OKEECHOBEE– On July 1 the Florida Department of Education released official results from the Spring 2024 administration of the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (F.A.S.T.) exams.  

The results of these rigorous, standards-based exams reinforce that the district’s students continue to make progress in many key areas. Overall, students demonstrated gains in both English Language Arts and mathematics, including End of Course Exams for Math.  

Some key highlights include:  

• Central Elementary School had 21% of fifth grade students score higher in mathematics than the previous year. Fifth grade students also performed higher in science and English Language Arts when compared to prior years.
• Third grade students at Everglades Elementary School showed double-digit increases in English Language Arts and mathematics, 17% and 19%, respectively. In fact, third grade mathematics scores exceed the State average by ten percent. Fifth grade students at Everglades demonstrated a 9% improvement in English Language Arts over the previous year, as well.
• Fifth grade students at North Elementary School exhibited gains in mathematics. Furthermore, students in Grades 3 and 5 outperformed the district average in English Language Arts.
• Fourth grade students at Seminole Elementary School outperformed the state in mathematics achievement. Moreover, fifth graders at Seminole showed the highest growth in science achievement in the district.
• Students in third and fifth grades at South grew in both English Language Arts and mathematics. Additionally, third and fifth grade students scored at the State average in English Language Arts. Fifth grade mathematics scores at South Elementary School exceeded the State average.
• Students at Osceola Middle School showed growth in English Language Arts in all grade levels. Sixth grade students at Osceola achieved a 12% increase in mathematics scores.
• Yearling Middle School students improved in English Language Arts and mathematics in nearly every grade level. In fact, all grade levels at Yearling Middle School are at or above the district average in English Language Arts and mathematics. Most notably, however, eighth graders who took the Algebra I End of Course exam scored 31% higher when compared to the previous year’s scores.
• Students in ninth and tenth grades at Okeechobee High School showed growth in English Language Arts. In addition, students taking the Geometry End of Course exam scored 5% higher than the prior year. Finally, 97% of ninth grade students demonstrated proficiency in Biology, outperforming the State average by 17%.

• Students taking the Geometry End of Course exam at Okeechobee Achievement Academy improved their performance by 15% over the previous year. Sixth grade proficiency scores on the English Language Arts exam were 46% higher than the past year’s scores, as well.
• At Okeechobee Virtual School, 100% of ninth grade students were proficient on the Grade 9 English Language Arts exam. Moreover, 75% of seventh grade students scored at the proficient level in mathematics.

The District wishes to thank all of its students, teachers, parents, staff, and administrators for their tireless work, which has had a direct impact on our continual improvement. We are confident that our focused efforts, as outlined in the Okeechobee County School Board’s Strategic Plan, will continue to help our students achieve.