JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – New statewide test results from the Department of Education show achievement gaps between students are closing.
The results cover how students, from third to eighth grade, scored in math and English. Included in the results is a breakdown of how students scored based on race and their socio-economic background.
The categories were white, African American, and Hispanic students, as well as students who were identified as “economically disadvantaged.”
Statewide -- Black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students saw an improvement in “Level 3 or above” English Language Arts scores by one percent. The achievement gap between both white and Black students and white and Hispanic students narrowed by 1 percentage point for that subject.
Improvements were also found in the math testing results where the achievement gap between both white and Black students and white and Hispanic students closed by 4 percentage points.
Overall, math performance for all students between third and eighth grade jumped 4 percentage points from 51 to 55 percent.
How did local students do in 2022 compared to 2021?
English Language Arts for those between third and tenth grades for Level 3 or above:
- Duval County: The results stayed the same
- St. Johns County: Results stayed the same
- Clay County: 1% percent drop
- Nassau County: 1% percent drop
Math for students between third and eighth grades:
- Duval County: 2% increase in performance
- Clay County: 4% increase in performance
- St. Johns County: 1% increase in performance
- Nassau County: No change in performance
This is the last time students in Florida will use the Florida Standards Assessment Testing.
Back in March, Governor DeSantis signed a bill to change annual testing to a “Progress monitoring system that will be known as Florida Assessment Student Thinking or the acronym: FAST.
DeSantis said the new testing will take place three times a year and it will take hours instead of days. He said the new system is created to figure out school grades, for teacher accountability, and to determine whether or not a student graduates from high school.
That new testing starts next school year. Click here to see the full results.