MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS PERFORMANCE ON
FCAT WRITING CONTINUES ON UPWARD TREND

MIAMI -  The percentage of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) 4th  and 8th grade students who scored 4.0 or above on the FCAT writing assessment continued a trend of steady increases for the past three years, according to data released today by the Florida Department of Education.  The percentages of 4th and 8th grade students who scored 3.5 or above also increased or remained stable.

“This is a modest but positive trend that reflects that our students are improving at a skill that will be so important to them in the future,” said Superintendent of Schools Alberto M. Carvalho.  “We know that our business community values employees with good writing skills, and our teachers, staff and volunteers have worked hard to help our students succeed.”

M-DCPS average essay scores remained stable across the three grade levels.  M-DCPS increased the percent of students scoring 3.5 or higher in grade 4 to 84 percent and remained stable in grade 8 at 88 percent.    These scores are particularly impressive given that almost 60 percent of M-DCPS students are low-income (compared to 46 percent statewide) and that 15 percent of M-DCPS students are English Language Learners, compared to 9 percent statewide.

Five of the seven high schools identified as among the lowest performing under the state’s Differentiated Accountability system maintained or improved their scores.  Miami Central (+9 points), Miami Carol City (+8 points), and Homestead (+5 points) all scored higher, while North Miami Senior High and Corporate Academy South maintained their scores from last year.

Scores released today reflect all students tested.  Some students’ scores will not be used for accountability purposes.

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   09-JJS/436

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