Local students outperformed the state average but not always themselves, according to the latest batch of test results released by the Florida Department of Education.
Students in Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties performed above the state average on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test in reading, math and science scores released Friday. Walton County scored above the state average in all areas except eighth-grade math and reading.
Database of end-of-course exam scores by district and school >>
FCAT scores by district and school >>
In reading and math, all three counties saw various grade levels drop a few points in their pass rate compared to last year on the FCAT 2.0, the revised version of the exam rolled out last year to meet more rigorous standards.
The data — which included fourth- through 10th-grade reading scores, fourth- through eighth- grade math scores and fifth- and eighth-grade science scores — were released two weeks after the state issued writing scores and third-grade math and reading results.
Results for state end-of-course exams in Algebra I, Biology, Geometry and U.S. History also were released Friday.
“When you keep changing the rules, you’re never going to win the game,” Walton County Superintendent of Schools Carlene Anderson said. “ … We’re not making excuses, but we’re going to keep doing what we do, and that’s to make students successful.”
Walton County math scores saw one of the biggest dips compared to last year, but Anderson said that didn’t surprise anyone.
Rather than take the FCAT this year, many high-performing eighth-grade math students took the state end-of-course exam in Algebra I. Passing rates on that exam increased by 11 percent.
What was unclear as of Friday afternoon, though, was what happened with the eighth-grade reading scores, which tied with the state average and dropped 7 percent compared to last year.
Anderson said her staff was sorting through the data, but cautioned any comparisons were difficult because this was only the second year for FCAT 2.0 in reading and math. Typically, three years of data from the same test are needed to draw any real conclusions, she said.
Santa Rosa County experienced the opposite result in math scores. Its eighth-grade pass rate was similar to the previous year, but Algebra EOC exam scores overall were too low, according to Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick.
“I thought if any of these are going to give us trouble, it’s going to be that one,” Wyrosdick said of the EOC exam. “It doesn’t meet our expectations.”
He said the plan right now is to start laying the groundwork for Algebra as early as fifth grade because the current curriculum plan isn’t helping all students excel.
“We’ve got some work to do,” he said.
Overall, though, the district performed well and was one of the top performers in Florida.
“I’m very proud of our performance and it’s consistent with our performance in the past,” Wyrosdick said.
In Okaloosa County, Superintendent Mary Beth Jackson said she was mostly pleased with the results, but younger students — not the older students as in the other counties — were giving her pause.
Fourth-grade reading scores dipped 7 percent, and Jackson said her staff is working hard to figure out why. The scores were especially troubling when coupled with the lower than expected third-grade scores from two weeks ago, she said.
“There has to be a reason for it,” she said. “I don’t think our kids suddenly didn’t know how to read or do math.”
Jackson said she had a few ideas about what might have happened, but the staff will dig through at least two years of data down to the teacher level to identify issues and fix them.
“It’s going to be a very long, hot summer,” she said.
Science scores for all three school districts were above the state average, but a comparison to last year’s scores wasn’t available Friday.
It was the first year that students took the U.S. History EOC exam, so performance was ranked into thirds rather than compared from one year to another.
Okaloosa and Santa Rosa each saw about half their students in the top third, and Walton County saw a little less than 40 percent in the top tier.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Katie Tammen at 850-315-4440 or ktammen@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieTnwfdn.