Writing on FCAT better for 3rd year in a row

Posted on 28 April, 2006, by bcpress

BY MICHAEL RINKER
Press Staff

Baker County students’ writing scores increased across the board for the third straight year, but still lag behind state averages, according to FCAT results released last week. Writing scores are the first of several results to be released over the next several weeks from this year’s Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.
The state assigns letter grades to each school based on its
results on the FCAT and writing scores account for one-sixth of the grade.
School grades are expected to be released in June.
“We’re obviously pleased,” said School Superintendent Paula Barton, who added that the district is already planning strategies for next year to keep the momentum going.
Eighth graders at Baker County Middle School showed the biggest jump over last year – 68 percent to 78 percent – among the three grades that took the test.
The percentage shows how many students scored at or above 3.5 (on a scale of one to six), which is the “minimally acceptable level” of reading proficiency for that grade, according to state standards.
Nearly two-thirds of fourth graders at Keller Intermediate School scored at that level, an eight-point increase over last year’s 58 percent.
The score for sophomores at Baker County High School rose slightly from 76 percent to 77 percent.
Going back to 2004, fourth graders improved 14 percentage points, eighth graders 31 points and tenth graders eight points.
This year’s test introduced Writing+ (Writing Plus), a combination of an essay and multiple choice questions, according to a press release from Governor Jeb Bush. The essay portion remains the same while the multiple choice section of Writing+ includes questions designed to measure knowledge on four facets of writing skills – focus, organization, support and conventions.
This new section will provide a more comprehensive account of a student's writing and language abilities. Parents will receive a scale score on their child's performance on the entire writing test, including both the multiple choice and essay portion. Scores on the multiple choice section will not be included in a school’s grade this year. The Department will convene a group of teachers in the fall to make recommendations on achievement level standards for Writing+. Ultimately, the Writing+ performance will be included in the determination of a school's grade.
The average writing score (on a scale of 100 to 500) for local fourth graders is 275 compared to 296 statewide. For eighth graders it is 281 compared to 295, while tenth graders nearly matched the state average of 295.
Here are the types of essays required by grade, according to the Florida Department of Education:
Grade 4
Writing to explain (expository): Choose something fun to do outside and explain what makes that activity fun.
Writing to tell a story (narrative): Write a story about a time an animal does something smart.
Grade 8
Expository: Choose something from nature they like and explain why they like it.
Writing to persuade (persuasive): Persuade the principal whether students should work in groups to do all their school work.
Grade 10
Expository: Explain what changes they would make to a classroom to make it more comfortable.
Persuasive: Persuade a state legislator whether the voting age should be lowered from 18 to 16.