FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RELEASES
NORM REFERENCED TEST RESULTS

(Bradenton, FL - May 27, 2008) Manatee District students improved or maintained their performance in eight of 16 grade-level categories compared to last year, according to the 2008 Norm Referenced Test (NRT) results released today by the Florida Department of Education. Today's NRT results reflect scores in reading and math for students in grades 4 through 10.

The NRT compares the performance of Florida students against students from across the nation. The scores are reported as a National Median Percentile Rank (NPR), which ranges from a low percentile rank of 1 to a high of 99. A score of 50 NPR denotes average performance.

In reading, Manatee District students improved their district-wide NPR compared to last year in grades 4, 7 and 10 and maintained their rank in grades 5 and 8. Local 10th graders made the biggest advancement in reading, raising their NPR 13 points - from a percentile rank of 56 in 2007 to a rank of 69 this school year.

District 4th graders improved their NPR seven points (from 61 in 2007 to a 68 in 2008); while local 7th graders improved five points, from a 65 to a 70 in reading. District students in grades 3 and 9 each dropped one percentile rank in reading, while Manatee 6th graders dropped five percentile points from a 68 in 2007 to a 63 this year.

In contrast, Manatee District 6th graders recorded the largest improvement when it came to the math results. In 2007, district 6th graders had a math NPR of 65, but that was increased to a 69 this year. District 5th graders were the only other grade to improve their NPR in math, rising from a 75 in 2007 to a 76 in 2008. Local 3rd graders accounted for the biggest drop in NPR rank, declining seven points from a 68 in 2007 to a 61 this year.

Over the last three years, according to the results released today, Manatee District students have increased their NPR in reading and math in 10 of the 16 grade-level categories.

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