West Riverside Elementary School 1 point from being an F school

[mtraininjax]

How far West Riverside K-5 has fallen so far, from 2003 as an A school to now, a D school with a short 1 point variance away from becoming an F school. How could the school in Riverside/Avondale go from good to almost nothing so quickly?

Instead of our bickering over Mellow Mushroom, Parking and what life was like 50 years ago, we need to look at what our neighborhood is now, will be in the future and who the leaders will be in our area. Lake Shore Middle, the feeder from West Riverside is not much better at Grade C, and Butler, a feeder for Central Riverside had a grade of D as well for the 6-8 graders. Lee, the 9-12 school had no reported grade.

Volunteer for the school in your area if it is C or lower, if A, still volunteer because it can go like West Riverside from A to D in a blink of an eye.  All results are here:

http://www.duvalschools.org/reseval/DistrictPerformance/2012/OFFICIAL_2012_School_Grades_by_SchNum.pdf

[riverside planner]

One possible contributing factor in WRES's sliding FCAT score is that it is the ESL school for this area if I am not mistaken.  If kids come from a different language background and have to learn a new language as well as all of the other material, it stands to reason that they wouldn't do as well on FCATs.  Nonetheless, even though I do not place a lot of stock in the FCAT, this still concerns me, since my daughter will be attending WRES next year.  Will have to see when and what kind of volunteers are needed.

[mtraininjax]

I contacted Terrie Brady, another neighbor of mine here on Edgewood, and she is the head of the Duval County Teachers, she said the following:

Right now the District has restructured the school and moved out the staff that was performing in the ability to move students....Also extra County assistance has been added.....with extra academic Coaches etc..
The principal ,Ms. Hamner is focused and ready to move the school...She has only been there 9 months..
If you were to call her at the school I am sure she would love any help you could offer...

So I think I will reach out to Ms. Hamner and offer assistance.

[Fallen Buckeye]

You're right, rp, West Riverside is an ESOL center which means that most of the students who don't speak English as their first language from that general region of the city would go there. It does make it more challenging for the school to achieve but not impossible. The school I teach at is an ESOL center too in Northwest Jax and a EBD center to boot, and we've managed to earn A's 3 of the last 4 years. It all comes down to the school culture. We are a small tight-knit school who is willing to do whatever it takes to make students successful. We come in early, stay late, and work together as a staff to support each other, and we've had some great leaders. When families know you're really going to bat for their kids, they will generally buy in, too. I can't really speak to what's going on at West Riverside internally, but where there's a will there's a way.

[MissMinda]

I remember walking in to West Riverside during Kindergarten orientation at the end of the school year, many years ago, to register my daughter.

There was a woman at the front, sitting and directing traffic.

A well dressed young woman walked in and asked the woman, "Where do the children who live around here go to summer camp? We live in the Avondale and my daughter/son (I forget) will be starting here in the fall."

The woman at the front laughed and promptly answered, "The children who live in your area don't go here. They all go to private school."

The woman's eyebrows raised, she said, "Oh" and turned around and walked out of the school (probably never to return).

That made an impression on me. My kids were only there for a few years before moving over to Central Riverside, but they did enjoy their time there.

[mtraininjax]

Fallen Buckeye, I liked your post very much, especially, where there is a will there is a way!

I believe Lee High School will be much better for all the improvements being made there as well. But we have to grow a good product at the elementary level so we can deliver them to Lee and watch them excel. For all the complaining we do about education in our town, as you reference, our will must be stronger than the obstacles in our way and just keep pushing to achieve a better end result.

LOL, All Kids go to Private School in your area, that is funny. Yes, many do, but not all and we can do better with what we have. School starts August 20, so I am eager to get in and help.

Congrats to Fishweir, proud of them and the A school rating!

[vintagejax]

West Riverside is a major ESOL center with ESE and STAR programs.  With the FCAT 2.0 changes that hit last year, kids that started the school year not speaking any English were tested and had the grades count towards the schools grade.  This devastated the scores for the school. 

I've had one child there for K-5 and another currently enrolled.  The school score doesn't change my opinion of the school or the education quality.  The teachers and staff all care about the kids and are always willing to help kids do better.  Ms Hamner is doing an amazing job at getting the programs streamlined and bringing in new programs to benefit the students and community. 

The school does welcome all volunteers and donations of supplies or financial donations to support the tutoring program.  To volunteer, go to the Duval Schools website and get your background check and volunteer card. 

[RiversideMama]

We have had at least 1 child attending WRES for the past 7 years.   2 have moved on and this year we will have 3 children attending.  With the exception of one year (one teacher specifically) we have been happy.  My children are extremely bright and have been challenged in the classroom.  Looking at our (my children's) FCAT results...WRES has helped them achieve mostly 5s (highest possible score) and a few 4s.  We have had some true rock star teachers who go above and beyond and who have left a lasting impression.  And since it's a small school, we have a sense of community.  So from a personal standpoint, I am happy with the education (and care) my children are receiving.  There is *always* room for improvement but I really don't think the D rating gives a true picture of the school.  It doesn't phase me a bit other then the slight fear that the school board will play musical principals based on the grade alone and not the extenuating circumstances.  Not fair to grade us on the same scale as schools that don't have a great majority of their students in ESE, ESOL or STAR programs.  Regardless, WRES has always been receptive to volunteers and mentors.                 

