Sarasota County students in all grades tested increased their scores on the spring FCAT exam this year.
The results were released Thursday and show students in the three grades tested — fourth, eighth and 10th — all improved their writing scores.

Additionally, fourth-graders achieving a 3.5 or higher on the essay portion of the exam rose to 91% this year from 85% in 2008. Eighth-graders went from a score of 90% last year to 92% this year, and 10th-graders’ scores were steady at 75%.

A 3.5 score is considered to be on grade level.

The number of students scoring 4.0 or higher increased from 75% to 84% for fourth-graders. For eighth-graders, the percentage of students achieving at least a 4.0 score went from 81% last year to 84% this year. However, tenth-graders’ scores declined slightly, going from 59% last year to 58% this year.

The fourth- and eighth-grade scores all beat the state average. Tenth-grade scores are two-to-three percentage points below the state average.

Contact Rob Roy at rroy@yourobserver.com.

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