Julia Landon in the Times Union

News Articles

The Florida Times-Union
Duval County students score well on FCAT
Only ninth-grade reading, 10th-grade writing show a slight drop
By Mary Kelli Palka
Duval County schools showed sweeping improvements in results from the spring Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.
The percentage of students on grade level jumped or stayed the same in all but two of 19 grade levels and subjects, scores released Thursday show.
The tests are given to third- through 10th-graders in reading and math, and in science to fifth-, eighth- and 11th-graders.
If it was broad success in Duval, suburban counties generally showed a more mixed bag of ups and downs. Still, counties such as St. Johns and Clay stayed at or near the top of Florida’s 67 counties.
St. Johns elementary school students were No. 1 in reading and in math, with middle and high school students not far behind. Clay and Nassau counties also had finishers in the top 10, but the percentages of their students reading at or above grade level showed spotty improvement, with setbacks in high school reading and science.
Statewide, students across nearly all grade levels made improvements in math, reading and science, and the achievement gap among Hispanic, black and white students is narrowing, the Department of Education said Thursday.
Commissioner Eric Smith said the state is still making progress, but not as rapidly as earlier in the decade.
“We do think that it’s time for us to redouble our efforts,” he said.
Duval administrators were encouraged by the direction their students were headed. Eight elementary schools and two middle schools saw gains in every subject in every grade. Only Andrew Jackson High School dropped in all subjects at all levels. Jackson Principal Iranetta Wright wasn’t available to comment Thursday.
Students district-wide improved in math at every grade, except in eighth and 10th, where they stayed the same.
Some of the biggest increases were at Julia Landon College Preparatory and Leadership Development School, a new dedicated magnet for gifted, academically challenged and leadership programs. Sixth-graders saw a 46-point jump in reading to 87 percent of students scoring at or above grade level. And sixth-graders also saw a 54-point gain in math to 84 percent.
New principal Kelly Coker-Daniel said many of the seventh- and eighth-graders from last year were there this year, but exact numbers weren’t available. More than half of the 550 students who attend the school are from the former neighborhood boundaries, she said.
“I don’t want my eighth-graders to leave because they’re that good,” Coker-Daniel said.
The only two areas where Duval saw slight drops were in third- and ninth-grade reading. Third-grade results were released last week.
The test changes dramatically from eighth and ninth grade in terms of the amount of nonfiction text students need to read, said Kathryn LeRoy, chief academic officer for Duval schools. She said the district will work on increasing the amount of nonfiction reading in earlier grades to help students when they enter high school.
Duval made big improvements in science, beating the state average in 11th grade and nearly matching it in middle school.
The district worked on requiring students to do more critical thinking, LeRoy said. She said writing what they were seeing in science lessons helped them comprehend it.
Science scores also rose at many St. Johns County elementary schools, led by a 23-point increase at Durbin Creek.
Otis Mason and W.D. Hartley elementaries boosted scores at every grade level and in every subject.
Mason, where more than 40 percent of last year’s students were eligible for free and reduced-price lunches, gave teachers additional training in math, and built upon a method called Response to Intervention, said principal Theresa Grady. Teachers worked together more and more closely targeted extra help to kids who needed it most.
“We expanded the amount and kinds of intervention materials that we used,” Grady said.
Baker County also had a mixture of test scores, but fourth-graders in reading and sixth-graders in math saw huge gains.
Susan Voorhees, Baker’s director of accountability and special programs, said sixth-graders had strong teachers this year, and also had teachers in previous years who’ve been able to take advantage of training programs that started a few years ago in math and science.
Younger grades in Putnam County showed across-the-board improvements in math, reading and science. Among them was Moseley Elementary, where the percentage of students at or above grade level increased at all grade levels and subjects.
Principal Thomas Bolling said the staff was “ecstatic.” Bolling said teachers spent more time intensively working with the lowest-achieving students, which paid off with big learning gains in reading and math.
Nassau saw more increases than decreases in third through 11th grades.
“Overall, the movement is in the right direction,” said Sharyl Wood, spokeswoman for Nassau schools.
Smith, the education commissioner, said he was pleased with results, especially given the added pressures of a struggling economy and budget issues that teachers, students and families had to deal with.
“People held focus,” Smith said. “I think the scores reflect that.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

7th Grade Field Trip

All 7th graders listen astutely to this message please. We will be walking on Monday and playing at the park so please wear tennis shoes. Speaking of tennis, you will have an opportunity to play on the courts with Mrs. Thomas's husband so if you want to bring your own racket, you can. Additionally, bring a bottle of water and a bag lunch. The ONLY item allowed on the hike with you is a bottle of water. Make sure your laces are tied tight and your clothes are cool. You may want to avoid wearing jeans. Lastly, we are walking 2.7 miles, so bring a great attitude!

Book Arrival

We've heard that Ms. Kasztelan spoke with the sales rep for our yearbooks yesterday. The rep said that the books are printed and are being shipped out today; therefore, they should be available next Tuesday at the latest. For those who have not yet purchased a yearbook may do so when they arrive for $40. You will have class time available to sign the books.

Athletes

Any athlete who did not receive their awards and/or Landon Athletics t-shirt, please see Ms. Kimbrough on Monday-Wednesday of next week, June 1st-3rd.

Books

Thank you students for remembering to return your library books. Thirty-two library more books were returned yesterday. Bring yours to the library if you remembered today. Continue to take responsibility as future leaders.

Mr. Alexander

Dr. Coker-Daniel is very excited to let all of our students and staff know that Mr. Alexander has been selected to serve as a principal within the Duval County Public Schools for the 2009-2010 school year. He will be leaving us after school lets out to take the position of principal at Palm Avenue Exceptional Student Center. Everyone should take a moment to congratulate him on this professional accomplishment. I know that everyone at Julia Landon wishes him great success with this new endeavor!

Books

Thank you students for remembering to return your library books. Thirty-two library more books were returned yesterday. Bring yours to the library if you remembered today. Continue to take responsibility as future leaders.

Yearbooks

Yearbooks, your yearbooks will be in next week please make sure to bring your $40 so that you too can have your very own YEARBOOK...you may buy one from Ms. Kasztelan in room 104. Thank you.

Overdue books?

Students, do you have an overdue library book? Well, almost 100 library books are still checked out. Be sure to look for yours in your locker, at home & even in your classrooms. They are alot of great titles that are our most favorite & popular books. I hope they are returned. Check with Ms. King if you are not sure if you owe for a library book. Purple reminder debt slips are being delivered today.

Reading Celebration

Attention readers that are the 64 attendees for the Reading Celebration this Saturday at Metro Park: Ms. King delivered the certificates last Friday. The certificate is your family's
ticket to the party. If you made reservations with Ms. King & did not receive the certificate with a reminder of the party details, please see Ms. King.