[mtraininjax]

There is *always* room for improvement but I really don't think the D rating gives a true picture of the school.

Sadly, people who move to the city look at that as their FIRST discovery as to where they send their kids. If I had to choose between Fishweir (A) and West Riverside (D), I'd find a property in the Fishweir district.  Perception leads to reality!

[RiversideMama]

There is *always* room for improvement but I really don't think the D rating gives a true picture of the school.

Sadly, people who move to the city look at that as their FIRST discovery as to where they send their kids. If I had to choose between Fishweir (A) and West Riverside (D), I'd find a property in the Fishweir district.  Perception leads to reality!

Oh I know!  We homeschooled for the 1st 4 years because of negative neighborhood perception...from people who had never stepped foot in the school.  It really makes me mad when people look at these results only and think they know what's going on at WRES.  In my opinion, the only advantage that Fishweir can claim is their magnet status and the extra arts classes, some of which are offered/required after school.  We choose to supplement with extra arts/music classes of our choosing, as it fits our schedule.    In my perfect world, WRES would become a magnet for the feeder school advantage...or we would just revert back to neighborhood schools, tightening up the student/teacher/parent accountability at middle/high school level. 

[brainstormer]

School grades have absolutely no correlation to the education your child will receive in school, and I urge you to email your state representatives and the Board of Education asking them to get rid of school grades.   All they do is exacerbate the negative perceptions of neighborhood schools and further economically segregate our community.  As RiversideMama pointed out, her children continue to get 4s and 5s on the FCAT and she is for the most part impressed by the quality of teachers at West Riverside, a "D" school.  There are many outstanding teachers at "C, D and F" schools and there are many average or so-so teachers at "A and B" schools.  Don't be ashamed to say you are proud to have your children at West Riverside or any other "D" or "F" school.  If they are getting a great education, then who cares what label the state paints on the front door.

[mtraininjax]

If they are getting a great education, then who cares what label the state paints on the front door.

I care, that's who. If one child gets a great education, why can't we pursue greatness for all the students of a school? Yeah, a D grade is not fair to one student, it is a reflection of the entire school.  The entire school shows up on the report, and yes, we can help one child at a time, but I want to help the entire school.

I am very impressed with the makeover at Lee High School and hope that the new technologies will help the students to make Lee one of the best schools in Duval County.

[RiversideMama]

You're right, rp, West Riverside is an ESOL center which means that most of the students who don't speak English as their first language from that general region of the city would go there. It does make it more challenging for the school to achieve but not impossible. The school I teach at is an ESOL center too in Northwest Jax and a EBD center to boot, and we've managed to earn A's 3 of the last 4 years. It all comes down to the school culture. We are a small tight-knit school who is willing to do whatever it takes to make students successful. We come in early, stay late, and work together as a staff to support each other, and we've had some great leaders. When families know you're really going to bat for their kids, they will generally buy in, too. I can't really speak to what's going on at West Riverside internally, but where there's a will there's a way.

Just curious...what score did you get this past year? And what percentage of students are ESOL compared to the general population?  I'm not sure what EBD means.  Do you have ESE and Star programs?  If you have percentages similar to WRES, we want to come visit and get pointers!  I don't know how we can speed up the process of teaching english so that kids can do better on FCAT.  From what I've heard, it's pretty much a 2 year process to go from no english to proficient.  So I'm wondering if your ESOL students represent a smaller portion of the general population? 

ETA: I figured out which school is yours.  Yours is noted as having an ESOL Program vs WRES being an ESOL Center.   The difference here that I know of is that our students are bused in from other areas.  Sadly, we do have less parental involvement from kids who are bused in.  They aren't as available to volunteer or attend programs that we have after school.   Obviously parental involvement is pretty important.  So, maybe something for us (WRES PTA) to think about. 

[Fallen Buckeye]

We earned an A this year which is our third in the last four years. I'm not sure about the exact numbers, but about 1/3 of our students are ESOL. EBD is an acronym for Emotional-Behavioral Disorders which is under that ESE umbrella, too. Over 90% of our students are on free/reduced lunches, so like West Riverside we have a lot of hurdles at our school. Still we make the best of it because everyone is all in. I'm not trying to say that our teachers are better than their teachers or our families are better. I actually know a couple of the teachers there, and I know they work hard. I'm just trying to say that there's hope yet for bringing that grade up. I'm not terribly fond of the school grading system either, but it is a fact of life for the present time. The one thing I can say is that a poor grade really motivates me to give even more because I take it personally, so hopefully WRES is feeling the same way and this year will be better.