Santa Rosa County public school’s ranked within the top five of the state based upon the results from the 2015 Florida Standards Assessment, according to a press release from the SRC School District.
“The release of the Math and English Language Arts scores paints Santa Rosa in a very positive light,” said Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick. “Santa Rosa, once again, is found at the top of the performance rankings and miles ahead of the state average.”
In addition to crediting the “diligent teachers, professional administrators and talented students” for the achievement, Wyrosdick also praised the support from parents and the community.
Assistant Superintendent Bill Emerson also thanked the students, teachers and administrators for excelling in the newly-implemented state-wide assessment.
“Our students, teachers, administrators and parents are to be commended for their hard work and dedication for making the transition to new standards and new tests with very little time to adjust,” Emerson said in the press release. “The teachers and administrators in Santa Rosa County have my heartfelt thanks and my utmost respect. These results are simply awesome.”
In the press release, Wyrosdick said those involved in the achievement should remain confident despite the controversy following the FSA.
“Even in light of these very positive results, I would caution teachers, parents and our community to consider the scores reflect a solid student performance in spite of major difficulties with the assessment,” Wyrosdick said.
One of those difficulties is the assessment’s accountability system. Last Friday, the Florida Association of District School Superintendents stated they have “lost confidence in the current accountability system.” Florida superintendents have publicly questioned whether the FSA could be accurately used to evaluate teachers and the schools they work in, adding it could economically impact Florida counties.
“In defense of our students and teachers, we need to continue to push for a suspension of the accountability system and the effect it will have on schools and communities,” Wyrosdick said. “It is a system built on a house of cards.”
The FSA results consist of English Language Arts for the third through tenth grades and math results from the third through eighth grades, including end of course exams for Algebra One, Algebra Two and Geometry. The average of the T-scores is 50, which ranged from 20 to 80. The press release states the scores are not reflective as to how many students are proficient in each subject, due to the proficiency scores having not yet been set by the Florida State Board of Education.
English Language Arts Results
Mathematics Results
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: SRC School District ranks in top four with FSA results