The latest results are in and kindergarten students in Marion County have shown a significant improvement in the statewide progress monitoring assessment.
In September of 2023, nearly two-thirds (64%) of kindergarten students who participated in one of the Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) programs in Marion County scored at the ready-for-kindergarten level, compared to 35% of students who did not, according to Marion County Public Schools.
VPK programs, which are now available at all public elementary schools in Marion County, help to build foundational skills for students in both early literacy and math.
The Florida Department of Education recently published the Kindergarten Readiness levels of all 67 school districts in Florida, with Marion County ranking 37th in kindergarten performance. For comparison, the county ranked 66th in the previous year’s rankings.
MCPS stated that the latest rankings show a “dramatic increase in performance” for its kindergarten students. Nearly half (49%) of Marion County’s kindergarten students scored at the ready-for-kindergarten level, which is 14 percentage points higher than the previous year.
The state average for kindergarten readiness is 51%.
“When I came to Marion County, I knew that a critical component to increasing student outcomes was improving readiness for learning in Kindergarten by expanding access to high-quality early learning for ALL students in our community,” stated Superintendent Dr. Diane Gullett. “Hence, I added Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten to every elementary school throughout our district.”
Dr. Gullett added that she is “delighted to see that through the hard work of our team, students have a strong start to their education.”
Within the first 30 days of the school year, state law requires that kindergarten screenings be administered for all kindergarten students. These results provide valuable information about a child’s readiness for school and help teachers plan to meet each student’s individual needs throughout the year.
Beginning last year, the new Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) Star Early Literacy has served as the screener.
For more information, visit the Florida Department of Education’s website.