How Palm Beach County students tested in 2024. One grade was way below state. Which one?

The results are in on the new statewide English and math standardized tests for Palm Beach County students.

FAST exams replaced the FSA statewide exams in 2023. The tests measure reading and mathematics in grades three, seven and 10. The state tests math in grades three and seven.

Palm Beach County students in grades three, seven and 10 vary only a percentage point with statewide averages in their performance on the English and language arts exams.

It's the same for third grade math, but when it comes to seventh grade math, the state average outpaces the county's by 11 points.

State education leaders and Gov. Ron DeSantis overhauled state testing standards in 2022 in order to start checking in on student progress throughout the year.

Kids take the tests three times throughout the year, but these numbers are only the final test of the year. Test results are ranked on a 1-5 scale with 5 being highest. Level 3 is considered "at grade level."

The results are in: How Palm Beach County students fared on new state tests

Here are the FAST language arts scores for Palm Beach County vs. the state

Below are the average statewide and Palm Beach County final scores for English and language arts at the end of the 2023-24 school year. The percentages represent the rate of students who tested at or above grade level.

Third grade : State, 55%, Palm Beach County 54%

Seventh grade : State, 50%, Palm Beach County, 50%

10th grade : State, 53%, Palm Beach County, 54%

Here are the FAST math scores for Palm Beach County vs. the state

Here are how Palm Beach County students averaged in math vs. the state:

Third grade : State 60%, Palm Beach County, 56%

Seventh grade : state, 47%, Palm Beach County, 36%

The Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) exams — created in March 2022 — replaced the grade-level Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) last year.

The English language arts and mathematics exams were administered three times, showing how students progressed throughout the year instead of providing a snapshot of where they are only once — at the end of each year — as the FSA did.

Often referred to as “high-stakes exams," third-graders need passing FAST reading scores to move to fourth grade and 10th grade students need passing reading scores in order to graduate.

Holly Baltz is the investigations editor at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hbaltz@pbpost.com .

Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at kkokal@pbpost.com . Help support our work, subscribe today!

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: How Palm Beach County students tested in 2024. One grade was way below state. Which one?