Polk, State FCAT Scores Improve

LAKELAND | FCAT scores for Polk County schools and the state improved this year in all but one grade.

On Tuesday, the state released the 2008 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test reading and math scores for grades 4 through 10 and science scores for grades 5, 8 and 11.

In some cases, such as ninth-grade reading and math, the jumps in Polk from last year's scores were greater than state increases.

"We gained overall," said Sherrie Nickell, the district's associate superintendent of learning. "We are moving in the right direction for sure."

Still, there were significant areas of concern.

Even though reading scores for Polk 10th-graders improved over the past two years, more than half still scored below grade level and will have to retake the test to graduate.

And in Polk and statewide, the majority of students performed below grade level on science tests.

Polk still trailed the state in every grade, and officials said one of the biggest reasons is the high number of low-income families, based on the number of students eligible for subsidized school lunches.

"The state has a 45 percent poverty rate and Polk's poverty rate is 65 percent," Nickell said. "That's a whole lot of kids that come from disadvantaged homes."

Statewide, education officials reported improvements at every grade level except fifth-grade reading, but top officials worried that gains may have leveled off in early grades.

Seventy percent of Florida's fourth-graders performed at or above grade level, which is 2 percentage points better than last year but a point below 2005. In Polk, 65 percent of fourth-graders performed at or above grade level, an increase of 2 percentage points from last year.

That flattening of the trend line is a signal, said Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith.

"We as a state need to move to the next steps, the next generation of focus on reading achievement and academic excellence," Smith said.

That includes a greater focus on prekindergarten through third-grade literacy and increased standards and expectations, he said.

Polk school Superintendent Gail McKinzie said some leveling off in schools should be expected, particularly with schools that consistently score at a high level.

LOOKING AT SCORES

A downward trend for fifth-graders had some officials questioning whether a mistake had been made. In Polk and statewide, fifth-grade scores were down for reading. Fifth-grade scores for math were down in Polk and remained unchanged for the state. (See related story on on this page.)

But every other grade, both in Polk and the state, showed increases across the board.

In Polk, at least half of the students performed at or above grade level in math this year in every grade except for sixth. In sixth grade, the mean score was 297, just three points off grade level and five points above last year.

All three portions of the test are scored on a 100 to 500 scale.

For reading, fifth, sixth and 10th grades did not hit the 50 percent benchmark.

The FCAT is used to determine whether third-graders are promoted and high school students receive standard diplomas.

Third-grade scores were released in May. Polk saw slight improvements in reading and math.

The scores also are used to grade schools, which can receive financial rewards or sanctions depending on how well or badly they do. Plus, some districts use the test to determine which teachers get merit pay.

Some schools saw big gains or declines.

Alta Vista Elementary in Haines City saw a 24-point decline in reading and 22-point drop in math in fifth-grade scores. Fifth-grade scores at Purcell Elementary in Mulberry also were low with a 37-point decline in reading and 28-point drop in math.

Bartow Senior High School saw a 31-point increase in 10th-grade reading and a 20-point increase in math. At Haines City High School, there was a 19-point increase in 10th-grade reading and a 17-point jump in math.

The Lakeland Montessori school, a charter school, had the highest scores in the county when third-grade scores were released in May. But the school has too few students in other grades to meet the state's threshold for release of scoring data.

Science scores improved but remained low in the state and Polk. Average scores for all the grades taking the science test were below grade level.

Officials don't have an answer yet for the low science scores. Smith said one factor may be that the test, first given in 2003, is still fairly new.

A continuing source of concern is the trend showing that students perform more poorly on the FCAT as they grow older. Scores continued to dip throughout the state from elementary to high school.

In Polk, those reading at or above grade level fell from 65 percent in fourth grade to 30 percent in 10th grade.

Officials said that doesn't mean they are regressing.

"What they took in the third grade and what they took in the 10th grade are two different animals," said Jay Pfeiffer, state deputy commissioner of accountability, research and measurement.

Smith said the importance of comprehension, fluency and vocabulary increases as students move up in grade.

Statewide, white students again scored better than blacks and Hispanics, but both minority groups continued to narrow the gap this year.

[ John Chambliss can be reached at john.chambliss@theledger.com or 863-802-7588. Ledger reporter Stacy Jones and The Associated Press contributed to this article. ]