By Matt Wiley
This year’s Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores are in and the students at Wesley Chapel’s public schools clearly have been working hard, as most schools in the area easily surpassed both the District and State averages on the annual math, reading, science and writing tests.
According to the FCAT 2.0 test score reports released by the Florida Department of Education (DOE), the Pasco County School District (PCSD) performed at about the same level as the State in math (grades 3-8), reading (grades 3-10), science (grades 5 & 8) and writing (grades 4, 8 & 10).
The FCAT 2.0 test was put into practice in 2011 and measures student achievement according to “Next Generation Sunshine Standards,” which are more rigorous than those tested on the original FCAT test. FCAT scores will later be factored into school assessments, which the DOE reports as letter grades for every public school in the state each year.
Wesley Chapel students, for the most part, scored higher than both the State and District in most of the testing. In math, reading and science, scores are measured on a 0.0-5.0 scale, with Level 3.0 demonstrating proficiency.
For a comparison between each individual school and the State and District averages, please consult the chart included on this page.
A Brief Overview Of FCAT Math, Reading & Science
In FCAT reading, Seven Oaks Elementary’s third graders, Veterans Elementary’s fourth graders and Wesley Chapel Elementary’s fifth graders led the area in elementary school scores by grade.
“Our scores went up as they do every year,” says Seven Oaks principal B.J. Smith. “I attribute it to our strategic planning and professional teacher development. It’s tough to say that one strategy helps scores go up. It’s more about everyone on staff knowing where we’re going as a school and helping the kids learn.”
Veterans Elementary principal Donna Busby says that she is extremely proud of her students and staff.
“I’m proud of all of the hard work,” she explains. “We’ve implemented more problem-solving-based learning. The students are more receptive when they are more active in their learning. For example, students are given a problem and several different strategies to solve it. A student will come up and explain to the class which strategy they used to solve the problem.”
Both Dr. John Long and Thomas E. Weightman Middle schools met or exceeded State and District reading averages, as did ninth graders at both Wesley Chapel (WCH) and Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) schools. However, WCH’s sophomores fell below both averages.
Veterans and Seven Oaks third graders led the pack in math, while Double Branch’s fourth graders outscored all other elementary schools. Veterans’ fifth graders also were well prepared for the math FCAT, scoring higher than the rest. Long Middle School scored well above the State and District averages in each grade on this year’s math FCAT, as well.
Veterans and Sand Pine Elementary fifth graders stood out among the rest in FCAT Science, as did Long.
Wesley Chapel Writing Well
The FCAT Writing test is a little different than the multiple choice FCAT Math, Reading and Science tests. Instead, it provides students with either an expository, narrative or persuasive writing prompt. To the best of their abilities, fourth, eighth and tenth grade students compose a well-thought-out and well-communicated written response to the prompt, which is evaluated on a 1.0-6.0 scale. The State of Florida defines proficiency as scoring a 3.5 or higher on the FCAT Writing exam.
Although the State’s mean (average) score was a 3.4 and the District average a 3.3, or just below “proficiency,” the mean score for the students at Wesley Chapel’s twelve public schools was a 3.5.
In fourth grade writing, Wesley Chapel Elementary averaged a 4.0, with 74 percent of students scoring a 3.5 or higher. Veterans was not far behind, averaging a 3.8, with 75 percent of students scoring a 3.5 or above.
Long’s eighth graders averaged a 3.5 and had 66 percent score a 3.5 or higher, well above the District proficiency average of 48 percent.
Both Wesley Chapel high schools performed at or above State and District averages. The high school State average of 3.4 had 62 percent of students scoring a 3.5 or better, while the District averaged a 3.3, with 63 percent proficiency. WCH averaged a 3.5 and tied the District proficiency average, while WRH averaged a 3.7 and trumped the State and District with a solid 76-percent proficiency.
For full FCAT score results from Pasco County and the rest of the State of Florida, please visit FCAT.FLDOE.org.
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