There are 220 schools in the state with a grade of a D, but this year, HHS isn’t one of them. Increased learning gains and good science scores helped pull Hillsborough out of its D slump and into the C range, despite a more difficult grading rubric.

The changes in the state grading rubric include counting the FCAT science scores and making sure that the majority of the students in the lowest 25 percent quartile make adequate gains in math. In years past, those students only needed to make learning gains in reading. Only 41 percent of 11th graders passed the science portion in Hillsborough County, while 11th graders at HHS scored 14 percent better.

These changes did not benefit the majority of Florida’s schools; the number of Ds and Fs doubled and Hillsborough County saw its first F high school: Lennard High School in Ruskin. Gov. Charlie Crist told the St. Petersburg Times, “Repeatedly, we have seen that when expectations increase, Florida students and schools respond by stepping up to the plate and improving student performance- and therefore student learning.”

Principal William Orr said Hillsborough stepped up to the plate this past school year with an increased focus on reading that, in addition to relatively good science scores, contributed to HHS’s increased school grade.

Orr also said, “We had some students enrolled in more than one class to help them improve their reading and math performance.” As a result, 3 percent more students made adequate learning gains this year in reading.

“We hoped we would break the streak and were confident,” Orr said, “but I always wait for the final score before I celebrate a victory.”

Orr is confident that the new school grade will reflect positively on Hillsborough’s reputation. “It will bring us closer to having everyone recognize that we are truly one of the best schools in the nation,” he said. In addition to a new positive reputation, HHS will also by rewarded monetarily: the school will be getting $100 per student.

In order to earn a C on the state grading rubric, a school must accumulate between 435 and 494 points based on FCAT criteria. Hillsborough had a total of 497 points, which would technically earn a B. However Hillsborough was penalized and dropped a letter grade because only 46 percent of the lowest performing students made adequate learning gains in reading. In order to avoid dropping a letter grade, a majority of students needed to make adequate learning gains. Previously, this has held Hillsborough back from earning a C instead of a D.

“There are many sides to the argument on both sides of the fairness of the school grading system,” Orr said. “I will say that high schools have a greater hurdle than middle and elementary schools and become ultimately accountable for nine years of education over which we have no control.  In addition, grading a school on the performance of students who have been enrolled in the school for less than a school year seems questionable to me.”

This year’s focus will be not on maintaining HHS’s new school grade but increasing it once again. Orr’s goals for this year “are twofold: [first] have each student make significant gains in reading skills and [second] to raise the school grade again.”