Okeechobee St. Lucie Make Steady Improvements on FCAT 2.0 Writing and Third Grade Reading and Math

Friday, May 23, 2014

DOE Press Office 850-245-0413

Okeechobee, St. Lucie Make Steady Improvements on FCAT 2.0 Writing and Third Grade Reading and Math

Ft. Pierce, Fla., May 23, 2014 - Today, Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart congratulated teachers and educators in Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties for impressive gains in FCAT 2.0 results.

"These impressive gains are the result of district leaders providing teachers with the tools and training they need to succeed," said Commissioner Stewart. "I am confident that with new standards and assessments next year replacing the FCAT, our students will continue to succeed."

• Okeechobee County improved from 2013 in four of the five assessment areas released today, highlighted by a 14 percentage-point increase in Grade 3 mathematics and a 10 percentage-point increase in Grade 10 writing. Grade 3 reading scores increased seven percentage points.
• St. Lucie County improved from 2013 in writing across each of the grade levels assessed, with a 12 percentage-point increase in Grade 10, a nine percentage-point increase in Grade 8 and a seven percentage-point increase in Grade 4.

Florida's recent academic gains have received national attention. The Sunshine State jumped from 11th to 6th in the nation for educational quality in 2013. Florida has the highest graduation rate in the nation for Hispanic students. In the past decade, the number of Florida graduates participating in AP courses has more than doubled, and the number of low-income graduates taking AP courses has increased tenfold. And Florida's graduation rate is 75.6% for 2012-13 - an increase of 1.1 percentage points over the prior year and up five percentage points since 2010-11.

Next year, a new assessment based on the Florida Standards will replace the FCAT 2.0. The Florida Standards for mathematics and English language arts stress a broader approach for student learning, including an increased emphasis on analytical thinking. With the new and more rigorous standards, a new assessment was needed to measure student progress.

For more information on third grade reading requirements, visit Read to Learn (PDF).

The 2014 FCAT 2.0 Writing and third grade FCAT 2.0 Reading and Mathematics results are available at 2014 Statewide Assessment Scores.