coast area, there are considerable variations from county to county as to how students are assigned to schools and how much control parents have over the schools their children attend.

Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Polk, Sarasota and Manatee counties all offer a home page with links to individual schools, newcomer information, registration tips, activities, programs and services. The Hillsborough Web site is www.sdhc.k12.fl.us; Pinellas is www.pinellas.k12.fl.us; Pasco is www.pasco.k12.fl.us; Hernando is www.hcsb.k12.fl.us; Polk is www.polk.fl.net; Sarasota is www.sarasotacountyschools.net; and Manatee is 
www.manatee.k12.fl.us.

Online, you can find out which schools offer advanced-placement courses or help with learning disabilities. Some Web sites offer school grades and enrollment numbers as well as teacher-pupil ratios and the number of teachers with master’s degrees.

But when you’re finished using high-tech methods to research schools, you might opt to enlist some old-fashioned research techniques, such as talking to people and asking questions.

Ask your real estate agent, people you meet in line at the supermarket or introduce yourself to the other families waiting for a table at a restaurant. Parents love to talk about their kids, and you may make a friend in the process.

Once you’ve narrowed your list to a handful of schools, schedule time to drive by at drop-off and pick-up time. Take a look at the students coming and going and get a feel for the organization, safety and morale of the place.

Are parents and teachers smiling and saying good morning? Do the older children help the little ones struggling with their backpacks? Are there plenty of adults shepherding children from bus lanes and cars?

Take your family to a fund raiser or sporting event at the school you’re considering. Football games, car washes, carnivals or bake sales offer the opportunity to see students in action and, at the very least, you’re supporting involved young people.

Still, nothing beats a personal visit. Call the school office and request to meet with the principal for a few minutes and take a brief tour of the facilities. Have a list of questions ready and ask if you may telephone or e-mail with follow-up questions.

A MATTER OF CHOICE
What if the home you’ve fallen in love with is zoned for a school with which you’re less than impressed? Getting permission to transfer a child out of his or her assigned school is a process that varies in complexity from county to county.

Some counties, like Hillsborough, allow students to move freely between district schools, providing there’s room. Parents simply fill out a form, agree to provide their own transportation and get the principal’s signature.

In other counties, children are only transferred to different schools under extraordinary circumstances involving medical needs or financial hardship. Parents fill out lengthy applications, attach a letter stating specific reasons for the request and wait as the school board individually reviews each case.

The state offers children the opportunity to transfer if their district school shows “consistent underperformance”—a failing grade for two out of the last four years. These students may receive vouchers allowing them to switch to a different public school or even a private school. If a private school is chosen, the state pays tuition costs up to the existing per-student allocation for a public school.

But, since such poor school performance is rare in the West Coast area, here are summaries of how each local county handles student assignment and requests for transfer.

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HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY
(813) 272-4000
In the region’s largest county, students are assigned to a district school based on street address. Special assignments are considered only after the parent fills out an application from the desired school and provides a letter explaining the hardship to the school board office.

Job location and childcare issues may be valid arguments for a transfer for students up to seventh grade. But there are no guarantees, and each case is reviewed on an individual basis. Magnet schools, which offer specialized curricula, each have their own application processes. There’s a lottery system currently in place for some elementary and middle school magnet programs.

Hillsborough also has charter schools and schools with special programs under Exceptional Student Education. ESE students run the gamut from hearing impaired to gifted.

PINELLAS COUNTY
(727) 588-6000
Pinellas County Schools’ students have many options from which to choose when deciding which type of school best fits their needs and goals, including zoned schools, magnet schools and programs, fundamental schools, career academies or charter schools.

Zoned schools are schools that are closest to the stu-dent’s home. Beginning in the 2009-2010 school year, students entering kindergarten, sixth or ninth grades will be assigned to their zoned school.  All others will be assigned to a school close to home on a space available basis.

Magnet programs are housed at traditional schools and provide a wide range of educational opportunities with very specialized themes such as arts, technology, medicine and sciences.

The county also offers charter schools, fundamental programs, advanced placement, special programs for students with learning disabilities and more.

The school system’s Web site offers information on each school and the specific programs offered, along with statistics on expenditures per pupil, school status and performance and how many teachers hold advanced degrees.

PASCO COUNTY
(813) 794-2000
Pasco County assigns students to a school based on home address within designated Attendance Zones. Each Attendance granted permission to switch schools.

