PANHANDLE SCHOOLS TOP THE STATE OF FLORIDA AGAIN

Just another reason the people are moving to are area. Jobs, Quality of Life, School System, and don't forget the powdery white sand beaches of the Gulf Coast. READ ON -

Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton surpass state averages at nearly every grade level
By JULIE HATFIELD Northwest Florida Daily News 315-4412 julieh@nwfdailynews.com

Students in Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties again met or surpassed state averages in reading, math and science at all grade levels — with two exceptions — according to the state’s massive release of FCAT data Thursday. In Walton County, fifthgraders performed below the state average in math, and 11th graders performed below state average in science. On the flip side, Walton students improved their reading scores in five of eight grade levels. Walton Superintendent of Schools Carlene Anderson thought for a moment before commenting on the district’s overall results. “In some places, I was excited. Ecstatic. In some places, I sighed,” said Anderson, who added that she was not surprised to see the problem areas the data revealed. “We do see the data that will give us a good analysis of where we need to put our efforts in the coming year,” she said. The reviews in Okaloosa and Santa Rosa were more extravagantly positive, especially in Santa Rosa, which was the only district of the three to show significant improvements in science at all grade levels tested. “We’re dancing in the streets over here,” Santa Rosa Superintendent of Schools Tim Wyrosdick said. “I could just go on and on and on.” Wyrosdick highlighted achievements at individual schools such as West Navarre Elementary School, where 19.4 percent more fifth-graders achieved a Level 3 or above in math than did last year. “That’s just a phenomenal increase,” he said. “And you would think they were bad last year. No.” Okaloosa Superintendent of Schools Alexis Tibbetts also crooned about her students’ scores. “They were certainly what I hoped for,” Tibbetts said. “When you’re in a highperforming school district, we know our job is to sustain our high-performing kids at that level, and that’s hard to do.” The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test assigns students scores and then categorizes those scores into levels 1 through 5. Level 3 indicates the student is performing at grade level. In Okaloosa, only 5 percent of students scored at the lowest proficiency level, Level 1, according to a news release from the school district. “I always have high expectations, but I was particularly excited about having such a low percentage of kids in Level One,” Tibbetts said. The news release also states Okaloosa ranks first or second statewide in percent of students proficient in both math and reading in fourth through ninth grades. Eighth-graders were the state’s best in science, too, although that was with just 62 percent showing proficiency. Only 41 percent of Florida eighth-graders scored at Level 3 or above. Tibbetts pointed out that the science portion of the FCAT is relatively new, and educators are still learning how best to teach the Sunshine State Standards. “Elementary teachers have been teaching about dinosaurs and rain forests,” Tibbetts said. “But the test is focused on the natural sciences. Light. Heat. Sound. Magnetism. Electricity. … We have to reacquaint those elementary teachers with scientific principles they might not have studied since high school or college.” All three superintendents said they see room for improvement and would use this year’s scores to adjust next year’s curriculum and staff training. They also pointed out how sweet this year’s successes are, given the current climate. “This has certainly been a year of distractions,” Wyrosdick said. “The budgets, the deficit just loomed over us, and when you start having to lay people off, that creates a real distraction for students and the community. “To persevere through that, that’s an amazing accomplishment,” he said. “I just want to have a shoutout to our students and parents: Thank you for not letting that impact students’ scores.” The state will use the FCAT data and other factors, such as graduation and improvement rates, to determine individual school grades. Those results should be released later this summer.