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State's third-graders post big gains in FCAT reading

Every school district in Florida shows improvement, with the number of students reading at grade level jumping 8 percentage points.

By RON MATUS
Published May 2, 2006

	Citrus third-graders beat state FCAT reading, math averages Hernando third-graders beat FCAT reading, math averages Hillsborough's grades 3, 12 are a study in contrast Pasco County's 3rd grade test scores improve Pinellas County third-graders top the state average

Florida third-graders made record gains in reading this year, according to the latest results from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

The number of students reading at grade level jumped from 67 percent last year to 75 percent this year - a leap larger than the previous three years' gains combined, FCAT scores released Monday show.

For the first time, all 67 school districts in the state showed improvement.

And perhaps more notable, their rising scores were fueled by black and Hispanic students, who narrowed the achievement gap with their white peers.

"We're shattering myths again," Gov. Jeb Bush said at a Tallahassee news conference, surrounded by educators, legislators and television-friendly posters trumpeting the scores. "I think we're proving as a state that all kids can learn."

Across west-central Florida, Hernando County's third-graders showed the largest gains, with the number reading at grade level moving from 71 percent to 81 percent. Pinellas continues to pace the state's seven urban districts, with 76 percent scoring at grade level. In Hillsborough, 73 percent are at grade level.

Monday's results also showed a large drop in the number of third-graders who scored at the lowest level in reading - from 20 percent to 14 percent statewide. That means up to 28,600 students will be in third grade again next year unless they can prove through their school work or other academic options that they deserve to be promoted.

Last year, 40,600 third-graders were at risk of retention.

State education officials credit the progress to Bush's Just Read, Florida! program, which they say gave teachers better tools to identify and remedy reading weaknesses in elementary school students. This year's third-graders were in kindergarten when the program fully blossomed in 2002.

"They've pretty much had their entire career under this system," Education Commissioner John Winn said. "It's paying off."

The response from Bush's critics: So what?

It's not surprising Florida is seeing gains in reading in elementary school, given the state's single-minded focus on that subject and on the lowest performing students, said Rep. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach. Meanwhile, other students and subject areas are receiving less time and attention. And similar gains are not being seen in middle and high school.

"The results prove very little," Gelber said. "This proves if you focus on only one thing to the exclusion of all else, you may show gains on that. But you lose the school system you envision for your children."

Monday's announcement comes amid an FCAT backlash, stoked in part by a gubernatorial election in which education is emerging as a top issue.

Bush made the FCAT the centerpiece of his education agenda, tying it to school grades, private-school vouchers and a controversial retention policy for third-graders. But a recent St. Petersburg Times poll shows a strong majority of Floridians opposes most high-stakes uses of the FCAT, except as an exit exam for high school seniors.

State officials on Monday also released FCAT scores for seniors, who must pass both the 10th grade math and reading portions to earn a standard diploma. The results for them weren't so glowing.

About 19,900 failed to pass the reading portion. More than 7,600 failed the math.

Those students can still earn standard diplomas if they meet state thresholds on either the SAT or ACT tests, or if they pass the next round of FCAT testing.

Ultimately, Winn estimated 8 percent of this year's seniors will fall short because of the FCAT. That's up from 7 percent last year.

Winn said high school students who struggle with the FCAT in the future will get more help, as more remedial reading programs are put into place and their performance becomes an added component in the school-grading formula.

Meanwhile, Winn said, it might be time for the state Board of Education to consider raising FCAT standards for third-graders, given this year's improvements.

Monday's scores also showed:

n Held-back third-graders did better. Seventy-three percent of those who were retained improved their achievement level in reading, up from 62 percent last year. About 40 percent of them jumped at least two achievement levels, on a scale of 1 to 5.

n Minority students did better. Sixty-one percent of black third-graders and 70 percent of Hispanic third-graders are reading at grade level, up from 37 percent and 46 percent in 2001. Both groups increased by 10 points this year, compared to a 7-point bump for white third-graders.

n And Florida third-graders did better relative to peers nationwide. A portion of the FCAT includes questions from another standardized test, which allows a national gauge on progress. This year, Florida third-graders scored at the 61st percentile, up from the 50th percentile last year.

Interestingly, the percentage of third-graders scoring at the highest level on FCAT reading - Level 5 - declined from 6 percent last year to 5 percent.

In Pinellas, the number of Level 5 readers fell 2 points.

"That's one of the things we're going to have to look at and tease out of the data," said Pinellas superintendent Clayton Wilcox. "Are all of our efforts on behalf of low-performing kids hurting high-performing kids?"

Scores released Monday show math scores are up, too, though not as dramatically.

Statewide, 72 percent of third-graders scored at grade level in math, up from 68 percent last year. All five west-central Florida districts showed improvement.

Citrus County leads the pack, with 79 percent at grade level.

Pinellas moved up three points, to 74 percent. Hillsborough was up five, to 69 percent.

Times staff writers Steve Bousquet and Donna Winchester and Times researcher Connie Humburg contributed to this report. Ron Matus can be reached at (727) 893-8873.

EXPLAINING THE FCAT

The scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test are broken into five achievement levels, 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest. The test measures how well students have mastered Florida's curriculum standards.

LEVEL 1: The student has little success with the challenging content of the standards.

LEVEL 2: The student has limited success with the content.

LEVEL 3: The student has partial success with the content, but performance is inconsistent. Answers many test questions correctly but is generally less successful with questions that are the most challenging.

LEVEL 4: The student has success with the content. Answers most test questions correctly, but may have only some success with questions that reflect the most challenging content.

LEVEL 5: The student has success with the most challenging content of the Sunshine State Standards. Answers most questions correctly, including the most challenging questions.

Source: Florida Department of Education

[Last modified May 2, 2006, 07:04:34]