The Florida Department of Education has released test scores for the state's third grade reading exam and the Florida Standards Assessment results are a mixed bag for Tampa Bay area school districts.
The language arts scores are the first batch to be released from standardized tests Florida students took starting in February.
Overall, 57 percent of Florida's public school students achieved a Level 3 or higher, which is considered to be at or above grade level.
Third graders in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, Tampa Bay’s two largest school districts, scored an average of 53, four points below the state average. Sarasota County had the highest average in the region - at 68 percent.
Here are the district averages across the Tampa Bay area for the reading test:
- Florida - 57 percent
- Sarasota County - 68 percent
- Citrus County - 63 percent
- Hernando County - 62 percent
- Pasco County - 57 percent
- Hillsborough County - 53 percent
- Pinellas County - 53 percent
- Polk County - 51 percent
- Manatee County - 49 percent
Overall, 20 percent of Florida's third graders earned a Level 1 score, which could set them up to repeat the grade. But those students who can show improvement over the summer could still be promoted to fourth grade.
