Grade-level reading scores drop in Manatee County during pandemic school year

The Florida Department of Education has released the scores for its English language arts assessment, a measure of grade-level reading among the state’s third-graders.

In Manatee County, there was a decline in third-grade students who scored “satisfactory” or better. The local score dropped 2 percentage points between 2019 and 2021, from 51% to 49% of students hitting the grade-level reading target.

And though the statewide score dropped 4 percentage points, from 58% to 54%, Manatee was still lagging behind Florida’s average score on third-grade ELA assessments.

There was no data for 2020, when tests were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I can’t say enough about the commitment of our students, teachers, paraprofessionals and all district employees who worked tirelessly to keep educating our children in the face of unimaginable challenges,” Superintendent Cynthia Saunders said in a prepared statement.

“I have also been amazed by the resiliency and resolve of our students, parents and community partners because their support and assistance made it possible for us to provide a full year of school to our students,” she continued.

Announcing the scores in a news release on Tuesday afternoon, the state education department touted the push by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran to get students back in school during the pandemic.

“The data clearly shows that, on average, districts with higher rates of in-person instruction weathered the ‘COVID slide’ better and saw lesser declines between 2019 and 2021 than districts with higher rates of virtual instruction,” the release states.

The state measures students with five different scores for its ELA and mathematics tests:

• Level 1, inadequate and highly likely to need substantial support for the next grade/course.
• Level 2, below satisfactory and likely to need substantial support for the next grade/course.
• Level 3, satisfactory and may need additional support for the next grade/course. (This is the minimum target for grade-level reading.)
• Level 4, proficient and likely to excel in the next grade/course.
• Level 5, mastery and highly likely to excel in the next grade/course.

According to state data, 3,964 third-graders took the ELA assessment in Manatee County. About 91% were learning in person, while 9% were enrolled in online classes during the test.

Of the local students who took this year’s third-grade ELA assessment:

• 27% earned a Level 1.
• 24% earned a Level 2.
• 27% earned a Level 3, the minimum target for grade-level reading.
• 17% earned a Level 4.
• 5% earned a Level 5.

The School District of Manatee County addressed the scores in its own news release on Tuesday evening. It was titled, “Manatee District Students Fare Better Than State in Maintaining Reading Scores During COVID-19 Pandemic.”

“Educators across the state expected scores to dip following interruptions to learning caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic during the past two school years,” the release states. “While Manatee County third graders did see a drop of 2 percentage points in reading scores compared to 2019, students statewide saw a drop of 4 percentage points this school year.”

The release goes on to highlight the drop of 4 percentage points — from 70% to 66% — in Sarasota County schools.

And according to Saunders, 99% of third-grades took the test in Manatee County, while 97% of students took the ELA assessment statewide.

“She also emphasized that steps have been put in place to provide additional assistance to students who need extra help to make up for lost ground due to COVID, including extending summer school into July this year, when it normally ends in June,” the news release says.

The results for other Florida Standards Assessments, the education department said, will be released by July 31.

This story was originally published June 22, 2021 at 4:39 PM.