County Has Second Most Students Pass Algebra I Test In Florida

Sarasota County students sure know their math. 

The Florida Department of Education reported Friday that the  posted the second-highest percentage of students in the state who passed the standardized Algebra 1 end-of-course exam on the first try.

Of the 67 county school districts, only St. Johns County had a higher percentage of first-time test takers pass. Okaloosa County tied with Sarasota.

Students in middle schools and high schools take Algebra 1. In 2012 and beyond, students in grade nine must pass the Algebra 1 exam to earn high school credit in the subject. To pass the test, students must score at level three or higher on a five-point scale.

Statewide, 59 percent of first-time test-takers passed the test. Seventy-six percent of first-time test takers in Sarasota and Okaloosa counties passed. Eighty-one percent passed in St. Johns County.

In 2011, the first time the exam was given, approximately 3,360 Sarasota County students participated. In spring 2012, about 3,110 Sarasota County students in grades seven through 12 took the test. Results are based on all students tested, including charter school students, English-language learners and students with disabilities.

Highlights of Sarasota County 2012 Algebra 1 exam results  

• Sarasota County total average exam scores are 12 points higher than the state average in 2012 for all students. District first-time test takers scores are 13 points higher than state first-time test takers, on average.

• Sarasota County total passing rates are 15 percentage points higher than the state passing rate. District first-time test takers’ passing rates are 17 percentage points higher that the state.

• Sarasota County total first-time Algebra 1 exam test takers in 2012 demonstrated a 5-percentage point increase compared to the adjusted mean scale scores for first-time test takers in 2011. The same statewide comparison of first-time Algebra 1 EOC test takers between 2011 and 2012 shows an increase of 3 percentage points.

• The percentage of Sarasota County total first-time Algebra 1 exam test takers who passed in 2012 increased by 7 percentage points compared to 2011, from 69 percent to 76 percent. The statewide percentage of students passing increased from 55 percent in 2011 to 59 percent in 2012.

District, state and school-by-school summary results are available on the Florida DOE website at http://fcat.fldoe.org/eoc/

Algebra 1 EOC Comparison table

The 2012 Algebra 1 EOC scores are reported on a scale ranging from 325 to 475.

A student must score at least 399 (at or above achievement level three) to pass the Algebra 1 exam.

In the table below, the 2011 scores have been converted to the new Algebra 1 exam scale. They are provided as adjusted scores to illustrate what the scores would have been if the new score scale and achievement levels had been approved and implemented last year.

SARASOTA COUNTY

STATE

ALGEBRA 1 EOC

Adjusted

Test Scores 2011

Test Scores 2012

Difference

Adjusted

Test Scores 2011

Test Scores 2012

Difference

Mean Scale Score:

First-Time

Test Takers*

410

415

+5

399

402

+3

Percent  Passing:

First-Time

Test Takers*

69%

76%

+ 7%

55%

59%

+ 4%

Mean Scale Score:

All Students**

N/A

413

N/A

N/A

401

N/A

Percent  Passing:   

All Students**

N/A

73%

N/A

N/A

58%

N/A

N/A = Not applicable

* All students were first-time test takers in 2011.

** In 2012, “All Students” includes students who took a prior Algebra 1 EOC assessment.