The school system’s Web site offers information about each school’s student population, uniform requirements and mascot. If you want more in-depth statistics or answers to specific questions, you’ll have to call the individual school office.

Pasco also offers several charter schools but no magnet schools.

HERNANDO COUNTY
(352) 797-7000
Hernando County determines your child’s school by your street address. But, before you count your child’s school as a given, keep in mind that it could change in the next year or two. Rapid growth has created a need to carve up the district differently, and rezoning is expected sometime in the near future.

Through Hernando’s Controlled Choice Plan, a transfer to a different school may be granted when space is available or parents prove a valid need, such as medical reasons or financial hardship.

The process starts with filling out a form called a Student Reassignment Request Form. All forms must be received by the principal or designee of the school requested no later than the last Friday in June.

Reassignments are granted as long as space is available. Then, for the remainder of the school year, the student will not be allowed to change schools again without approval from the District Hardship Committee.

Enrollment in Hernando’s magnet schools is decided by lottery, but children with special gifts and aptitudes receive a “weighted” application, which gives them a greater chance of acceptance. Contact magnet schools individually to begin the process.

MANATEE COUNTY
(941) 708-8770
In Manatee County, students are assigned to a zoned school based on their parents’ address. To prove residency, parents must submit a current utility bill, a lease or other documentation to the Parent Information Center.

Growth in Manatee County has been explosive, resulting in construction of numerous new schools. That means redistricting is always a possibility, so when buying a home, parents should be aware that school zones may change.

Manatee County’s Open Enrollment Choice Program offers students the opportunity to apply to schools other than those for which they are zoned.

Elementary and middle school students may apply to any school within their cluster/region. And incoming ninth and 10th-grade students may apply to any high school in the county. Applications are considered based on school capacity, proximity to the school and other neutral factors.

Students who must transfer from a school based on hardships related to medical, safety or other extenuating circumstances may also file an application at the Parent Information Center.

Parents can visit the Parent Information Center at 234 Manatee Ave. E. in Bradenton to learn about school choice options or visit the school district’s Web site at 
www.manateeschools.net

SARASOTA COUNTY
(941) 927-9000
Most students are assigned to the school closest to their home; however, student interests and needs may be accommodated through a variety of options and programs.

As in other school districts, one option is attending a charter school or a magnet school. Magnet schools and programs include Bay Haven School of Basics Plus, Suncoast Polytechnical High School, the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Riverview High School and the Visual & Performing Arts (VPA) programs at Booker High School and Booker Middle School.

In addition, students who attend schools that do not make adequate yearly progress according to federal No Child Left Behind standards are eligible to request a transfer to select other schools outside their Attendance Zone, and are provided transportation to those sites.

Finally, the district annually offers Controlled Open Enrollment. During that time, parents may apply to enroll their child in a different school in the next academic year. Information on the availability of openings and the choice process is distributed in the early months of the year.

Limited spaces available are assigned through a lottery at each school. Some schools are not available for transfers if their enrollment is already at capacity. More information regarding the district’s School Choice program, including School Choice enrollment deadlines, is available on the district’s Web site or by calling (941) 927-9000, ext. 32265.

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Public Schools 
with a Difference
While many children will spend kindergarten through high school in neighborhood schools, others choose to travel to schools that offer more specific educational opportunities. Some counties offer magnet schools or charter schools for those students.

Magnet programs were developed to educate those children who already have a career path in mind. These schools offer specialized instruction for everything from musical theater to medical technology and serve elementary, middle and high school students.

Sometimes magnet programs are located within traditional district schools, but there are also magnet schools structured entirely around a specific area of study.

Frequently, lotteries are used to choose children for these programs. Other times children are chosen based on a 
demonstrated capacity for the study area through grades, test scores and teacher recommendations. A portfolio 
review or audition may be part of the process for fine and performing arts programs, while some magnet schools 
require written essays as part of the application process.

Charter schools are public schools organized as nonprofit corporations and operated by parents, teachers, administrators and others outside the public school bureaucracy. Funding comes from the state in allotted portions per student.

These schools have the freedom to draft their own rules regarding curriculum, discipline, personnel and teaching formats. Typically smaller than traditional schools, charter schools are largely free to innovate and therefore able to accommodate the needs of underserved groups of students. Since 1996, the number of Florida charter schools has grown from only five to more than 350 with a total enrollment of more than 117,000 last year. Florida has the third largest number of public charter schools in  the nation.

Charter schools select an individual mission or focus, but students are still required to pass statewide exams and fulfill state requirements.