Polk County students show gains from previous year on most state test scores

Students in Polk County’s public schools showed improvement in most categories on standardized tests given this year.

The Florida Department of Education recently released composite scores from end-of-year assessments required under state law. In recent years, the state revised its method for assessing student and district performance, adopting achievement levels for testing aligned with Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) and Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (BEST).

Polk County's testing improvements exceeded statewide figures in five of nine academic categories, spokesperson Jason Geary said: geometry, fifth-grade science, biology, U.S. history and civics. The county matched the statewide gains in English language arts, Algebra 1 and eighth-grade science.

FAST assessments cover various grades, in some cases starting with voluntary pre-kindergarten. In two subjects, English language arts/reading and mathematics, students are tested at the beginning of the school year, in the middle and at the end of the year. The state first administered the testing in 2022-23.

Scores from the first two rounds are provided for informational purposes only, helping teachers and families to guide instruction and support for students, the Department of Education said in its report. The third tests are administered for state and federal accountability purposes.

The state Department of Education released the three sets of scores for reading, given to students in grades three through 10. A chart shows the percentage of students scoring at level three or higher on each round.

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The state sets five levels for test scores. The first two indicate students rated at below grade level, while level three indicates students at grade level. Even students at level three “may need additional support for the next grade/course,” the Department of Education says.

Statewide, 33% of students scored at level three or higher on English language arts and reading in grades three through 10 to start the school year, the DOE reported. The percentages rose to 42% for mid-year tests and 53% for end-of-year tests, a total improvement of 20 percentage points.

In Polk County, 28% scored at level three or better to start the year, with 35% and then 44% reaching that level on subsequent tests. That amounted to a school-year gain of 16 percentage points.

Compared to the previous year, students statewide improved from 49% at level three or higher to 53%, the chart shows. Among Polk County students, the rate improved from 40% to 44%.

In the next category, math scores given to students in grades three through eight, only 14% of students statewide reached level three or higher at the start of the year. The percentages rose to 31% at mid-year and 56% at the end of the year, a gain of 42 points.

In Polk County, 9% of students scored at level three or higher to start the year. The figures improved to 22% at mid-year and 45% to end the year, an overall gain of 36 points.

The report compared math scores from the previous year in grades three through eight and high school. Statewide, students scoring at level three or higher rose from 51% to 55%. Polk County students saw a year-to-year gain from 40% to 43%.

Comparing scores on Algebra 1 testing for 2023 and this year, the percentage of students showing proficiency rose from 50% to 53%. Polk County saw an improvement from 38% to 41%.

The report includes year-to-year comparisons for students taking Algebra 1 tests. For those in grade eight or lower, 83% of students statewide scored at level three or higher in 2024, the same as the year before. For grades nine through 12, the rates were 29% last year and 33% in 2024.

Among Polk County students in grade eight and lower, the percentage scoring at level three or higher dropped from 76% last year to 74%. Nearly 30 other counties also saw declines. For students in ninth through 12 ^th grade, Polk County’s proficiency rate rose from 22% to 25%.

Statewide, the proficiency rate for students taking end-of-year geometry tests improved from 46% to 52%. Polk County saw an increase from 33% to 40%.

The state also released overall scores on end-of-year tests for each district in science, biology, civics and U.S. history.

Statewide, 53% of fifth-graders scored at or above grade level in science last year, compared to 51% last year. Polk County students’ proficiency jumped from 39% to 48%. Among Florida’s eighth graders, 49% reached proficiency in science, a two-point improvement from the previous year. The figure for Polk County eighth-graders improved from 34% to 36%.

On biology testing, 66% of students statewide scored at or above grade level, compared to 63% a year earlier. Polk County’s proficiency rate improved from 50% to 58%.

Florida students scored at 67% proficiency on an end-of-year civics test, a one-point improvement from 2023. The rate for Polk County, 62%, reflected a drop of three points.

Polk County showed one of its largest gains in testing for knowledge of U.S. history, jumping from 50% to 59% scoring at or above grade level. Statewide, proficiency improved from 62% to 67%.

“We are cautiously optimistic following our preliminary review of this data,” Polk County Schools Superintendent Frederick Heid said in an emailed statement. “I am excited to see substantial growth in student proficiency within many key areas. Our teachers, school staff and students made this possible through their hard work and determination in preparing for these statewide assessments. I am so proud of our educators for making magic happen every day in their classrooms, encouraging a love of learning, and preparing our students for successful lives.”

Polk County Public Schools is waiting to see how the Florida Board of Education will use the test results to calculate annual school grades, Geary said.

Florida began requiring standardized tests for public school students in the 1970s. The state introduced the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test in 1998, and former Gov. Jeb Bush emphasized standardized testing as crucial for improving public education.

Florida’s testing regimen aligned with Common Core, the name for federal standards used for assessments in most states. Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2021 announced plans to drop Common Core and end high-stakes, end-of-year testing.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13 .

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk County students show gains from previous year on most state test scores