More FCAT scores bring another round of bad news

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - They're not the FCAT scores West Gate Elementary School Principal Thais Villanueva hoped for.

"It's always a disappointment, we all want them to be proficient," says Villanueva.

But they're ones she says she can work with.

"When we looked at the results and compared ourselves to others like us, it wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be," says Villanueva.

Educators know the test was graded harsher this year, so they were expecting harsh results. At west gate, there are 143 third grade students. 30% of students failed the FCAT reading test.

Lakisha Roy's son is one of them.

"We have reading comprehension books at home and he did good with the workbooks. M son will be attending summer school so he can make it up and be promoted to the fourth grade," says Roy.

Her son scored better in math - although only half of the third graders at West Gate passed that FCAT test.
For now, improving reading proficiency is the priority. West Gate and many other schools will have a summer reading program to help students complete assessments in hopes of moving on to the next level.

"We need to look at our strengths, our weaknesses and how do we do it better next year. It's not about the FCAT, it's about teaching and learning to read and write for life," says Villanueva.