- April 18, 2024
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Approximately 80% of Flagler County’s fourth-, eighth- and 10th-grade students were deemed proficient in the state’s standardized writing test, but the numbers could’ve been lower if the state didn’t lower the passing threshold.
At a last-minute emergency meeting last week, the state Board of Education lowered the passing grade on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test to a 3, from a 4, on a 6-point scale.
If the passing requirement remained at a 4, approximately 66% of students in grades 4, 8 and 10 wouldn’t have passed, according to numbers released last week by the state. (For individual school results, see the box on Page 4.)
Wadsworth Elementary School performed the best among all Flagler Schools, with 91.1% of its fourth-graders receiving a 3 or higher on the writing assessment. If the state kept the passing grade at 4, 62.3% would’ve passed.
Robin Dupont, principal at Wadsworth, said her teachers start with the basics of writing and continue in a “consistent, pervasive manner” the basics to the students.
“When done, students are able to weave an engaging tale or expound their ideas in an expository essay,” Dupont said.
At Rymfire, 88.5% of the fourth-graders achieved a 3 or better on writing. Principal Paula St. Francis said the key was the teachers being “very conscientious” about teaching student writing.
“(We do) a lot of teacher practice with the students,” St. Francis said. “We (also had) tutoring before school two days a week for those students who were able to make it.”
St. Francis added that plans for next year are already being established. “It’s all about improvement,” she said.
Flagler Palm Coast
Flagler Palm Coast High School was below the state average for ninth-grade reading. Forty-eight percent of FPC freshman scored a 3 or greater; the state average was 51%. Matanzas fared better than its counterpart, as 58% of ninth-graders passed with a 3 or better.
In the writing assessment, both FPC (86.7%) and Matanzas (85.71%) were above the state average of 84.04% in scoring a 3 or higher.
If the state had kept the passing grade at 4, 37.8% from FPC and 39.59% from Matanzas would’ve passed. Both of those would’ve been in line with the 38% state average.
Lynette Shott, assistant principal and assessment coordinator at Flagler Palm Coast, said FPC has seen a lot of growth since 2009 in many areas. Nevertheless, she said, the goal is to get all the scores above the state average.
“It’s never OK to sit back and rest on that,” Shott said. “We have to keep moving forward.”
Shott said staff will now break down the data to determine the strongest and weakest areas.
“I think with what we’ve been able to do the last couple of years setting up intervention-type courses ... the big pieces are in place,” she said. The next big push, Shott added, is to look at individual students and monitor their progress throughout the year.
“(We’re) becoming more laser-like in how we address our needs,” she said.
FCAT RESULTS, TEST BY TEST
9th-grade reading results % > 3
Matanzas 58
FPC 48
Pathways 7
Heritage NA
District 51
State 52
10th-grade reading results % > 3
Matanzas 57
FPC 46
Pathways 10
Heritage NA
District 50
State 50
4th-grade writing results % > 3
Bunnell Elemtary School 83.2
Belle Terre Elemetary School 86.4
Old Kings Elementary School 82.38
Rymfire Elemetary School 88.5
Wadsworth Elemtary School 91.1
Imagine School at Town Center 84
Heritage 54.5
Palm Harbor Academy 87.5
District 85.78
State 80.83
8th-grade writing results % > 3
Buddy Taylor Middle School 71
Indian Trails Middle School 75.6
Imagine School at Town Center 83.67
Heritage 60
Pathways 35.7
District 72.9
State 77.4
10th-grade writing results % > 3
Matanzas 85.71
FPC 86.7
Pathways 50
District 85.9
State 84.04
Email Andrew O’Brien at [email protected].
