Wesley Chapel FCAT Scores A Mixed Bag

By Matt Wiley

As the school year comes to a close and Wesley Chapel students embark on summer break, preliminary FCAT 2.0 (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) Reading, Math, Science and Writing scores have been released and the results for both the Pasco County School District (PCSD) and Wesley Chapel’s schools are mixed.

Overall, Wesley Chapel students did not perform poorly and in most areas tested higher than the state and district averages. In math, reading and science, scores are measured on a five-level scale with level three demonstrating proficiency

According to the FCAT 2.0 test score reports released by the Florida Department of Education (FDoE) on June 6, PCSD’s schools performed well on the tests given in reading (grades 3-10) and science (grades 5 & 8), but fell below state averages for math (grades 3-8) and writing (grades 4, 8 & 10)—which provides students with either a narrative, persuasive or expository writing prompt.

In reading, Wesley Chapel’s third and fifth grade students at all seven area elementary schools averaged higher than both the state and district, while all middle and high schools tested above those comparative averages, as well. In math, reading and science, Sand Pine and Veterans Elementary schools performed highest.

PCSD spokesperson Linda Cobbe says that this year’s FCAT 2.0 test scores reflect the district’s transition from teaching the “Next Generation Sunshine State Standards” (more rigorous than the initial FCAT tests) to the new “Florida Standards,” and show that the FCAT does not measure all that is being learned in most classes

Next school year, a new assessment test based on the new, even more rigorous “Florida Standards” will replace the FCAT 2.0 for the first time. The Florida Standards for math and English language arts stress a broader approach for student learning, including an increased emphasis on analytical thinking, according to FDoE reports.

“We are seeing that what we are doing is starting to pay off,” said Vanessa Hilton, PCSD director of teaching and learning in a June 6 press release. “We are starting to see strengths in the students who have been receiving instruction based on the new Florida Standards as they progress from grade to grade.”

For a comparison between each individual school and the State and District averages, please consult the charts included on this page.

FCAT Writing

According to a report released by the FDOE on May 23, many of Wesley Chapel’s 4^th, 8^th and 10^th graders averaged at or above both the state and PCSD averages, but a few fell short.

This year, Wesley Chapel’s 8th and 10^th grade students scored higher when responding to prompts that required them to answer questions with either a narrative, persuasive or expository essay. The students’ work is then scored on a 1.0-6.0 scale, with a 3.5 considered to be “proficient.”

The Wesley Chapel area’s fourth graders mostly performed at the state and district average, but Double Branch and Watergrass elementary schools each scored a 2.9, just below the district’s average of a 3 and .4 below the state’s average of 3.3. Sand Pine and Wesley Chapel Elementary scored highest in the area, each averaging a 3.4.

On the state and district level, PCSD 8^th graders averaged a 3.3 and 10^th graders averaged a 3.4, compared with the state average of 3.4 for 8^th grade and 3.5 for 10^th graders.

However, on a more positive note, Dr. John Long Middle and Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) each exceeded both the state and district averages, with more than 60-percent of students scoring above a 3.5.

“I think (our scores) are great!,” says WRH principal Robyn White. “We worked really hard with our students this past year, incorporating writing into the curriculum.”

White explains that in all subject areas, writing was a focus, even in mathematics. In math classes, White says, teachers would have students work out problems and then explain in detail with writing what strategies they used to solve the particular problem.

Although the testing for next year’s Florida Standards still is something of a mystery, White says that she hopes this strategy will help prepare WRH students so that they can perform even better in the future.

Congratulations to all of our Wesley Chapel’s teachers, students and school staff members for their hard work on the state’s standardized tests this year!