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M-DCPS STUDENTS CONTINUE TO MAKE IMPRESSIVE MIAMI – Miami-Dade County Public Schools students made impressive gains this school year on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). According to results released today by the Florida Department of Education, the percentage of students meeting the State’s high measures increased at nearly every grade level in almost every subject. “This is a wonderful achievement,” said Superintendent of Schools Alberto Carvalho. “It’s a testament to the hard work and commitment of every student, every parent, every teacher, and every employee of this school district. Despite limited resources and challenging economic conditions, teaching and learning in Miami-Dade classrooms continue to soar.” Among District highlights: · Improvement in all three subject areas (reading, mathematics, and science) was seen for District elementary school students in grades 4 and 5, with sizeable increases in the percentage of students scoring in Levels 3 - 5. · Overall, the FCAT Reading and Mathematics results for the District’s senior high school students improved substantially from 2008 to 2009, outpacing state gains in the percentages of ninth and tenth grade students scoring high (Levels 3 - 5). · District students’ mean Scale Scores and Developmental Scale Scores improved in reading in all grades 4 through 10 from 2008 to 2009. · Fifty-one percent of the District’s tenth grade students passed the FCAT Reading graduation test on their first attempt in March 2009, exceeding 50 percent for the first time and closing in on the overall percentage of the students passing statewide. There also were several individual school success stories, including Liberty City Elementary School students whose reading scores across all grades improved by more than 30 points over last year and whose math scores improved by 38 points. Also, Miami Central Senior High School test results increased by more than four points across all grade levels in reading and 16 points across all grade levels in math. Both schools were on the District’s critical list of Differentiated Accountability (DA) schools that were threatened with serious sanctions, including closure, by the Florida Department of Education, if the schools did not improve their scores. To help these and other DA schools, Superintendent Carvalho initiated the Success Academy model, which offered students special tutoring on Saturdays and holidays to bolster student learning. Miami-Dade student gains came in spite of challenges including limited-English proficiency and poverty. More than 15 percent of Miami-Dade students are English language learners, compared with nine percent state-wide, and 60 percent of Miami-Dade students are at the poverty level, compared to 46 percent state-wide. Last year, 13,161 new students, more than the student populations of nearly half of Florida’s school districts, were identified as low income. Additionally, the success comes after the District has weathered more than $400 million in budget cuts over the last year. For a complete list of school FCAT results for Miami-Dade County, go to www.fldoe.org. # # # 09-JJS/462/TTR |
