Students across Florida, as well as in Pasco and Hillsborough counties posted gains on statewide end-of-course, or EOC, exams.
Scores improved in all of the assessment areas in Florida, with the biggest gain being a 10 percent improvement in U.S. History.
Pasco has one of 13 school districts in the state that posted gains in all four EOC assessments, with its biggest improvement being an 8-point increase on the U.S. History assessment, Florida Education commissioner Pam Stewart reported.
The passing rate for Pasco students taking the test for the first time improved on all four assessments, improving by 2 percent in Algebra I; 2 percent in biology; 3 percent in geometry and 8 percent in U.S. History.
Hillsborough’s scores improved in two of the four assessment areas, with a 14 percent percentage gain in U.S. History and a 4 percent gain in Algebra I.
Pasco students outperformed the state in the percentage of students achieving a passing score or higher in 2014, except for Algebra I.
Some notable scores from Pasco schools include a 5-percent bump in the passing rate on the Algebra I assessment at Land O’ Lakes High School, a 7-percent gain by Wiregrass Ranch High School students on the Biology I assessment, and an 8-percent improvement on the same assessment at Zephyrhills High School.
Both Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass also posted big improvements in the passing rate on the geometry assessment. Wesley Chapel’s passing rate improved by 22 percent. Wiregrass Ranch boosted its passing rate by 13 percent. Students at both Zephyrhills and Sunlake high schools improved their passing rate by 6 percent, with Sunlake achieving a 73 percent passing rate and Zephyrhills boosting its passing rate to 60 percent.
Wesley Chapel principal Carin Nettles was delighted with her school’s results.
“I am thrilled about our scores,” she said. “We are very proud of the work our math department has done.”
The principal credits collaboration among faculty members during professional learning community meetings. Teachers are sharing “the best common lessons and assessments for our students,” she said. Teachers also have provided tutoring to help their students succeed.
Superintendent Kurt Browning said in a release that because the scores “reflect what we are teaching in the classroom, end-of-course exams present a much more accurate picture of our students’ learning during this time of transition than do high-stakes tests” like the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.
Published June 25, 2014
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