Escambia School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas tells the IN the A.K. Suter Elementary and Cordova Park Elementary parent letters that pinpointed inadequate test scoring for African American students, are a requirement by law.
“This is a function of compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Law,†he says.
The letters show student scoring as part of the federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) criteria and break down scores in reading, math and writing.
In addition to stating that black students were falling behind, the letter also mentions “economically disadvantaged†students as not meeting standards.
Thomas says that because Florida is taking a gradual step to achieving the federal goal (100 percent passing) in 2013, there will be more and more letters from schools such as this stating why they do not have all students at or above passing testing levels.
“The moral of the story is that as we get closer to target, every district will have to make these reports.â€