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TEST RESULTS SHOW MOST MIAMI-DADE STUDENTS READ READING AND MATH GAINS OUTPACE STATE AS A WHOLE MIAMI – For the first time, a majority of students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools read better than most students nationally, test results released Wednesday by the Florida Department of Education show. The District’s median scores in every grade from 3rd- through 10th grade surpassed the national median score of 50, in some cases by double digits. The highest scores were in 4th- and 5th grade at 66 and 65, respectively. The results are from the “Norm Referenced Test” section of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), which compares student achievement in the state to achievement across the United States. Students in 3rd-, 4th-, 6th-, and 7th grade raised their median scores by more than 10 points on the 100-point scale of the test. Miami-Dade students bettered or at least equaled the gains made across Florida in all eight grades tested, thus continuing to close the achievement gap between local students and their peers statewide. Similarly, the improvement in median math scores also surpassed gains statewide with the exception of 5th grade. In every grade tested, the District’s median score is 60 or better, meaning that most Miami-Dade County students outperform at least 60 percent of students nationally. The state also released FCAT Science results, for the first time placing students in one of five achievement levels as it does for the state standards portion of the reading and math tests. Scoring at Level 3, 4 or 5 means a student is performing proficiently or better. FCAT Science is given in 5th-, 8th, and 11th grade. While District scores climbed in 5th- and 11th grade over 2005, the majority of students still performed below Level 3, the results show. Twenty-seven percent of 5th graders, 23 percent of 8th graders and 22 percent of 11th graders performed proficiently in science. The percentage of Miami-Dade students who are proficient in science trailed the statewide results. But in 5th- and 11th grade, the improvement in 2006 was greater than the gain statewide, allowing the District to close the science achievement gap. ### 06-LJG/234 |
