Ed Pratt-Dannals Superintendent of Schools

1701 Prudential Drive Jacksonville, FL 32207-8182 904.390.2000 www.duvalschools.org

For Immediate Release: May 18, 2012 Contact: Jill Johnson, 904.390.2126 District Receives 2012 FCAT Writing and Reading Scores Jacksonville, FL Duval County Public Schools received its FCAT writing and reading scores from the Florida Department of Education (DOE) today. Despite state education officials decision to adjust the writing proficiency standard from 4.0 to 3.0, the district fared well and in some cases was ahead of the states proficiency average. Below is a breakdown of the results:

FCAT Writing
Duval State Duval State Duval State Grade 4 4 8 8 10 10 2011 70% 81% 79% 82% 76% 75% 2012 79% 81% 78% 77% 87% 84%

FCAT Reading
Duval State Duval State Grade 9 9 10 10 2011 43% 48% 34% 39% 2012 48% 52% 45% 50%

I am pleased with the results because in some cases our students were ahead of the state or gaining on the state in proficiency, said Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals. Our students continue to make progress thanks to the hard work of our teachers, faculty and staff. The writing standard was adjusted after state education officials received the preliminary results of students essays and noticed that the scores were significantly lower. The decision to lower the standard from a 4.0 proficiency score to a 3.0 proficiency score is for this year only. ---more---

Page 2 District Receives 2012 FCAT Writing and Reading Scores The rigor of the new test challenged students mastery of writing standard English conventions such as sentence structure, punctuation, subject-verb agreement and correct usage, to name a few. In addition to tougher guidelines, two sets of eyes reviewed and scored the exams. FCAT writing along with reading, math and science scores are factored into school grades, which many families use to determine school choice for their students. Visit the Florida Department of Education website at www.fldoe.org for a sample writing paper illustrating the change in expectations and a scoring guide for school districts to use. The remaining scores are expected to be released by the state at the beginning of the 2012-13 school year. Duval County Public Schools operates 190 schools and serves approximately 125,000 students. The school district is committed to providing high quality educational opportunities that will inspire all students to acquire and use the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in a global economy and culturally diverse world. ###