Palm Beach County students do as well or better than state average on latest FCAT

The FCAT results were released by the Florida Department of Education around 11 Tuesday morning.

The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is a test administrators, parents and students stressed about during testing time.

"I think the FCAT is fine," Ricky Tolstonog, a parent of a middle school student said. "The school puts too much stress on one test. It's kind of like a baseball player coming up to bat. You get more than one try."

This year was Florida's first swing at the FCAT 2.0 test. Emerald Cove Middle School Principal Nancy Lucas admits she was worried about how students would do.

"We were a little concerned," she said. "It is reported to be a little more difficult, but we don't know the exact content so we wouldn't know for sure."

The results were released for grades three through eight in reading and math.

They were also released for grades five and eight in science.

The tougher test resulted in a decrease in the number of students scoring in the proficient level in math and reading compared to last year.

"The target keeps moving and that's what is a little difficult for us," Lucas said.

Compared to the state, the percentage of students scoring at or above proficiency level on the math FCAT in Palm Beach County beat the statewide average.

In reading and science, Palm Beach County students tied or beat the percentage of students scoring at or above proficiency level statewide.

"I was concerned about the feeling we may have if we didn't do as well," she said. "Now we're a very long way from knowing how we did for our school in the community because of a school grade."

The A-F school grades are expected to be released in three to four weeks.

A break down is listed below of the counties in our area.

Reading, Grades 3 - 10

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