Jillian Schneider | July 6, 2024
(The Lion) — Florida’s public school students continue to improve in core subjects, recent testing data revealed.
The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) released the latest test scores on Monday, using year-of-year analysis and “progress monitoring,” which tracks learning over the course of a single year.
“The substantial gains achieved by Florida’s students on all statewide assessments demonstrate that progress monitoring is working,” said Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. in a press release. “I want to thank our teachers for their hard work in the classroom and the dedication of Florida’s students to growing throughout the year.
“Our dedication to our students and our willingness to change the status quo is why Florida is the number one state for education.”
During the 2023-24 school year, Florida students improved from 33% proficient in English to 53%, which was also a 4% increase year-over-year.
Math scores among 3rd to 8th graders rose 42% during the year and 4% year-over-year.
Similar improvements were noted in science, high school math, civics and U.S. History.
The report also pointed out a decrease in the achievement gap between white, African American and Hispanic students across all subjects.
The Sunshine State has been an education trailblazer in recent years, promoting civics instruction, challenging entrenched teachers’ unions, prohibiting age-inappropriate and sexualized instruction, and eliminating DEI policies.
It currently ranks first among all states in education, according to U.S. News & World Report, with distinct success in college readiness and graduation rates.
Diaz credited Florida’s success to its “focusing on core academic subjects and excellence in the classroom.”
School choice has also radically changed Florida’s education landscape, as nearly half of K-12 students attend a school other than their neighborhood public school.
And nearly 350,000 students take advantage of one of the state’s four school choice programs.
While school choice is primarily advertised as benefiting the students who leave the public school system, there are documented benefits for those who remain, too.
According to a research summary from EdChoice, 29 studies have examined the impact of private school choice on public school test scores.
The overwhelming majority (26) found a positive correlation, while only 2 indicated the choice program harmed public schools.
This article was made available to EdNews Virginia via The Lion, a publication of the Herzog Foundation.