FishHawk Creek Elementary Students Excel on Florida's Writing Test

was among three Hillsborough County elementary schools that excelled on Florida's FCAT writing test, school officials said Friday.

Clark, Fishhawk Creek, and Pride elementary school fourth-graders scored 4.1. Martinez Middle School eighth-graders scored 4.1. And Plant High School 10th-graders scored 3.8, while King and Steinbrenner posted a 3.7.

Hillsborough County fourth- and 10-graders posted the second highest scores in the state on Florida’s writing test, while the eighth-graders were tied for the third highest score statewide.

When compared to “comparable and contiguous” school districts (the state’s largest school districts and those in the Tampa Bay area), Hillsborough County’s fourth- and eighth-graders earned the highest scores, while the 10-graders posted the second highest score, school district officials said in a news release.

"Comparisons to writing scores from previous years are difficult because the state changed the scoring for the test, placing more of an emphasis on grammar and punctuation," the district said in the release.

In an emergency session held earlier this week, the State Board of Education lowered the passing grade for the FCAT writing test after initial results showed only about a third of students would have passed. The change would keep the failure rate about the same as last year, when 80 percent or better passed the writing test.

Students can score between a 1.0 to a 6.0 on the writing test. Hillsborough's 4th-graders scored an average of 3.4, its 8th-graders a 3.5 and its 10th-graders a 3.5.

The writing test is given only to students in the fourth, eighth and 10th grades.

For complete FCAT writing results, visit fldoe.org.