 |
|
|
School Zone
Duval County Minority Students
Outpace Peers in Florida, Nation
African American and Hispanic
students in Duval County Public Schools (DCPS)
outperformed their peers in Florida and nationwide on
SAT examinations in 2006-07, according to data
highlights released this week by the Florida Partnership
For Minority and Underrepresented Students.
The independent analysis of
scores on the national college entrance exam that is
administered by the College Board reported:
- While a 10 percent
increase in the number of African American DCPS
students taking the SAT paralleled the Florida and
national rise, Duval’s African American students
outperformed their State of Florida counterparts on
three SAT subsections.
- Duval’s African American
students also outperformed their peers nationwide on
reading, mathematics and writing subsections of the
SAT.
- Similarly, there was a
23.8 percent increase in the number of Hispanic
students in Duval County taking the SAT and they,
too, outperformed their State of Florida
counterparts on three SAT subsections.
- Hispanic students in
DCPS also outscored their peers nationwide.
Superintendent Joseph Wise
praised students and teachers for the boost in SAT
scores after only one full year of implementation of
intensive initiatives to accelerate student achievement.
“We still have a long way to go to get achievement
levels where we need them to be for all our kids, but
this progress is a great boost for us,” Dr. Wise said in
a message to Duval County educators.
The 2006-07 school year was
the first of a Florida Department of Education-College
Board partnership in Duval County schools that focuses
on increased academic rigor at designated EXCELerator
schools. Enrollment in tougher Advanced Placement (AP)
classes swelled district-wide and three out of four
students in those classes received a grade of A, B or C
for high-school credit. In 2007, 1,209 more DCPS AP
exam-takers qualified for college-level credit.
The Florida Partnership
summary this week reported that:
- Mean Critical Reading
scores for Duval’s African American students is 11
points higher, mean Mathematics is 4 points higher,
and mean Writing is 8 points higher on the SAT than
African American students in public schools
throughout the State of Florida.
- Mean Critical Reading
scores for Duval’s African American students is 16
points higher, mean Mathematics is 5 points higher,
and mean Writing is 6 points higher than African
American students in public schools nationwide.
- Mean Critical Reading
scores for Duval’s Hispanic students is 19 points
higher, mean Mathematics is 24 points higher, and
mean Writing is 20 points higher than Hispanic
students in public schools throughout Florida.
- Mean Critical Reading
scores for Duval’s Hispanic students is 42 points
higher, mean Mathematics is 36 points higher, and
mean Writing is 33 points higher than Hispanic
students in public schools nationwide.
Superintendent Wise believes
that increased enrollment in rigorous Advanced Placement
courses is important to creating a college-going culture
among DCPS students but also a vitally important social
correction. He believes that all students – regardless
of their race, economic status or religion – should be
propelled forward in academic achievement through
enrollment in the more challenging courses. The current
initiatives are designed to level the playing field and
raise academic expectations of all students at all high
schools while mirroring the Duval County School Board’s
Core Beliefs and Commitments.
The Florida Partnership For
Minority and Underrepresented Students was created in
2004 by the Florida legislature. The cooperative between
the state Department of Education and the College Board
is an initiative based on the belief that all students
can learn and achieve high levels of academic success.
Similar to programs in Duval County, the Partnership’s
education reforms are based on high standards and
rigorous, supportive instruction that have resulted in
dramatic improvements, especially for underrepresented
students. |
|
|
