M-DCPS Continues to Outpace the State, other Districts in Results of the New B.E.S.T. Assessments

Today, the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) released District and State results from the Spring 2023 administration of the new statewide assessments designed to measure the new Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.). These assessments include the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) for grades 3 through 10 in English Language Arts (ELA) and grades 3 through 8 in Mathematics, and the B.E.S.T. End-of-Course (EOC) assessments in Algebra 1 and Geometry. The Statewide Science Assessment in grades 5 and 8 and the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS) Biology 1, Civics, and United States (U.S.) History EOC results have also been released.  

Miami Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) outpaced the state in terms of mean scale score and the percentage of students scoring at Levels 3 and above on the new FAST assessments in both ELA and Mathematics during Progress Monitoring 3, which is the one used for accountability purposes.

Below are key findings from the administrations of FAST through the 2022-2023 school year, and the other assessments for the administrations during spring 2023. In reviewing these results, one may consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in the Spring of 2020, the influx of foreign-born students entering the District in 2022-2023, along with the adoption of new educational standards and a new assessment program.

·       In ELA, the District’s mean scale scores and percentages scoring in Levels 3-5 were higher than those of the state for every grade except Grade 4. However, in Grade 4 M-DCPS met the state mean scale score and state percentage scoring in Levels 3-5.

·       In addition, in ELA the increases in the percent scoring in Levels 3-5 from Fall to Spring were higher than the state in all grade levels except grade 4.

·       In Mathematics, the District’s mean scale scores and percentages scoring in Levels 3-5 were higher than those of the state for every grade except Grade 7. However, in Grade 7 M-DCPS met the state mean scale score and state percentage scoring in Levels 3-5.

·       In addition, in Mathematics the increases in the percent scoring 3-5 from fall to spring were higher than the state in all grade levels.

M-DCPS students’ performance improved significantly from fall to spring in both ELA and Mathematics.

·       In ELA, differences in the percentage of M-DCPS students scoring in Levels 3 and above from fall to spring ranged from a high of 30 percentage points in grade 3 to 12 points in grade 6.

·       In Mathematics, differences in the percentages of M-DCPS students scoring in Levels 3 and above over time, from fall to spring, ranged from a high of 55 points in grade 4 to 32 points in grade 7.

M-DCPS students also outperformed the state on the new Mathematics B.E.S.T. EOCs in Algebra 1 and geometry in terms of both mean scale score and the percent scoring proficient in Spring 2023.

·       On the Algebra 1 EOC, 60 percent of M-DCPS students scored in Levels 3-5, as compared to 54 percent statewide.

·       On the Geometry EOC, 52 percent of M-DCPS students scored in Levels 3-5, as compared to 49 percent statewide.

In science, the percentage of M-DCPS students scoring in Levels 3-5 on the Biology EOC increased by three percentage points from 2022 to 2023, from 62 to 65 percent, outpacing the state’s increase of two points to 63 percent.

·       The percentage of students in the District scoring in Levels 3-5 improved by one percentage point in both Grades 5 and 8.

In social studies, the percentages of M-DCPS students scoring proficient on both EOCs exceeded those statewide.

·       On the Civics EOC, 68 percent of the District’s students scored in Levels 3-5, remaining higher than 66 percent statewide, despite a slight decline for both jurisdictions.

·       On the U.S. History EOC, the District remained stable from 2022 to 2023, with 66 percent scoring in Levels 3 and above, while the state saw a decline of two percentage points, to 63 percent.

A comparison of performance on the new FAST assessments with other large districts indicates that M-DCPS has retained its prominence. In both ELA and Mathematics, the percentages of students scoring in Levels 3-5 and progress from fall to spring exceeded that of other large districts in addition to all students statewide.

Complete District, State, and school summary reports may be accessed via the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) website and will also be made available on the Assessment, Research, and Data Analysis website at https://arda.dadeschools.net.  Student results will be posted on the Report Card tab of the M-DCPS student portal in the coming weeks. Additionally, students and parents can access the results on the Florida Family Portal by using unique access codes provided on the M-DCPS Student Portal under “My Personal Information.”  

 
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