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Schools

FCAT scores a mixed bag

Middle school reading scores improve, but fourth- and 10th-graders are not making strong gains, results show.

By RON MATUS
Published May 23, 2006

After years of only tiny gains, reading scores for Florida's middle school students rose dramatically this year, according to test results released Tuesday.

Statewide, 64 percent of sixth-graders and 61 percent of seventh-graders are now reading at grade level, up 8 points from last year, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test results show.

The one-year gain is the biggest ever for both grades.

The same pattern unfolded in all five West Central Florida districts, with sixth- and seventh-graders in Hernando County making the biggest leaps - 12 and 14 percentage points, respectively.

Middle school math scores also were up statewide.

Tuesday's release included math and reading scores for grades 4 through 10. Third grade results were released earlier this month.

Gov. Jeb Bush and state education officials have long promised that their intense focus on reading in elementary school would eventually pulse upward as those younger students entered middle school. But until this year, that had not happened.

Another possible factor: The placement of hundreds of reading coaches in middle schools two years ago to better train teachers. This year was the first year those teachers used that training to help students.

FCAT scores determine whether third graders are retained and high school seniors graduate. They are also used to assign letter grades to each school, with the best performers earning "school recognition" money that can be used for teacher bonuses or school projects. School grades are due next month.

Tuesday's FCAT release wasn't totally glowing.

Tenth grade scores were again stagnant, with only 32 percent reading at grade level, a decline of 5 percent since 2001.

And fourth grade scores dropped unexpectedly, falling in every West Central Florida district and five percentage points statewide.

The drop-off could bring renewed attention to the state's portfolio policy for low-scoring third-graders, which allows those students to avoid retention if they can prove through a body of work that they deserve to be promoted to fourth grade.

[Last modified May 23, 2006, 13:47:11]