FL Education Commissioner touts improving student achievement in second year of progress monitoring

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Florida is touting new statistics that show Florida students saw significant improvements, nearly across the board, in year two of Florida’s progress monitoring system.

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The new statistics from the Florida Department of Education suggest the state’s new progress monitoring system is leading to improved scores, not only compared to last year, but also over the course of the 2024 school year.

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“What we’ve seen is having this information has allowed our teachers to make live adjustments in the classroom, continue to provide for those students who need it on specific items,” said Diaz.

Diaz noted some of the biggest year-over-year gains were seen in Geometry, with a six percent increase in students achieving at or above grade level, and US History which saw a five percent increase.

Throughout the 2024 school year students also saw a 20 percent improvement on grades 3-10 English assessments and a 42 percent increase in grades 3-8 mathematics.

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“Merit matters. When you get the core and you’re teaching the core of math, of English, of civics of science, you see students perform,” said Diaz.

Here in Northeast Florida, among 18 various subject and grade level categories, our nine local counties saw student achievement increase year-over-year in more than 77 percent of those categories.

Less than 17 percent of the categories saw declines.

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And Diaz argued by sticking with the new progress monitoring he system, he expects to see improvements continue in both higher and low lower performing districts.

“And I think this system accentuates that, allows teachers to teach, allows them to have the data and allows leaders to make assessments. And so I look forward to improvement, not only across the state, but in Northeast Florida,” said Diaz.

You can find a full breakdown of student achievement broken down by subject area and county HERE.

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