FCAT scores make schools proud

Pasco County students are performing better at reading, mathematics and science in nearly every grade compared with a year ago, according to 2009 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores released Thursday.

Some of the key exceptions were 10th-graders in reading and math and 11th-graders in science. They saw their scores drop from 2008, the Florida Department of Education reported.

The math and reading scores released Thursday were for grades four through 10. Third-grade scores were released previously.

The science scores were for fifth, eighth and 11th grades, the only three grades tested in that subject.

Overall, schools Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said she was pleased with the results, though she acknowledged more work needs to be done.

She was especially happy with several schools that saw dramatic gains, especially Title I schools that serve some of the poorest students in the district. Cox Elementary in Dade City, for example, saw 49 percent of its fourth-graders show proficiency in reading, up from 39 percent in 2008.

FCAT scores are broken down into five levels. Students must score at level 3 or higher to show proficiency.

Moon Lake Elementary made enormous strides in fifth-grade math. A year ago, 56 percent of fifth-graders were proficient in the subject. This year, that jumped to 76 percent.

Sand Pine Elementary in Wesley Chapel and Seven Springs Elementary also saw gains of 20 percentage points or more in fourth-grade reading proficiency.

Pasco Elementary in Dade City was among nine elementary schools that saw math gains for every grade level.

"They were really focusing on raising those math scores," said Kathy Steiner, the school district's director of curriculum and instruction.

Assistant Superintendent Jim Davis noted that Pine View Middle, Land O' Lakes High, Wesley Chapel High and Wiregrass Ranch High also increased math proficiency at all grade levels.

In general for Pasco County schools, fourth-graders were the best readers, with 75 percent showing proficiency, up from 71 percent in 2008. On the other end, 10th-graders posted the lowest reading scores, with just 34 percent proficient, down from 38 percent in 2008.

Sometimes motivation plays a role, district officials said.

"Many elementary kids have a love for reading," Fiorentino said. "In high school, they may or may not."

In math, the best performers were ninth-graders, with 69 percent showing proficiency, up from 63 percent. That was also the biggest percentage-point gain countywide for any grade on any subject.

Sixth-graders had the lowest math scores, with 53 percent proficient. That was still up from a year ago, when 49 percent were proficient.

Eighth-graders saw a slight dip in math scores, with 67 percent proficient, down from 68 percent. Tenth-graders also dropped, with 68 percent proficient, down from 70 percent.

Countywide in science, fifth- and eighth-graders improved their scores, with 43 percent of students in both grades showing proficiency, up from 40 percent for the two grades in 2008.

The same can't be said for 11th grade, where just 35 percent of the students scored at the proficiency level, down from 38 percent last year.

Science has been a struggle for Pasco since that subject was added to FCAT several years ago.

That's a trend throughout Florida. Statewide, 46 percent of fifth-graders were proficient in science, 41 percent of eighth-graders were proficient and 37 percent of 11th-graders were proficient.