Scores show improvement for Manatee students

MANATEE — Students in East County Schools are reaching significant learning gains in reading, writing and math, according to FCAT 2.0 results released Friday by the Florida Department of Education.

In third-grade reading, 51% of Manatee’s third-graders scored at the state’s designated level of proficiency, up 2% from 2013.

McNeal Elementary led improvement with third-graders improving 23 percentage points in both reading and math, moving from scores of 70 to 93 and from 57 to 80, respectively. In writing, McNeal students improved by 2%, to 83 points.

Gullett and Willis elementary schools both increased their proficiency scores in reading by 19 points.
In math 54% of Manatee’s third-graders scored at the state’s designated level of proficiency, up 5% from 2013. Willis Elementary improved by 23%, from 69 to 92.

“We are just really excited that our schools made, what I think is, great improvement,” said Diana Greene, deputy superintendent for instruction. “Our writing score for fourth grade was 1% above the state average. Many of those schools that showed gains were Title I schools.”

Greene said the school district invested in training teachers, a move she attributed to improved scores, particularly in Title I schools such as Myakka City Elementary, which improved its proficiency level 52 points in writing, moving from 24% in 2013 to 76% in 2014.

“Even in the midst of budget woes, we were allowed to remain focused on supporting our schools,” Greene said. “This is just the first wave (of results). I’m very proud of our principals, teachers and students and support staff. They’ve overcome a lot.”

FCAT results also included scores for eighth-grade and 10th-grade students in writing.

At the middle school level, scores of eighth-graders at Braden River increased by 7% to 61 points, while Haile and Nolan Middle schools remained close to 2013, both dropping by 1% to 54.

At the high school level, Braden River increased its writing proficiency score by 12 points, to 64, while Lakewood Ranch dropped slightly, from 67 to 62 points.

Scores released last week are the first round of FCAT scores to be released. Final school grades and assessments will be released by the Florida Department of Education next month.

Click here to view a breakdown of Manatee County FCAT scores.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].