By BETH O’DONNELL
Assistant Superintendent
Wakulla School District students placed top 10 in the state on the most recently released Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores.
This last wave of FCAT scores was published on Tuesday, June 5, by the Florida Department of Education for grades four through eight in Reading, Math and Science.
Wakulla students ranked No. 1 in the region consisting of Leon, Gadsden, Wakulla, Jefferson, Liberty, Franklin, Madison, Calhoun and Taylor counties on all 12 of the scored areas released on June 5.
Wakulla ranked No. 1 alone on fourth through eighth grade Reading, fifth through eighth grade Math, and fifth and eighth grade Science.
Wakulla tied for No. 1 with Leon County for fourth grade Math.
This year’s test scores reflect new, more rigorous standards coupled with higher cut scores for proficiency made more difficult to attain from last year.
“Considering the tougher standards and increase in cut scores, this may be the best all around performance I’ve seen by our students in my 17 years as superintendent,” said Superintendent David Miller.
“Our students, teachers, staff and parents are to be commended for keeping the focus on student achievement, no matter what changes they are faced with.”
Of the 22 FCAT areas tested overall, Wakulla ranked in the top 10 in the state in 19 areas.
In the regional districts of Leon, Gadsden, Wakulla, Jefferson, Liberty, Franklin, Madison, Calhoun and Taylor, students in Wakulla ranked first in 14 areas, second in six areas and third in the remaining two areas.
All areas released June 5 were above the state average.
Individual student score reports will be available at the school sites after June 20. Parents may want to call their child’s school ahead of time to make sure there is someone there who can help them.
Score reports are coming back from the state later this year due to testing done later in the spring to capture more of what a student learns over the course of the entire school year.
Earlier released scores for Wakulla High School ninth and 10th grade students showed them performing well on FCAT Reading and on the Geometry and Biology End of Course exams.
In Reading, Wakulla ninth graders came in tied for No. 1 with Leon County in the region and at 10th highest in the state.
Wakulla 10th graders came in at No. 2 in the region, behind only Calhoun County, and at sixth highest in the state.
On the Geometry EOC, ninth and 10th graders tied at No. 2 in the region and No. 5 in the state.
Biology EOC scores in 10th grade came in at No. 2 in the region and at No. 3 in the state.
On the Algebra EOC exam taken by students in grades eight and nine, the scores rated No. 9 in the state and No. 2 in the region.
“Although this is one snapshot of our students success, I believe that they would do well on any accountability piece as our country moves toward national Common Core Standards,” said Miller.
“I welcome the chance to see how well our students will be able to compete with other students across the nation and across the world,” he said.
