Lake Worth Schools get off "Intervene" List

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HELEN GLEICHER
PRINCIPAL OF NORTH GRADE SCHOOL, LAKE WORTH

State Education Commissioner Eric Smith and K-12 Chancellor Frances Haithcock today visited Lake Worth Community High School students, teachers and staff to congratulate them on what he called “the dramatic improvement” in student achievement last year.

The increase in student proficiency enabled the school to be released from the State’s list of “Intervene” schools, the most serious designation under the state’s accountability system based on student academic achievement. Lake Worth High was one of only two schools of the fifteen Intervene schools last year to work their way off the list. “To get this done in just one year is phenomenal," Smith said. “What you are doing is a model for the rest of the state,” he said. Smith, a former teacher, school Administrator and Superintendent, said the school got his attention when it got off the “Intervene” list in just one year.

Lake Worth High was only on the “Intervene” list for one year and improved by making numerous changes in the curriculum, instruction, teacher training, district support student assignments to appropriate Reading and Math courses. “It was a lot of hard work by a fantastic team,” said former Principal Ian Saltzman.

Current Principal Kirk Howell said, “I inherited a solid team of professionals and students eager to learn, so we ware continuing to operate at a high level. We are not going backward.”

Superintendent Art Johnson was in the middle of a pep talk with the school’s teachers when Smith and Haithcock arrived, congratulating them on contributing to Palm Beach County earning its sixth consecutive A rating from the state. Johnson pointed out that Palm Beach County is the only urban Florida<>

Smith visited several class rooms and spoke quietly with several students in their Reading classes. Dr. Haithcock vowed to continue state support of the school as it works to continue to raise achievement among all student groups.

After Smith left Lake Worth High, he traveled to Miami Dade County where the only other school to get off the Intervene list is located.