The state Department of Education on Tuesday touted results from 2022 standardized tests as narrowing achievement gaps, with Black and Hispanic students showing improvement on math and English-language arts exams.
Data published by the department showed 55% of students in third through eighth grades scored “level 3,” which is considered satisfactory, or higher on the mathematics portion of the Florida Standards Assessments and end-of-course exams, a 4 percentage point increase from last year. In English-language arts, scores stayed the same for third- through 10th-grade students, at 52% earning at least satisfactory scores.
The department pointed to data related to specific demographics of students. According to the department, Hispanic students showed an increase of 6 percentage points over last year on the Florida Standards Assessments and end-of-course exams in third through eighth grades. African-American students increased performance by the same margin on the math exams in third through eighth grades, a department news release said.
Hispanic and African-American students in third through 10th grades also showed a 1 percentage point increase on English-language arts exams over last year.
This school year was the last time that the Florida Standards Assessments will be administered to students. Legislation passed during the 2022 legislative session and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in March required that the assessments be replaced by a “progress monitoring” testing system.