Thursday, July 29, 2021

Schools in Leon County’s FSA math test scores will decline in 2021

Elementary school students take the Florida Standards Computerized Assessment.

According to Florida Statewide Assessments results released Thursday by the Florida Department of Education, Leon County’s math scores dropped 13 percentage points from 2019 to 2021.

The number of third- through tenth-grade students getting a 3 or higher on the math exam fell to 49% in 2021, from 62% in 2019, the last year the test was taken. Due to the pandemic, students did not take the exams in 2020.

“School and academic teaching have been very different for the past year and a half,” said Superintendent Rocky Hanna. “We know that children learn best when they are present in our classes.”

Research shows children are lagging behind in math and reading due to the pandemic, and Leon County’s results reflect national concerns that students, particularly racial minorities and the socioeconomically disadvantaged, could be left even further behind.

Florida seems to be following this trend in math, but in the arts of language some gaps have narrowed or all demographics have decreased by the same amount.

Exam anxiety:In the two Leon schools that feel the greatest pressure to do well in FSA tests

Other results show that the number of third to tenth grade students who scored 3 or better on the language arts test decreased 4 percentage points in 2021 compared to 2019.

Students can score anywhere from 1 to 5 on all exams, with 3 being considered satisfactory and passed.

In 2021, only 53% of students achieved a 3 or higher, compared with 57% in 2019. Students in Leon County ranked 24th in the state.

About 96% of students took the English-language arts exam, and charter schools did better on average, with 59% getting a 3 or more according to the data, compared to 51% of public school students.

Overall, among all third and 10th grade students, white, black, and Hispanic students dropped at the same rate, the data shows.

But in ninth and tenth grades, the performance gap between black and white students decreased by 3 percentage points and the gap between Hispanic and white students decreased by 2 percentage points.

There was a steeper decline in math among students in third to eighth grades; the number of students reaching Level 3 or higher decreased by 10 percentage points, from 61% in 2019 to 51% in 2021.

The differences in performance between white and black-and-white and Hispanic students widened in math for third- through eighth graders.

The gap between Hispanic and white students who scored a 3 or higher increased from 14 percentage points in 2019 to 19 points in 2021, and the gap between black and white students increased from 29 percentage points to 35 points.

Here’s a look at the numbers in the Big Bend:

English / Linguistics, Grades 3-10

  • National average: 52% in 2021 compared to 55% in 2019 with 3 or more points.
  • Leon County: 53% in 2021, up from 57% in 2019.
  • Wakulla District: 60% in 2021 versus 55% in 2019.
  • Jefferson County: 28% in 2021, up from 32% in 2019
  • Gadsden County: 29% in 2021 compared to 36% in 2019.

Math, Grades 3-8

  • National average: 51% in 2021 compared to 61% in 2019 with 3 or more points.
  • Leon County: 49% in 2021, up from 62% in 2019.
  • Wakulla District: 59% in 2021 versus 65% in 2019.
  • Jefferson County: 27% in 2021, up from 40% in 2019
  • Gadsden County: 31% in 2021 compared to 50% in 2019.

Contact Ana Goñi-Lessan at AGoniLessan@tallahassee.com and follow her on Twitter @goni_lessan.

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The post Schools in Leon County's FSA math test scores will decline in 2021 first appeared on Daily Florida Press.



from Daily Florida Press https://dailyfloridapress.com/schools-in-leon-countys-fsa-math-test-scores-will-decline-in-2021/

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