Sarasota FCAT Scores Remain Strong

Sarasota County students’ average scores in the spring 2011 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test reading, mathematics, science and writing tests, released earlier this week by the Florida Department of Education, remain above state averages at all grades tested, a Sarasota County School District press release said.

Average scores in science and writing increased at all grade levels over last year’s scores.

The 2011 Spring FCAT was the first administration of the new FCAT 2.0, a more rigorous version of the test. The release said these scores were adjusted so comparisons to previous years could be made in reading and math. Beginning with 2011, ninth-grade students took the algebra end-of-course assessment instead of the Grade 10 FCAT. Results of the algebra EOC tests will be released later this month.

The grade-three results are reported again here, along with the results for grades four-10 released today, to provide a comprehensive review of student performance at the elementary level. 

FCAT results are based on all students tested, including English-language learners, students with disabilities, and charter school students, according to the release. Average scores, proficiency rates and comparisons to statewide results are reported by subject and grade level. 

The state also released the grade 10 FCAT graduation-requirement passing rates.

Highlights of the 2011 FCAT Results 

Reading, grades three-10 

• District average reading scores are 11 to 19 points higher than state averages across grades three-10. 
• The percent of district students scoring in reading achievement levels 3-5 (percent proficient) increased in four out of eight grade levels. Percentages increased in 2011 at grades three, five, six and eight. They declined at grades four, seven, nine and 10. 
• Compared to the state, 2011 district reading proficiency rates are 7 to 12 percentage points higher across grade levels. 

Mathematics, grades three-eight and grade 10 

• The 2011 district average mathematics scores improved at grades five, six, seven and eight. Scores declined at grades three and four and remained consistent at grade 10. Sarasota County’s average scores in math are 6 to 18 percentage points higher than statewide averages at all grade levels. 
• The percent of students scoring in achievement levels 3 or higher in mathematics increased at grades five, six, seven and eight. 
• Sarasota County’s proficiency rates in mathematics are 4 to 10 points higher than state rates in the elementary grades, 11 to 12 points higher in the middle school grades and 6 percentage points higher at grade 10. 

Science, grades five, eight and 11 

• The 2011 average science scores increased at grades five, eight and 11 at the district level. District science averages are 20, 23, and 10 points higher than those of the state at grades five, eight and 11, respectively. 
• The percent of students scoring in achievement levels 3-5 in science increased by 3 points at grade five, 7 points at grade eight and 4 points at grade 11. 

Writing, grades four, eight and 10 

• The percentage of students at level 4.0 and above was computed this year. The percentages of students scoring in achievement levels 4 or 5 were 86, 90, and 77 at grades four, eight and 10, respectively. The percent of students scoring at level 4 and above increased at all grade levels from the prior year. 

Grade 10 FCAT graduation-requirement passing rates 

• The 2011 grade 10 district passing rates in reading is 68 percent, a 2-percent decrease from last year, and 88 percent in mathematics, a 1-percentage point decline. Sarasota’s passing rates are 8 points higher than those of the state.

Reports of district, state, and school-by-school summary results are available on the Florida Department of Education website athttp://fcat.fldoe.org.