ST. LUCIE COUNTY — The Department of Education released a battery of scores today that reflects good news as more St. Lucie Public Schools’ (SLPS) students passed the State ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies exams at higher rates this year.
Superintendent E. Wayne Gent attributes the growth to the individualized support students receive from their teachers, support staff, and school leaders. “I commend our teachers, administrators, and staff. Overall, the vast majority of our students are making gains, and we are continuing our positive trends which is a credit to our outstanding staff,” stated Gent.
Early examination of SLPS test results for our students revealed an increase in the majority of measurable areas. SLPS improved performance on FSA English Language Arts (ELA), FSA Mathematics, Science (including Biology), Civics, and US History.
- FSA ELA – SLPS students improved their performance over 2017 results in 5 out of 8 grade levels.
- FSA MATH – SLPS students improved their performance over 2017 results in 3 out of 6 grade levels.
- SCIENCE GRADES 5 and 8 – SLPS students improved by 7% and 2% respectively, outperforming the State by 3% in Grade 5.
- HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY – SLPS students increased their performance from 2017 by 4% and outperformed the State by 3%.
- NGSSS CIVICS AND US HISTORY – SLPS students increased by 2% in Civics proficiency and 1% in US History proficiency.
SLPS FSA ELA Performance for Grades 3-10 Compared to State Performance
For overall FSA ELA performance for Grades 3-10, SLPS gained one point in proficiency while the State remained the same. Grades 5, 7, 8, and 10 improved performance on the 2018 FSA ELA at a greater rate than the State. St. Lucie students in Grades 5, 8, and 10 increased their proficiency over 2017 levels by 4 percentage points in one year. Students in both grades 7 and 9 increased their performance over 2017 levels by 2% and 1% respectively as demonstrated in Table 1:
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Table 1 – 2017 to 2018 FSA ELA Growth by Grade Level for SLPS and the State Based on Percentage of Students Scoring Level 3 or Higher |
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| Year | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | Grade 9 | Grade 10 | |||||||||
| SLPS | FL | SLPS | FL | SLPS | FL | SLPS | FL | SLPS | FL | SLPS | FL | SLPS | FL | SLPS | FL | ||
| 2017 | 49 | 58 | 50 | 56 | 45 | 53 | 48 | 52 | 46 | 52 | 50 | 55 | 51 | 52 | 48 | 50 | |
| 2018 | 46 | 57 | 50 | 56 | 49 | 55 | 47 | 52 | 48 | 51 | 54 | 58 | 52 | 53 | 52 | 53 | |
| Difference | -3 | -1 | 0 | 0 | +4 | +2 | -1 | 0 | +2 | -1 | +4 | +3 | +1 | +1 | +4 | +3 | |
SLPS FSA Math Performance for Grades 3-8 Compared to State Performance
SLPS gained 2 points in FSA Math proficiency overall in Grades 3-8 moving from 52% of students at ‘Level 3 or Above’ to 54%. Grades 4, 5, and 7 improved performance over 2017 on the 2018 FSA Mathematics assessment at a greater rate than the State. Grades 4 and 7 proficiency increases outperformed the State by 3% for each grade level as shown in Table 2 below:
Table 2 – 2017 to 2018 FSA Math Growth by Grade Level for SLPS and the State Based on Percentage of Students Scoring Level 3 or Higher
| Year | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | ||||||
| SLPS | FL | SLPS | FL | SLPS | FL | SLPS | FL | SLPS | FL | SLPS | FL | |
| 2017 | 54 | 62 | 56 | 64 | 48 | 57 | 48 | 51 | 47 | 53 | 40 | 46 |
| 2018 | 54 | 62 | 57 | 62 | 55 | 61 | 46 | 52 | 49 | 54 | 35 | 45 |
| Difference | 0 | 0 | +1 | -2 | +7 | +4 | -2 | +1 | +2 | +1 | -5 | -1 |
Note: The FDOE does not administer an FSA Mathematics test at grades 9 and 10.
FSA ELA Performance for Grades 3-10
For overall FSA ELA performance for Grades 3-10, SLPS gained one point in proficiency. This exceeds the gains of most of the Comparable and Contiguous Districts in Florida in the Table 3 below:
Table 3
| Grade 3-10 FSA English Language Arts % Level 3 or Above |
Grade 3-5 FSA English Language Arts % Level 3 or Above |
Grade 6-8 FSA English Language Arts % Level 3 or Above |
Grade 9-10 FSA English Language Arts % Level 3 or Above |
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| District Name | 2017 | 2018 | 2017 | 2018 | 2017 | 2018 | 2017 | 2018 |
| STATEWIDE | 54% | 54% | 56% | 56% | 53% | 53% | 51% | 53% |
| ST. LUCIE | 49% | 50% | 48% | 48% | 48% | 50% | 50% | 52% |
About St. Lucie Public Schools
St. Lucie Public Schools (SLPS) ranks fifth in Florida and proudly serves as the highest-ranking District on the Treasure Coast with a graduation rate of 90.1 percent. As a B rated District, there are no failing schools, and SLPS has the distinction of being recognized as one of St. Lucie County’s Best Places to Work. The mission of SLPS is to ensure all students graduate from safe and caring schools equipped with the knowledge, skills and desire to succeed. For more information, visit http://www.stlucieschools.org.
