MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – It’s summertime but the test results are in!

Marion County Public Schools (MCPS) says its students showed improvement in scores in the 2023-2024 school year

The district says MCPS students show notable year-over-year improvement in the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) progress monitoring approach, a new procedure implemented by the state just two years ago.

The revised testing procedure monitors students in all 67 districts throughout the year rather than collecting data after just one end-of-year exam.

The school district says Marion County students showed improvement in nearly every grade level and in all of the following categories:

English Language Arts (ELA)

  • Every grade level improved year over year
  • The number of students advancing to the next level grade improved from 2022-2023 to 2023-2024
  • Percent of students scoring proficient (Level 3 and above) increased from 26% to 45% during this school year
  • Percent of students scoring at Level 1 decreased year over year (32% to 30%)
  • Largest gain in sixth grade (+10 points)
  • Largest cohort improvement in ninth grade (+9 points)
  • 38 schools improved overall ELA proficiency
  • Percent of all students scoring Level 3 and above increased 4 percentage points from 2023

Mathematics

  • Five of six grade levels improved or remained the same compared to 2022-2023
  • Percent of students scoring proficient increased from 10% to 47% during this school year
  • Percent of students scoring at Level 1 decreased year over year (30% to 29%)
  • Largest gain in sixth grade (+11 points)
  • 30 schools improved overall Math proficiency
  • Percent of all students scoring Level 3 and above increased 2 percentage points from 2023

Science

  • All 3 subjects improved year over year (grade 5, grade 8 and Biology)
  • Biology scores improved for the third year in a row (53% 2022 to 59% 2024)
  • 24 schools improved overall Science proficiency
  • Percent of all students scoring Level 3 and above increased 1 percentage point from 2023

Social Studies

  • U.S. History improved for the third consecutive year (63% 2022 to 66% 2024)