Florida students performed slightly better on this year’s mathematics portion of the Florida Standards Assessment than they did last year, but the passing percentage remained the same for the English Language Arts section of the test, according to results released Friday.
The Florida Department of Education released the results of the 2016 FSA test and found a students scored one percentage point higher on mathematics combined (FSA and End-of-Course assessments), with 58 percent of students in grades 3-5 and 56 percent of students in grades 6-8 scoring Level 3 (the lowest “passing” score) or higher.
Scores were up five percentage points for students younger than high school taking Algebra, with 88 percent scoring Level 3 or higher in 2016.
The percentage of students scoring Level 3 or higher on the Algebra 2 end-of-course assessment increased by four percentage points.
English Language Arts (ELA) scores remained steady, with 52 percent of students in grades 3-10 scoring a Level 3 or higher.
ELA scores decreased, however, with Florida’s 9th and 10th graders, with only 50% passing the ELA section of the FSA this year. Last year, 52 percent of students passed this section of the exam.
When it came to statewide science scores, students were up one percentage point in Grade 8 science combined (FSA and Biology 1 EOC), with 50 percent passing the exam in 2016.
Other grades slipped in the FSA science exam, with 51 percent of the state’s 5th graders passing the 2016 FSA science assessment. Grades 6-12 had a pass rate of 64 percent in the science End-of-Course assessment.
Large counties like Miami-Dade and Broward Counties showed improvements in several areas, with students younger than high school age moving up six percentage points for in Algebra 1, with 86 percent scoring Level 3 or higher.
Orange county students in grades 6-8 scored one percentage point higher in ELA this year, while students in Hillsborough County improved six percentage points in Algebra 2.
Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart focused on the highlights of the report, saying the scores were indicative of real progress in the state’s education system.
“Today’s results show that our focus on improved student learning is working, and I commend our state’s students, educators, parents and school administrators for their hard work throughout the 2015-16 school year,” said Commissioner Stewart. “Even with a higher bar, Florida students continued the overall trend of increased performance year over year. We are committed to ongoing collaboration with district superintendents and school leaders to maintain this momentum so that all students are prepared to succeed in the next steps of their academic journey.”
To see the full breakdown of the FSA results, click here.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
