Initial Florida Standards Assessment Scores In English Language Arts Place Monroe County School District Ninth In The State 

MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – Third grade students showed an 8% increase in reading proficiency on the Florida Standards Assessment moving from 60% proficient in 2016 to 68% in 2017 according to a DOE report released last week.

Executive Director of Assessment & Accountability David Murphy said these scores from tests at the third grade level serve as indicators for future success. “Reducing the number of struggling readers in the third grade is one of many important goals in our elementary schools. Third grade results are important because they represent one of the more valid predictors of future success in elementary school and beyond.”

“Perhaps more meaningful was the percentage of students scoring level one on the assessment – which carries with it the possibility of retention in grade three – fell from 15 percent in 2016 to 10 percent in 2017. Monroe ranked eighth in the state for the lowest percentage of students in level one and in terms of the number of students impacted, only 68 students district-wide scored in level one, a decrease of 32 students compared to 2016,” Mr. Murphy said.

He also emphasized these initial scores are simply “raw” data. Students who may have left the district half-way through the year are included, which means, once the results are finalized, the new calculations could result in a small increase in the success rate.

Mrs. Theresa Axford, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning attributes the increased scores partially to increased exposure to leveled books through expanded classroom libraries in third grade.

Superintendent Mark T. Porter said this outcome reflects hard work and persistence. “This is clearly the result of focused leadership at the district and building level and tremendous efforts by our classroom teachers.  They should all be very proud and ready to make even further improvements next year.”

The district plans to provide summer reading camps for students scoring below level three on the exam.  Mr. Murphy said the district pays close attention to these students, providing them enrichment and remediation opportunities to encourage improvement. He emphasized these tests are only a “piece of information” providing guidance for “future educational programming” and are not the only indicators district officials rely on to monitor student success.

The Monroe County School District serves approximately 8,600 students throughout the upper, middle, lower keys, and Key West.  The accredited school district consists of ten public schools, six charter schools, as well as alternative and virtual programs. For more information about the district’s vision and mission, visit www.keysschools.com.

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