Statewide assessment scores were released last week for Florida’s public-school students in English Language Arts (ELA) Grades 4-10, Mathematics Grades 3-8, Science Grades 5 and 8, and End-of-Course exams in Algebra, Geometry, Biology, US History, and middle school Civics.
Today, school and district grades were released by the Florida Department of Education. Statewide assessment results are a major component in the calculation of school grades. Middle and high schools also have an academic acceleration component for students who are successful in advanced classes or who earn industry certifications. High schools have a graduation rate component as well.
Okaloosa received an overall grade of A, one of fourteen districts in the state to earn the highest rating. Superintendent Chambers was pleased with the results overall, considering the challenges experienced over the last two years. “Okaloosa joins St. Johns and Sarasota as the only three counties in the state to earn an A rating every year since the baseline year for the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) in 2014-2015. That’s something of which we can all be very proud!”
Individual school grades were posted today as well with the following results:
- Seventeen (17) schools maintained their grade from the last time it was reported for the 2018-2019 school year
- Eleven (11) schools fell one letter grade from either A to B or B to C
- Five (5) schools fell two letter grades from A to C
- Three (3) schools, Fort Walton Beach High School, Choctawhatchee High School, and Crestview High School received an “I” for incomplete. District staff is working with the Department of Education to resolve that issue.
- No schools received a D or F
While it is expected that high ranking districts such as Okaloosa outperform state averages, which it did in every tested category released last week, Superintendent Chambers highlighted a few areas in which he was particularly proud of student performance. “We continue to do very well in Algebra I with 65% of our students proficient compared to the state average of 54% and in Geometry with 65% proficient compared to the state average of 50%. In middle school Civics, 74% of students were proficient compared to the state average of 69%, and in US History, 73% were proficient compared to the state average of 65%. US History and Civics are a very important part of our curriculum, and we want to continue to excel in this area.”
Secondary science was also a strong point with Grade 8 science results showing 60% of students proficient compared to the state average of 45%. In Biology, which is tested in Grade 9, 69% of students were proficient compared to the state average of 61%.
Grade 7 and 8 Mathematics results showed 62% and 54% of students proficient, compared to state averages of 46% and 42%, respectively.
Superintendent Chambers expressed confidence that plans are in place to continue improving student performance in the coming years. “Our teachers, administrators, educational support professionals, and most importantly, our students and parents deserve so much credit for the resilience they showed this year that produced these results. We will continue to focus our efforts on the important work that lies ahead in order to provide our students the best opportunities to be successful.”
“While celebrating the success achieved by our students as a whole, we will re-focus efforts in certain areas such as early elementary ELA and in schools where we did not see the results we anticipated.” The district earlier reported that Grade 3 proficiency had dropped from 63% to 58%. Grade 4 ELA had a 58% proficiency rate, one point above the state average of 57%.
Those efforts began with an expanded Summer Intensive Studies program this year that served not only retained elementary students who were working to earn promotion to the next grade level but also any student having academic need. At the middle and high school levels, students used the summer program to retake coursework that was not passed during the year and completed 2,345 semester courses in total which helped keep them on track for graduation.
Additional plans for the upcoming year include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Increased opportunities for one-on-one tutoring for students during and after the school day in the fall using specific student data to prescribe individualized learning opportunities.
- Additional ELA and Math Coaches will be placed in schools to support teacher development to better impact student learning.
- To increase the academic support for students with disabilities, elementary ESE teachers participated in a professional development institute learning explicit, systematic reading strategies. These research-based strategies are proven to help young readers who have learning deficiencies such as dyslexia. Secondary ESE teachers will be engaging in professional development to learn additional strategies to support the reading and math remediation of our middle and high school students.
- Knowing mental wellness impacts the academic and social progress of students, the district has expanded mental health services available to all students with the addition of more school-based providers. Parents/guardians who have concerns may contact their child’s school for more information regarding available services.
Parents can learn more about their students’ performance by contacting their school. The Department of Education is creating a Statewide Family Portal through which parents can access student results securely. Data should be placed in the portal by DOE no later than July 29th.
For overall district and school results, visit:
https://www.fldoe.org/accountability/assessments/k-12-student-assessment/results/2022.stml#FSA
https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/5663/urlt/Grade-LevelFS2022.pdf
https://www.fldoe.org/accountability/accountability-reporting/school-grades/
This is the last year that the FSA will be given. New legislation authorizes the replacement of the year-end FSA with the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST), a progress monitoring approach that will provide teachers and parents with statewide assessment information throughout the school year rather than only during the summer.
Original source can be found here.
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