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Wednesday, May 9, 2001

High school test scores improve locally and statewide

By LINDA TRIMBLE | News-Journal Education Writer

DAYTONA BEACH — Volusia and Flagler students read, wrote and computed their way to generally improved scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test this year, with countywide scores matching or beating state and national averages nearly across the board.

"The news is very good," Volusia School Superintendent Bill Hall said Tuesday at a School Board briefing on test scores released earlier in the day by state Education Commissioner Charlie Crist.

The biggest gains locally and statewide came in reading and math, with writing scores staying close to last year's levels.

Crist hailed the results as evidence that the state's education system, which uses the FCAT scores to grade schools according to students' performance, is in better shape now than in years past.

Referring to the A+ education reform plan approved by the Legislature in 1999 at Gov. Jeb Bush's urging, Crist said: "The plan is working. This is great news for Florida and great news for our children."

"We are on the road to sustained improvement on the education standards that Florida students should achieve as they progress through school," Bush said in a prepared statement.

Students in third through 10th grades took FCAT for the first time this year, although the fourth-grade reading and writing scores, fifth-grade math exams, and reading, writing and math tests in eighth and 10th grades are the only ones that will count toward A-F performance grades for each Florida public school.

Scores in other grades will establish a baseline for future comparisons when the state adds an evaluation of learning "gains" from year to year to the school performance grades.

This year's grades, which are used to determine students' eligibility for vouchers and which schools get cash rewards for improvement, are expected to be released within two weeks.

Statewide, reading scores rose by at least five points in each grade that counts toward the schools' state performance rating. Reported on a scale of 100 to 500, fourth-grade reading scores climbed five points this year to 298. Reading scores were up five points to 295 in eighth grade and rose from 298 to 304 in 10th grade.

Volusia's fourth-graders posted a reading score of 304, up five points from a year ago. Eighth-graders improved their performance by five points to 303 and 10th-grade reading scores also were up four points to 307.

Flagler students showed even greater gains, boosting fourth-grade reading scores by 10 points to 313. Eighth-graders pulled their scores up nine points to 311, while 10th-graders improved five points to 310.

The statewide math score remained at 314 for fifth-graders, while the eighth-grade score improved five points to 308 and high school sophomores posted a 12-point gain to 323.

Volusia's fifth-grade math score was 323, up five points from a year ago. Eighth-graders improved three points to 310, while 10th-graders boosted their score seven points to 321.

Flagler's math scores were 324 in fifth grade, up one point; 323 in eighth grade, up eight points; and 332 in 10th grade, up 14 points.

Writing scores either stayed the same or fluctuated slightly statewide and locally. Reported on a scale of 1 to 6, the Volusia and state fourth-grade average was 3.4 compared with 3.2 in Flagler. Volusia and the state matched averages again at eighth grade, with a score of 3.7, but Flagler bested them with a 3.9. In 10th grade, Flagler tied the state average of 3.8 and Volusia posted a 3.7.

On a section of the FCAT that allows comparisons of Florida students' reading and math performance against a national sample, Volusia and Flagler scores exceeded the state and national averages in nearly every instance.

The Volusia exceptions were ninth-grade reading scores that fell slightly below the national average and 10th-grade math where the county average was slightly below Florida's, although both exceeded the national average. Flagler matched the national average in ninth-grade reading but beat it and the state average everywhere else.

Flagler School Superintendent Dr. Robert Williams was especially pleased with the improved math and reading scores because of the extra effort that had been put into boosting them this year.

"Our scores show improvement over last year and over state scores," Williams said. "The two important things are how we compare to other districts and our long-term trends. I am pleased with our results over time and I believe we compare rather well to other districts.

"It shows that teachers and principals are working hard and making it a priority to reach our targets," Williams said.

Volusia school officials also had high praise for teachers in their county. "This is an opportunity to congratulate our teachers for the hard work they're doing," said Dr. Chris Colwell, assistant superintendent for curriculum and school improvement services.

Dr. Nicki Junkins, curriculum and program accountability director, emphasized that the scores released Tuesday will be adjusted by the state before school performance grades are calculated. The newly released scores reflect results for all students, while those for certain students with disabilities, limited English proficiency and frequent moves between schools won't count toward the performance grades.

"These first-blush scores never give me a whole lot of information," said Mainland High Principal Patsy Graham. "We'll have to wait and see when the real scores come in."

Scores released Tuesday eliminated the chance of vouchers becoming available at Bonner and Palm Terrace elementaries this year. Vouchers kick in when schools receive F grades in any two years out of four. Those two schools failed in 1999 but have since improved their scores.

Volusia School Board members welcomed the news of improved test scores enthusiastically. "I'm ecstatic," said member Vicki Bumpus.

"It definitely shows the quality of education our students are achieving in Volusia County and the hard work our teachers are doing," said board member Dr. Jeff Timko.

Colwell was obviously pleased with this year's improvements while noting there's always room for growth. "Our goal is to be better than the rest at every grade and every subject," he said.

Staff Writers Cindi Brownfield, Patrick Wright and Laura Zuckerman contributed to this report.

FCAT glance

The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is the cornerstone of the state's public school accountability system, with everything from vouchers to graduation riding on its outcome.

FCAT scores are the primary factor in A-F school performance grades expected to be issued by the state within two weeks. Vouchers to attend a better-performing school or a private school become available to students at schools that fail to meet minimum standards in any two years out of four. Schools that earn top grades or improve substantially are eligible for cash awards.

For the first time this year, 10th-graders must pass FCAT reading, writing and math tests to qualify for diplomas. The governor and Cabinet will establish passing scores after a series of public hearings that will begin next week. Students who fail the first time will have six more chances before graduation.

The FCAT is divided into two sections -- one that tests students on their mastery of the Sunshine State Standards for what they're expected to know at each grade and one that compares the performance of Florida students against a national sample.

The reading and math scores released Tuesday are for machine-scored questions only. Students' scores on "performance tasks" included on the tests in fourth, fifth, eighth and 10th grades won't be ready until July under a compromise with the company that grades the exams.

Those questions require students to write a short response to a reading question or show the solution to a math problem. Many educators consider them the most important part of FCAT because they make students apply classroom knowledge to real-life situations.

The performance task results will be factored into sophomores' final FCAT scores later this summer.

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