Can Hendry Students Read This?

FCAT Scores Show Low Level Readers In Our Schools

LABELLE, FLORIDA (May 23, 2006) -- Here we go again. The state
department of education has again released the FCAT scores for
students around the state and in each district in reading and math
for third through tenth grade. Hendry county students and (Glades as
well) always show up at the bottom of the barrel in FCAT scores
compared with the rest of the state. Most typically the reading
scores for high school students is the worst of the worst. The
youngest kids, in elementary grades, generally do the best in the
FCAT tests and come in near average. The older students though, get
progressively lower scores, so that in middle school, scores are way
below average, and in high school way way below average, especially
in reading skills.

Of Hendry's tenth graders, 525 of whom took the reading tests, only
15 percent scored a "3" or higher, that is, an "or better score." A
level "three" is considered by the state as "on grade level." 85
percent of the students received scores on the one and two level, the
lowest levels. At the "one" level, the lowest possible, 60 percent of
Hendry tenth graders came in at the lowest reading skill level. Check
out http://fcat.fdoe.org for details for each school and district in
reading and math.