ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — To the relief of parents and third-graders around central Florida, the reading and math FCAT scores released Thursday were only down a little compared to a year ago.
The new FCAT test comes with higher benchmarks for achievement and lower expectations of performance, not to mention a whole lot of stress for students and parents who know their third-grader’s performance in reading could determine whether or not they're promoted to the fourth grade,” said Channel 9’s Melanie Holt.
“There's all this talk about it's harder this year, the scores are different, and all this, and I feel like it's not something they should have to deal with,” said parent Jessica Pullum.
Pullum's third-grader attends Orange County's Blankner School. The student did OK on the test, as well as his classmates.
About 72 percent of Blankner third-graders scored at or above grade level in reading. The state average was 56 percent, a significant drop over 2011.
About 69 percent of Blankner's third-graders scored at or above grade level in math, which is above the 58 percent state and district average this year.
“I felt fortunate,” said Blankner principal Polly Roper. “But unfortunately, some of my friends weren't as fortunate, and it upsets me for them.”
Roper still has a dozen students who scored low enough to repeat the third grade. District-wide, that number is closer to 2,000 students. But a poor FCAT performance alone doesn't mean a child will be forced to repeat third grade if the district can show a history of grade-level performance.
“I think this is one of those watershed moments where you review the data and make the necessary adjustments in your instructional strategies moving forward,” said retiring superintendent Ron Blocker.
WFTV
