By Fallan Patterson

Staff Writer

Osceola County School District students maintained or exceeded their reading, math and science Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores from 2011, according to the Florida Department of Education, which released the final numbers Tuesday.

Using the state's retrofitted FCAT data, students from grades 3 – 10 stayed relatively steady in scoring a passing grade of 3 or higher on the math, reading and science portions of the exam.

“I commend our Osceola students and teachers for these results with the new higher standards and the rigorous testing,” Superintendent Terry Andrews said. “We will continue to work diligently in a variety of ways to ensure that our students are successful and out teachers are empowered.”

The School District Wednesday launched a parent hotline geared toward communicating directly with Osceola parents with questions regarding grade 3 promotion and retention options, as well as with grade 9 and 10 parents with questions regarding FCAT reading scores and options available to students. The hotline at 407-870-7990 will be open June 11 from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Just more than half – 54 percent – of third graders in the School District scored a 3 or above in FCAT reading, which is on par with the percentage from 2011. The state as a whole decreased 1 percentage point to 56 percent.

Third-graders who fail the reading portion of the FCAT are held back the following year. The School District is still compiling the number of third-graders who will be retained next year, spokeswoman Martha Mann said.

Fourth-graders who earned a 3 or above in reading jumped 5 percent this year over 2011 to 59 percent, while the state as a whole increased from 59 percent to 62 percent.

Osceola County fifth-graders increased three percentage points to 57 percent over the prior year in those who scored a 3 or above in FCAT reading, while the state as a whole jumped three percentage points to 61 percent.

Passing sixth-graders in Osceola County remained steadfast at 55 percent compared to 2011 in those who earned a 3 or above in FCAT reading, while the state average dropped from 58 percent to 57 percent.

Seventh-graders increased two percentage points over the prior year meaning that 54 percent of the class passed the FCAT reading exam with a 3 or higher. Statewide, seventh-graders who passed stayed at 58 percent.

The number of Osceola County eighth-graders who passed with a 3 or better on the FCAT reading increased three percentage points to 50 percent compared to 2011, while the state average increased from 53 percent to 55 percent.

Osceola County freshmen who earned a 3 or higher on the FCAT reading exam jumped four percentage points to 43 percent compared to scores in 2011. The state saw an increase of one percentage point to 52 percent.

Sophomores in Osceola County who scored a 3 or better in reading soared from 32 percent to 44 percent, a 12 percentage point increase, over scores in 2011. Tenth-graders statewide decreased two percentage points to 50 percent.

Sophomores who fail the reading portion of the FCAT must retake the exam until they pass in order to graduate.

All grades that took the mathematics portion of the FCAT made strides, according to data from the state, by increasing the number of students who passed the exam with a 3 or higher.

Osceola County third-graders who passed the math FCAT exam gained two percentage points to rise to 49 percent over the prior year, while the state as a whole increased two points to 58 percent.

Osceola County fourth graders who passed the math portion broke the halfway mark, jumping four points to 51 percent compared to 2011, while the state average increased from 58 to 60 percent.

Fifth-graders in Osceola County who passed the math exam with a 3 or higher increased one percentage point to 46 percent over 2011, while statewide, fifth-graders increased from 56 to 57 percent.

The number of county sixth-graders who passed the mathematics portion of the FCAT gained one percentage point – to 45 percent – compared to 2011. Statewide, sixth graders remained the same at 53 percent.

The number of seventh-graders who passed with a 3 or better in FCAT math also rose by one percentage point to 48 percent over the previous year, while the state remained the same at 56 percent.

The number of Osceola County eighth-graders who passed FCAT math increased by four percentage points to 48 percent compared to 2011, while the state increased from 56 percent to 57 percent.

In the beginning of the 2010-11 school year, grade 9 FCAT math scores were replaced with Algebra I End of Course Exam scores.

Additionally, in the early 2011-12 school year, grade 10 FCAT math scores were replaced with Geometry End of Course Exam scores.

For the science portion of the FCAT, the number of Osceola County fifth-graders who passed the exam with a 3 or higher held at 49 percent, compared to 2011. Statewide, fifth-graders remained the same at 51 percent.

The number eighth-graders who passed the science portion of the FCAT with a 3 or higher rose two percentage points to 39 percent compared to 2011. The state remained the same at 46 percent.

Beginning with the 2011-12 school year, grade 11 FCAT science scores were replaced with Biology I End of Course Exam scores.