Florida end-of-course exams show improvement

Orlando Sentinel's Leslie Postal speaks with FOX35 about the Florida student exams scores being up from a year ago. (Video by FOX35)

Florida students did better than ever this year on the state's algebra exam, with 65 percent passing the math test they need to earn a high school diploma, results released Monday showed.

Students also posted best-ever scores on biology, geometry and U.S. history end-of-course exams, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Central Florida school districts, mirroring the state, showed success on most of the exams, the department said.

"I'm grinning," said Michael Blasewitz, executive director for high schools in Seminole County.

Seminole, along with Lake and Osceola county school districts, was among 13 out of 67 Florida school districts that saw improved scores on all four exams.

The Orange County school district posted better scores on three of the four exams but saw a decline on the algebra exam. Volusia County schools posted higher scores in algebra and U.S. history, held steady in geometry and dropped in biology.

Despite the increases, more than 72,000 Florida students, including thousands in Central Florida, failed the algebra 1 exam and will have to try again to pass it. The math test is the most crucial as passing is a graduation requirement. The others count for 30 percent of a student's final grade.

Students who failed the test will be invited to attend an "algebra boot camp," a summer-school plan that likely won't sound appealing but administrators hope they take up anyway.

"Please, please, please," said Michael Kotkin, principal of Lake Mary High in Seminole.

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Florida end-of-course exams show improvement