Largo Schools Receive Mixed Grades
All Largo area schools earned passing grades this school year.
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Largo area elementary and middle schools received their report cards today, and the results are mixed.
The Florida Department of Education on Wednesday released letter grades for all schools except high schools. The grades take into account factors such as FCAT scores and end-of-year exams.
Ten Largo area schools saw a downward drop by one letter. Four schools kept the same letter grade, and Ridgecrest Elementary went up a letter grade.
The letter grades reflect expected drops based on more rigorous standards and new achievement levels, according to a news release from Pinellas County Schools.
The measurement changes have resulted in some controversy in how student progress should be assessed and how students should be taught.
“What we have here is an accountability system in dire need of review and repair,” said Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Dr. John A. Stewart. “We can explain all we want to about why we’ve seen a drop in school grades this year, but bottom line, we absolutely must return the focus to our students and what’s best for them.”
Here is a list of how Largo and Seminole schools fared:
Elementary schools
| School | 2012 | 2011 |
| Anona | B | A |
| Orange Grove | A | A |
| Walsingham | B | A |
| Seminole | B | A |
| Fuguitt | A | A |
| Starkey | A | A |
| Southern Oak | B | A |
| Ridgecrest | A | B |
| Oakhurst | B | A |
| Bardmoor | B | A |
| Mildred Helms | C | C |
Middle schools
| School | 2012 | 2011 |
| Osceola | B | A |
| Seminole | B | A |
| Morgan Fitzgerald | B | C |
| Largo | D | C |
