Writing results of the 2009 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) were released today by the Florida Department of Education.
Essay scores for the School District of Lee County continue to be strong, officials said.
The percentage of fourth-graders achieving a score of 3.5 or higher on the essay increased seven percentage points in one year (76 to 83 percent.) The percentage of proficient eighth-graders also increased, moving from 87 percent to 90 percent. The percentage at 10th-grade dipped one percentage point, from 76 to 75 percent. Average essay writing scores equaled state averages in eighth and 10th-grades, while the District’s fourth-grade average was slightly below statewide performance.
“We see some real positive improvement in our writing achievement, but we will continue to look closely at how we can focus improvement efforts on the mechanics of writing,” said Dr. James Browder, superintendent of schools, in a prepared statement.
FCAT Writing, administered only in grades four, eight and 10 assesses student skills in composition writing, specifically in the areas of writing focus, organization, support and conventions (grammar, spelling, etc). Papers are scored on a scale from 1.0 to 6.0 with a score of 3.0 considered as meeting standard for the Federal No Child Left Behind legislation and 3.5 or higher for the Florida A+ Plan (School Grading.)
The 2009 data released today are for all students, including special education students (ESE) and students who speak English as a second language (ESOL.) In the official State Accountability Report (school grading) to be released in July, the Department of Education will include only those students in the standard curriculum program.
FCAT Writing individual student reports will be released in late May along with reading, math and science score reports.

Source: School District of Lee County