Correction- In our last issue of the New Tampa Neighborhood News (Volume 19 / Issue 17) a mistake ran in our article “New Tampa’s Schools Again Make The Grade(s).” We wrongly listed Harold H. Clark Elementary as a “B” school for the 2010-2011 school year, when in fact, Clark Elementary received an ‘A’ grade for the 2010 – 2011 school year.

In 2010, every public elementary and middle school in the New Tampa area earned an “A” grade from the Florida Department of Education (FDOE). Now, the 2011 School Accountability Reports show that our schools can continue to hold their heads high.

New Tampa’s seven public elementary schools all earned an “A” for the second year in a row, except for Heritage Elementary, which narrowly dropped to a “B,” as Heritage came within just five points of an “A,” scoring a 520 out of 800 on the grade scale. To be an “A” school, a score of 525 or greater must be earned.

“Heritage Elementary has been an A school for the last 5 years,” said the school’s principal, MaryJo Stover. “I was a little disappointed at first knowing we had missed an “A” by only a few points.”

Stover says Heritage will be seeing some big changes for the upcoming school year, and she is currently working on new strategies, like giving teachers more planning time to focus on students’ weaknesses.

Benito, Liberty and Bartels middle schools also all achieved “A” grades from FDOE, which uses scores from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) and End-of- Course Assessments to calculate what grade each school receives.

New Tampa’s middle schools are among 21 in Hillsborough County to achieve an “A,” while the 20 other middle schools in the District scored a “B” grade or lower. High school grades will be released later. — SB

New Tampa Schools & Their FDOE Grades

Lawton Chiles Elementary - A

Harold H. Clark Elementary - A

Heritage Elementary - B

Hunter’s Green Elementary - A

Dr. Richard F. Pride Elementary - A

Tampa Palms Elementary - A

Hilda T. Turner Elementary - A

Nancy Bartels Middle School - A

Louis Benito Middle School - A

Liberty Middle School - A

Note- The grades for Hillsborough County’s high schools have not yet been released. The FDOE is still tallying graduation rates, which have an effect on a high school’s grade.