Dear Parents,

This week I joined other superintendents from throughout the state in
asking the Florida Department of Education to take a closer look at some of
the FCAT data before assigning grades for our schools. The coalition of
superintendents' inquiry is focused solely on GAIN scores, a comparison of
last year’s FCAT scores to this year’s. This is the only situation where we
have seen anomalies.

When analyzing the GAINS data, we noticed a pattern we felt needed to be
studied further. Other school districts have also observed this pattern.
These GAIN scores impact the overall grade that individual schools receive
from the state. Leon County should have enough points to be designated as
an "A" district for the seventh straight year.  However, we felt it
necessary that we contact the state in order to make sure that the GAINS
data is correct. We would rather the results be delayed than incorrectly
impact our school grades.

In the next few days you should be receiving your child's FCAT Individual
Student and Parent Reports. Please feel confident in that information. I
will continue to work to ensure that our school district remains one of the
best in the state. As new information about school grades and GAINS scores
becomes available to me, I will keep you informed of the situation. Thank
you for your continued support of our schools.

Jackie Pons