WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Results of 2021 Florida Standards Assessment and End-of-Course Exams dropped significantly this year in math, science and social studies from two years ago before the coronavirus pandemic, according to data from the Florida Department of Education released Thursday.
The state did not administer the FSA or EOC exams in Spring 2020 because of the outbreak. Since then, most children for at least some time were out of the classroom and instead learned virtually.
In all five main categories, test scores dropped for the percentage of students receiving level 3 and above, which is considered passing.
State results dropped 10 percentage points to 51% in math grades 3-8, 6 points to 47% in science fifth grade, 3 points to 48% in science eighth grade, 7 points to 64% in civics fifth to eighth grades and 6 points to 69% in history seventh to 12th grade.
Last month the state released results of the English Language Arts in which the state dropped from 55% to 52%.
Scores also dropped in most areas in Palm Beach County as well as Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee. Of the districts, there were only two areas of improvement for two years: Indian River science eight grade went from 49% to 61% and history seventh to 12 from 64% to 67%.
The biggest declines were in math, including 15 points to 49% in Palm Beach County, 13 points in Martin, 8 points in St. Lucie, 7 points in Indian River and 13 points in Okeechobee.
In the results released Thursday, the state exceeded all scores in Palm Beach County, except in science eighth grade where they were tied. The county also exceeded the state by 1 percentage point in English Language Arts.
“We have a lot of catching up to do, but we are committed to the academic, social, and emotional health of all students,” interim Superintendent Michael Burke said. “The District will continue to leverage federal educational support funds to address learning loss as a result of COVID-19 while accelerating student learning to close pre-existing achievement gaps.”
When compared with the seven largest districts in Florida, including Broward and Miami-Dade, Palm Beach County had the highest performance or tied for the highest performance for English Language Arts, grades 5, 9, and 10, mathematics grades 6 and 8, 8th-grade science and biology.
Two districts on the Treasure Coast exceeded the state average in all five categories: Martin and Indian River. Martin also exceeded the state in English Language Arts but Indian River was tied.
Martin County notably was higher in civics fifth-12th with a 75% passing the test with 69% in history seventh-12th.
In Indian River, the district scored 67% each in civics and history.
In a news release, Indian River's School District said "the data below clearly demonstrates that the SDIRC drastically outperformed districts on the Treasure Coast in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As encouraging as this is, there is still a great deal of work to do as we continue to move forward into the upcoming school year. Although we celebrate our results in comparison to surrounding districts, we will remain steadfast in our continuous improvement efforts."
The district added: "As individual and school site data becomes available, it is anticipated that the impacts of COVID-19 will have significant impacts on those who experienced disproportionate disruptions in learning due to COVID-19. Although the school site specific data is yet to be available regarding school grades, based upon the various disruptions and instructional models, school grades would unlikely clearly illustrate the hard work and dedication that has been put forth by students and staff members."
Schools' and individuals' results will be available later.
State and different school districts' data can be accessed here.
Here is a breakdown of area districts.
Percentage of level 3 and above (passing)
State
Math grades 3-8: 51% 2021, 61% 2019
Science fifth grade: 47% 2021, 53% 2019
Science eighth grade: 48% 2021, 51% 2019
Civics 5-12: 64% 2021, 71% 2019
History 7-12: 63% 2021, 69% 2019
English Language Arts third to 10th grade: 52% 2021, 55% 2019
Palm Beach County
Math grades 3-8: 49% 2021, 64% 2019
Science fifth grade: 44% 2021, 51% 2019
Science eighth grade: 48% 2021, 52% 2019
Civics 5-12: 62% 2021, 62% 2019
History 7-12: 61% 2021, 68% 2019
English Language Arts third to 10th grade: 53% 2021, 57% 2019
Martin County
Math grades 3-8: 54% 2021 67% 2019
Science fifth grade: 48% 2021, 53% 2019
Science eighth grade: 52% 2021, 58% 2019
Civics 5-12: 75% 2021, 78% 2019
History 7-12: 69% 2021, 78% 2019
English Language Arts third to 10th grade: 53% 2021, 57% 2019
St. Lucie County
Math grades 3-8: 44% 2021, 52% 2019
Science fifth grade: 43% 2021, 46% 2019
Science eighth grade: 45% 2021, 49% 2019
Civics 5-12: 61% 2021, 68% 2019
History 7-12: 60% 2021, 69% 2019
English Language Arts third to 10th grade: 47% 2021, 51% 2019
Indian River County
Math grades 3-8: 53% 2021, 60% 2019
Science fifth grade: 52% 2021, 53% 2019
Science eight grade: 51% 2021, 49% 2019
Civics 5-12: 67% 2021, 69% 2019
History 7-12: 67% 2021, 64% 2019
English Language Arts third to 10th grade: 52% 2021, 55% 2019
Okeechobee County
Math grades 3-8: 47% 2021, 60% 2019
Science fifth grade: 36% 2021, 44% 2019
Science eighth grade: 38% 2021, 41% 2019
Civics 5-12: 61% 2021, 66% 2019
History 7-12: 51% 2021, 57% 2019
English Language Arts third to 10th grade: 51% 2021, 45% 2019
