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Schools

Third-graders beat state FCAT reading, math averages

At nearly all schools around the county, there was celebration of gains over last year's results. The tests are closely tied to funding.

By EDDY RAMIREZ
Published May 2, 2006

Citrus third-graders continue to make progress in reading and math, and outperform most third-graders in the state, according to results of the 2006 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test released Monday.

In Citrus, 84 percent of third-graders passed the reading test, compared with 78 percent who passed it a year ago. And 79 percent of Citrus third-graders passed the math test, compared with 77 percent a year ago.

Statewide, 75 percent of third-graders passed the reading test and 72 percent passed the math test. Students are scored on a scale of 1 to 6, with 3 being a passing score.

Meanwhile, the percentage of Citrus high school students retaking and passing the reading test was higher than the state average. Of the 105 who retook the test, 16 percent passed, compared with 14 percent of their counterparts statewide.

And of the 45 Citrus high schoolers who retook the math test, 29 percent passed, matching the state average.

Florida does not allow students who fail the 10th grade FCAT to receive a diploma. Third-graders who fail the reading test could have to repeat third-grade.

Gina Tovine, the district's research and accountability director, was on the phone with principals since the test results were released early Monday.

At Pleasant Grove Elementary, where third-graders made some of the biggest gains in reading districtwide, principal Robert Snider and his staff were overjoyed, Tovine said.

At Crystal River High, where the percentage of seniors who retook and passed the reading test nearly doubled, principal Patrick Simon "was beating everybody away from the fax machine" as he waited for the results.

For the most part, Tovine said, principals were pleased with the gains students made in reading and math.

"You like to see kids do well," Tovine said. "It's exciting to see that."

In the coming weeks, the state also will release science scores for eighth- and 11th-graders as well as the remaining reading and math scores for students in grades 4 through 10.

The FCAT forms the basis for school grades, and those grades will be used to determine which schools receive financial incentives for posting gains and which schools receive financial support to help them improve. The federal government also reviews the results to determine which schools are meeting accountability guidelines under the No Child Left Behind Act.

The mood was not celebratory at all schools.

Forest Ridge Elementary principal Teretta Charles lamented that her school was the only one in the district not to post gains in reading, even though her third-graders bested their counterparts statewide. In math, 70 percent of third-graders scored at grade level or above, a drop of 16 percentage points, the biggest drop districtwide.

Charles said she was not surprised by the lower scores this year. The school evaluates students regularly, she said. By noon Monday, she had already talked to all third-grade teachers about ways to help this year's third-graders next year.

"We work very hard and we think we work very smart," Charles said. "Sometimes you have challenges beyond your control."

At Hernando Elementary, principal Carol Mainor planned to make an announcement over the loudspeaker to congratulate all students and staff for their hard work. Mainor was especially pleased with the higher percentage of students who have moved up from the lower levels.

This year, the percentage of students who scored at a level 4 in math had nearly doubled, while the percentage who scored at the lowest level declined from a high of 33 in 2002 to 4 this year.

"The first thing we did was call every third-grade teacher so they could get some relief," she said. "Then, we celebrated."

Homosassa Elementary principal Regina Allegretta said she was pleased by her students' reading and math performance after a less than stellar showing on the writing test.

The school had the highest passing rate of any school in the district in math and was second only to Pleasant Grove in reading.

"We worked really hard this year, but it's hard to keep all the areas focused," she said. "One of our top focuses will be writing next year."

To strengthen writing skills, students in kindergarten through second grade will take 30 minutes of writing a day. Students in grades three through five will have an hour of writing practice. That's in addition to a 90-minute reading period for all students.

Additionally, Allegretta said, the school will work harder to incorporate writing in other subject areas, including social studies and science.

Crystal River Primary principal Edith Speight was beaming after another strong showing by her students on the reading and math tests.

The school had a reading coach who helped teachers three days a week. It also piloted a Marion County reading program called "Read Naturally," to help the school's most at-risk third-graders. Students read books while listening to taped readings on CDs.

"They hear a normal reading voice and that helps them get lots of modeling," Speight said. "I think it's proved to be valuable."

Eddy Ramirez can be reached at 860-7305 or eramirez@sptimes.com

[Last modified May 2, 2006, 02:22:30]