Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Education Commissioner John L. Winn recently announced the 2006 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores, which have shown an improvement in year’s past.

Schools in Suwannee, Columbia, Lafayette, Madison and Gilchrist counties were among the top 100 districts in the state to make the biggest improvements in writing this year compared with 2005.

In Suwannee County, Branford Elementary was among the top 100 elementary schools to make those improvements. Suwannee Middle School and Branford High School were among the top 100 middle schools making the gains. Suwannee High School and Branford High School were among the top 100 high schools making gains.

Hamilton County was among the top 10 districts in the state to make the greatest one-year increase in reading proficiency for third graders. Hamilton and Lafayette counties were among the top 10 districts in the state to make the greatest one-year increase in math proficiency for third graders.

Hamilton and Suwannee counties were among the top 10 school districts in the state to close achievement gaps for third grade African Americans in reading.

Hamilton County was among the top 10 school districts in the state to close achievement gaps for third grade Hispanics in reading.

Lafayette County was among the top 10 school districts in the state to close achievement gaps for third grade Hispanics in math.

“I’m very encouraged about the scores this year,” said Suwannee School District Director of Assessment and Secondary Education Carol Risk. “Our African America students have come up. We have four schools in the county scoring among the top 100 in writing. Our middle school grades are improving,” she added.

“We’re starting to see our reading initiative take root, particularly in the upper grades,” she said.

Risk said the District has been working on getting the reading initiative implemented in every school in the county over the last four or five years. Teachers have endured intensive training to prepare for the initiate to be implemented.

She said the initiative is not a curriculum, but rather a course teaching students strategies to help them succeed in reading.

Once the District receives the paperwork on FCAT scores, parents will be notified by phone to pick up students scores.



2006 FCAT scores for Suwannee County



READING (third-10th grades take test)

Those scoring at or above grade level (level 3 and above)

Third grade: 74 percent

Fourth grade: 60 percent

Fifth grade: 61 percent

Sixth grade: 59 percent

Seventh grade: 58 percent

Eighth grade: 39 percent

Ninth grade: 37 percent

10th grade: 28 percent



MATH (third-10th grades take test)

Those scoring at or above grade level (level 3 and above)

Third grade: 60 percent

Fourth grade: 58 percent

Fifth grade: 46 percent

Sixth grade: 44 percent

Seventh grade: 53 percent

Eighth grade: 56 percent

Ninth grade: 52 percent

10th grade: 61 percent



WRITING (fourth, eighth and 10th grades take test)

Those scoring at or above grade level (level 3.5 and above)

Fourth grade: 76 percent

Eighth grade: 79 percent

10th grade: 69 percent





SCIENCE (fifth, eighth and 11th grades take test)

Those scoring at or above grade level (level 3 and above)

Fifth grade: 28 percent

Eighth grade: 29 percent

11th grade: 28 percent



SOURCE: Florida

Department of Education