Bevis Students Excel on Reading Test

Hillsborough County third-graders once again exceeded the state average in reading scores and posted the highest scores in a comparison among the state’s largest school district and the districts in the Tampa Bay area.

The percentage of students statewide who scored at or above the proficiency level was 56, while 57 percent of Hillsborough County third-graders met the proficiency standard.

in FishHawk Ranch had the highest percentage of students meeting the proficience standard in the county.

According to the Hillsborough County School District, 94 percent of the third-graders at Bevis met the proficiency standard and the school posted an 11 point increase over last year.

Other schools with a high percentage of third-graders meeting the standard were Gorrie Elementary, where 92 percent of the third-graders met the proficiency standard, and McFarlane Park Elementary, where 91 percent of the third-graders met the standard.

The third-grade reading scores are particularly important – and are released earlier than other grade-level scores – because they are used to help determine whether a third-grader has the reading skills necessary to advance to the next grade level, according to the school district.

This year, the state set higher achievement levels and the results statewide were very close to the projected scores. In fact, when applying the same achievement levels to this year’s scores and last year’s scores, the results statewide and in Hillsborough were largely unchanged. Also, when applying the same achievement levels to this year’s and last year’s scores, 55 percent of Hillsborough County third-graders met the proficiency standard in math, up from 54 percent last year.

A number of schools posted large increases in the percentage of third-graders meeting the proficiency standard in reading:
Gibsonton Elementary improved by 29 percentage points.
The Walton Academy Charter School improved by 21 percentage points.
Lanier Elementary improved by 20 percentage points.

The state also released End of Course exams for biology and geometry. These scores do not affect a school’s grade, but they do contribute to a student’s overall grades.

In both biology and geometry, Hillsborough County students had the highest score among “comparable and contiguous” districts (the state’s largest districts and those in the Tampa Bay area), and exceeded the state average in both biology and geometry.

For complete FCAT writing results go to the Florida Department of Education website.