Scores coming in

According to the 2008 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) Writing+ results released on Thursday, a greater percentage of Florida students are writing at or above grade level and Santa Rosa County high schools have outscored the state average by 19 points.

“These results are evidence that the tremendous efforts of our teachers have a direct and positive impact on our children’s futures,” said Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith. “It is through their selfless commitment to student success that our state has been able to experience the phenomenal academic growth that we have seen in the last decade.”

The mean writing score for Florida tenth graders was 302. Santa Rosa County School’s tenth graders had an average score of 321.

Each area high school improved its score as compared to the 2007 scores.

Central High School Principal Kenny Owens reports the school had an 11% increase in the tenth grade scores and a 25% increase for eighth grade on the writing portion of FCAT. “This year 78% of the eighth graders who took FCAT Writing scored 3.5 or higher.

“Seventy-seven percent of our tenth grade class scored a 3.5 or higher,” says Owens. “We have a ways to go, but we are doing great. The Literacy Team at Central High has increased our success dramatically. Our writing score has jumped and we think all of our subject scores will reflect the positive trend.”

Central High had the most improved score, up 27 points from last year’s score of 276 to the 2008 score of 303.

Owens reports the scores for the remaining sections of FCAT (Math, Science, and Reading) will not be in for several more weeks.
The area high school with the highest FCAT Writing+ score was Jay High with a 20 point increase over last year. In 2007 Jay High scored a 306 and this year the score is 326.

Milton High raised last years’ score of 292 by 18 points to bring the 2008 scores to 310 points.

Pace High, with a 2008 score of 323, raised its writing score four points higher than last year.

Beginning at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, May 13, parents may view their students’ scores via the FCAT Parent Network at www.fcatparentnetwork.com using the secure login and password provided by their school. School districts and schools can access electronic copies of their reports now. Printed reports, including individual student reports, school reports, district and state reports, will be delivered to school districts next week.
To view school, district and state FCAT reports, visit http://fcat.fldoe.org/fwinfopg.asp.

The writing portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) combines a writing essay, used since 1994, with multiple-choice items. The test is now known by a relatively new name, FCAT Writing+ (plus). The machine-scored, multiple-choice section of the FCAT Writing+ was first added in 2006 and represents a comprehensive assessment of writing knowledge and skills.

On April 15, 2008, the State Board approved the Commissioner’s recommendation to remove the multiple-choice questions from the FCAT Writing+ tests at all grades and to delay the use of the Grade 10 test as a graduation requirement for the foreseeable future.

There were two reasons prompting this recommendation, budget constraints and a technical consideration. During the budget reduction process, all testing programs were carefully scrutinized, and it was determined that the multiple-choice questions were something that could be removed without affecting state or federal accountability systems.

Technical concerns about the use of the Grade 10 Writing+ test for graduation purposes also contributed to the final decision. The recommendation in April was important for minimizing the impact of these technical concerns on students. The rule-making process will be implemented to formalize this recommendation.

In the school grades calculation, schools earn one point for each percent of students who meet high standards by scoring a 3.5 or higher on the essay portion of the writing assessment. Writing+ scale scores do not factor into a school’s grade.

For FCAT Writing+, students receive a total scale score between 100 and 500 that combines the scores for the essay and multiple-choice portions. The Achievement Level scores are based on the total scale score. Students also receive five sub-scores. The first sub-score is for the essay portion of the FCAT Writing+. It is scored on a scale from one to six, with six being the highest score.

 The other four sub-scores are for each writing element assessed: focus, organization, support, and conventions. These four sub-scores are based on the multiple-choice questions and are the number of points earned in each area.

The class of 2010, or students who were ninth graders for the first time in 2006-07, was to be the first group of students required to earn a passing score of 300 or higher on the FCAT Writing+ in order to graduate from high school. This requirement was in addition to the requirements for passing scores in FCAT Reading and Mathematics. On April 15, 2008, the State Board approved the Commissioner’s recommendation to delay the use of the Grade 10 FCAT Writing+ test as a graduation requirement for the foreseeable future.

FCAT Writing Scores

    2004    2005    2006    2007    2008
State    3.8    3.8    295    296    302   
SRC    3.9    4.1    316    310    321

Central        n/s    n/s    288    276    303   
Jay            n/s    n/s    302    306    326
Milton        n/s    n/s    311    292    310
Pace        n/s    n/s    322    319    323

Tracking the Third Grader

Here is a look at how third graders in 2001
progressed to 2007 in reading

2001    2002    2003    2004    2005    2006    2007
289        299        290       297        299    299    308

Here is a look at how third graders in 2001
progressed to 2007 in math

2001    2002    2003    2004    2005    2006    2007
    291    294       320    301        303    314        302