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Hillsborough 3rd-Graders Make Strides On FCAT

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 22, 2008

TAMPA - More Hillsborough County third-graders are reading and performing math on grade level than last year, with some schools making double-digit leaps in the percentage of children considered proficient.

The state released results Wednesday for third-graders on the reading and math portions of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, praising the improvement students have made since the test first was administered in 2001 and offering reassurance that the scores were legitimate.

Problems cropped up last year when the percentage of children reading on grade level fell after spiking in 2006. The 2006 scores turned out to be inflated, and the state had to invalidate them.

Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith told reporters on Wednesday he trusted the 2008 gains. The state showed 72 percent of children reading at or above grade level, up from 69 percent last year. Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties increased as well.

"I think people should have a great deal of confidence in these results this year," Smith said.

The Buros Center for Testing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln reviewed the problems from 2006 and recommended procedural changes to avoid future inaccuracies. The center also reviewed this year's test results before the state released them.

All Students Not Able To Advance

Third-graders' reading scores draw attention because poor performance can prevent children from getting promoted. Children who score in the lowest of five levels may get retained, but districts can use other test scores or portfolios to justify promoting them.

At Riverhills Elementary, Principal Jackie Scaglione said educators will evaluate data to determine what more can be done for struggling students. The Temple Terrace school's reading score dropped and nearly a third of its students face possible retention after scoring in the lowest group.

Some students might have fallen short of the next level by a couple of questions, and the school will review other test results before determining who stays back. But teachers also have met with some parents to prepare them for the possibility their children might not pass.

"Every year, it's a different group of kids and a different set of obstacles," Scaglione said. "You try not to take test scores personally, but it does affect you. You have to move forward and provide new methods and resources."

Overall, the percentage of children in that lowest group shrunk in the four local districts.

In math, the state and local school districts showed improvement, although Pasco educators said they wanted to bring up their schools' scores. Pasco's 69 percent proficiency rating beat last year's by 1 percentage point but lagged behind the state average.

"We're improving, but we definitely need to do more there," Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said.

She said Pasco could look at surrounding counties to study what they have done to improve math scores. Assistant Superintendent Sandy Ramos said some Pasco schools showed tremendous growth in math. The district also will look to those schools for ideas on how to improve.

Cox, Lake Myrtle, Marlowe, Pasco, Sand Pine and Trinity elementary schools all increased the percentage of students showing math proficiency by 10 percentage points or more.

Hillsborough Sees Large Increases

Hillsborough schools also celebrated some hefty increases. Cahoon Elementary had 75 percent of its children reading at or above grade level this year, a 27-point increase from last year. Foster, which received a failing grade from the state last year, brought its reading averages up 24 percentage points and its math 8 points.

Potter, another school with a failing grade, climbed 30 points in math and 16 points in reading.

Sheehy Principal Carolyn Hill said she was proud to see 64 percent of her third-graders reading at grade level, a 21-point increase. Eighty percent, up from 73 percent, of them met math expectations as well.

But she said no magic was involved - just hard work, good instruction and expectations that start with making attendance a priority.

"Like I tell the kids, you can't learn if you're not at school," Hill said. "If you're here, then our job is to give the best instruction."

Sheehy supplements instruction with workshops to teach parents how to help their children, tutoring during the school day and pre-tests and test reviews.

Sam Whitten, Hillsborough's supervisor of assessment, was pleased to see the district's reading and math gains, particularly the 4-point increase in the percentage of students reading proficiently.

The district fell short of the state average by 1 percentage point. Whitten said that may reflect the fact that Hillsborough's population differs from the state's on average.

Hillsborough's writing scores, released two weeks ago, met or exceeded state averages, with eighth-graders bringing in the highest average in Florida. More test results are scheduled to come out in early June, with grades ready in July. Whitten hoped the third-grade improvements signaled good news to come.

"I certainly hope this is the trend," Whitten said.

Parents can log on to www.fcatparentnetwork.com on Friday with a password the school provided to view their children's scores online.

Reporters Ronnie Blair and Michele Sager contributed. Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503 or cpastor@tampatrib.com.

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