Monroe County School District Demonstrates Remarkable Academic Growth in FY24

Monroe County, FL – July 9, 2024

Key West, FL – The Monroe County School District (MCSD) is proud to announce a consistent upward trend in the performance of its students as evidenced by the recent Florida state testing results released this week.

Superintendent Theresa Axford attributes these successes to the hard work of students, the dedication of teachers, and the unwavering support of the community. These results not only reflect the district’s focus on high-quality education but also its ongoing efforts to provide an environment where every student can excel.

Monroe County students outperformed the state average in Writing at all grades 4-10. The Superintendent believes that the district emphasis on AVID strategies, which focus on writing propelled the students to this success. This is the first time in several years that writing has been considered as a separate score.

English Language Arts (ELA) School Year Improvement

Monroe County students in grades 3-10 have shown an impressive overall increase of 18% from Progress Monitoring 1 (PM1) to Progress Monitoring 3 (PM3) for students achieving Level 3 or above in English Language Arts. This positive trend is evident across all grade levels, with some highlights including:

  • Grade 3: A remarkable improvement of 35% for students, outperforming the state’s improvement by 4%.
  • Grades 4-5: Students demonstrated a significant increase of 26% and 22%, respectively.
  • Grades 6-10: Consistent gains were seen from Grades 6 through 10, with improvements ranging between 10% and 15%.

English Language Arts (ELA) Year-Over-Year Improvement

In the English Language Arts (ELA) assessments, students in the third grade showed a remarkable improvement, with the percentage of students achieving Level 3 or higher increasing from 50% in FY23 to 57% in FY24. Overall, MCSD improved in ELA performance across all grade levels. Specifically:

  • 3-10 ELA: The percentage of students performing at Level 3 or above increased from 46% in FY23 to 50% in FY24, demonstrating a remarkable 4% growth.
  • Grades 3-5 ELA: MCSD students excelled, with proficiency rising from 46% to 52%, a 6% improvement.
  • Grades 6-8 ELA: Our middle school students also showed progress, achieving a 3% increase from 46% to 49%.
  • Grades 9-10 ELA: High school students performed exceptionally well, with proficiency rising from 44% to 48%, a 4% gain.

Mathematics School Year Improvement

According to recent data, Monroe County has shown an impressive overall increase of 37% from PM1 to PM3 during the school year for students achieving Level 3 or above in Mathematics. This positive trend is evident across all grade levels, with some highlights including:

  • Grade 3: A notable improvement of 52% for Grade 3 students.
  • Grade 4 and Grade 5 students demonstrated significant increases of 52% and 44%, respectively.
  • Grades 6-8: Consistent gains were seen from Grades 6 through 8, with improvements ranging between 34% and 30%.

Mathematics Proficiency Year-over-Year

Mathematics, third graders made notable strides, with a 4% increase from FY23 to, surpassing the state’s improvement. Fifth graders stood out with a 10% increase, which is 6% above the state’s improvement, showcasing the district’s commitment to academic excellence. Highlights include:

  • Grades 3-8 and High School Mathematics: The percentage of students performing at Level 3 or above increased from 52% in FY23 to 53% in FY24.
  • Grades 3-5 Mathematics: Our elementary students demonstrated strong proficiency, increasing 6% from 48% to 54%.
  • Grades 6-8 Mathematics: Middle school students showed a slight decrease of 2% from last year to this year.
  • Geometry: MCSC Geometry students excelled, achieving 58% proficiency, which exceeded the state average by 5%.

Statewide Science Assessments

            MCSD’s commitment to science education yielded positive results:

  • Grade 5 Statewide Science Assessment: Students achieving Level 3 or above increased from 44% in FY23 to 50% in FY24.This 6% increase exceeded the state increase by 4%.
  • Grade 8 All Science (Statewide Science and Biology 1 EOC): Proficiency increased 1% to 46%.
  • Biology 1 EOC: MCSD students showed a decrease from 66% to 62%.

Statewide Social Studies Assessments

            MCSD maintained a strong performance in Social Studies.

  • Civics: 66% of students scored at or above level 3.
  • US History: 72% of students scored at or above level 3, which not only increased by 3%, the percentage of student proficient outperformed the state significantly by 5%.
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