Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) third-grade students have achieved improved results in the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) in English Language Arts (ELA).
The students’ scores have increased from 54 percent scoring at levels 3 or above in 2016 to 58 percent in 2017. The results have been released in advance of the remaining statewide assessment results to facilitate promotion decisions of students in Grade 3.
These third grade gains outpaced all of the other large Florida districts, including Broward, Duval, Orange, and Palm Beach counties. M-DCPS’s scores are on par with state averages, both in the percentages scoring in levels 3-5, and the four-point gain from 2016 to 2017. M-DCPS reduced the percentage of students scoring at level 1 by four percent, surpassing the state’s three percent. In Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), 28,421 Grade 3 students participated in the Spring 2017 FSA administration.
“Today’s results once again demonstrate that despite the challenges many children in our community face, they continue to outperform those of other large urban districts,” said Superintendent of Schools Alberto M. Carvalho. “Our school district’s remarkable performance can be attributed to the dedication of transformational educational teachers and leaders who believe in, empower and enable our children to succeed.”
The FSA ELA measures students’ mastery of grade-level content as specified by the Florida Standards. The ELA assessments include reading and language components in Grades 3 through 10, a writing component in Grades 4 through 10, and a listening component in Grades 4 through 10.
The reported scores include scale scores which can range from 240 to 360 and achievement levels which can range from 1 to 5. Current Grade 3 students who score in Level 1 will have additional opportunities to demonstrate reading mastery as required by state statute for promotion to Grade 4, including the Grade 3 Reading Student Portfolio and alternative standardized reading assessments administered in the last two weeks of the school year and at the end of the summer reading camp.
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