Marco students perform well on FCAT test

When it comes to critical Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test results, Marco schools rated higher than the district and statewide.

Marco Island Charter Middle School and Tommie Barfield Elementary had higher percentages of students who scored a Level 3 or above in reading, mathematics and science.

Level 3, 4, or 5 on the test known commonly as FCAT means a student is performing at or above grade level.

The 2006 FCAT scores were released by the Florida Department of Education in May.

The Charter School eighth-graders had 64 percent of students score a Level 3 or above on the reading portion, compared to 46 percent statewide.

In mathematics, 86 percent of eighth-graders scored a Level 3 or above, compared to 60 percent statewide. Forty-two percent of eighth-graders scored a Level 3 or above on the science portion, compared to 32 percent statewide.

Eighty-seven percent of third-graders at Tommie Barfield Elementary scored a Level 3 or above in reading, compared to 71 percent in Collier County and 75 percent statewide.

Eighty-five percent scored a Level 3 or above in mathematics, compared to 70 percent in Collier County and 72 percent statewide.

"It's a tremendous amount of hard work on the part of everyone. When I say everyone, I mean students, teachers and parents. It means everyone working in a united effort to make it happen," Tommie Barfield Principal Jory Westberry said.

Lely High School also had a higher percentage of students score a Level 3 or above than the district and statewide in the science portion. For Lely juniors, 38 percent scored a Level 3 or above on the science portion, compared to 37 percent in Collier County and 35 percent statewide.

On the reading and mathematics portions, the percentage of students who scored a Level 3 or above was the same or lower than statewide. Thirty-six percent of Lely High School ninth-graders scored a Level 3 or above on the reading portion, compared to 40 percent statewide.

The FCAT scores determine whether a high school student will graduate and whether a third-grader will be held back. The scores also determine a school's letter grade.

Schools are graded A through F, with A being a high-performing school and F being a low-performing school.

The assigned grade for each school is based primarily on the student achievement data from the FCAT. The grades are a combination of annual learning gains of each student, the progress of the lowest percentile of students and meeting proficiency standards.

A school receives one point for each percent of students who score high on the FCAT and one point for students who make learning gains in the reading or math areas.

Tommie Barfield and Charter Middle School remained the same and received an A grade for the 2005-06 school year.

Westberry said there are variables every year and that always makes the process a challenge.

"I don't take anything for granted. You try really, really hard and hope your efforts are enough," Westberry said about maintaining an A grade.

The Marco schools contributed to the highest number and highest percentage of A schools for Collier County since grades were first given in 1999. An A school must earn 410 points or more, meet adequate progress of the lowest students in reading and test at least 95 percent of eligible students.

Lely improved one letter grade from D to C and was among 11 other schools in Collier County that improved at least one letter grade.

Among the main reasons Lely improved from D to C was the focus on reading and placing remedial students in classes that gave them the opportunity to show learning gains, said Tammy Rodriguez, Lely's assistant principal of curriculum and instruction.

The entire school focused on reading and monitored the test scores throughout the year by giving students the Group Reading and Diagnostic Evaluation test to place them appropriately, she said.

"The staff did a fantastic job working together to make sure students had every opportunity to succeed," Rodriguez said.

At Lely, 50 percent of students in the bottom 25th percentile made learning gains in reading on the FCAT. The schools are given extra credit toward the points for their school grade for helping the bottom percentage of students improve.

Schools that receive an A grade or improve at least one performance grade from the previous year are eligible to earn $100 per registered student. The funds can be used for nonrecurring faculty incentives, educational equipment, new technology or hiring temporary personnel to assist in maintaining and improving student performance.

"It's a joyous feeling for all the schools that worked so hard to achieve," Westberry said.