Student test scores are improving in Lee County, according to state results released last week.

The School District of Lee County saw gains in the FAST testing from the first progress monitoring to the second. Business Intelligence Director Phillip Savage provided a midyear performance update regarding the academic monitoring program.

For elementary school English Language Arts achievements, the district saw year-over-year gains from 3-7% for kindergarten through second grade, and higher in math with early learners.

“It’s simple, solve the problem at the root, so students enter the testing years to succeed,” he said.

The trend is positive with an internal 8% increase between the first progress monitoring in August/September to the second progressing monitoring December/January, Savage said. The increase by 8% compared to 6% last year was for the percentage of student achieving a level 3 or higher in ELA.

“The growth of every student regardless of their starting point — the trend is undeniable. Every grade level is out performing our historical performance at the same time,” he said of the 5% jump over last year at this point.

Sustaining literacy is critical to their long-term goals, Savage said.

The learning gains for students in the bottom 25% was also addressed, as these children require the most intense and focused support.

“This group has been a top priority for school-based teams,” he said. “There are custom tools to identify which students are truly at risk. When progress stalls, pivot instruction immediately.”

The growth in math has also increased for those scoring a level 3 or higher from the first progress monitoring to the second from 13% to 17%. The gap between the district and state continues to widen — from 4% to 6%.

“Based on what we are seeing, the signal from elementary schools is very clear. We really invested a lot in math intervention,” Savage said.

The district does not always provide at-risk students with a second period of math instruction.

“We are expanding the foundational skills course and algebra support to give students extra time and focused interventions,” he said.

There also is a correlation between science achievements and reading struggles. Savage said 45% of ninth graders are on a two-year literacy support track.

“We do expect to see pretty significant one year boost in the numbers as we transition,” he said.

Regional Associate Superintendent Cherise Trent said the principal data chats and school strategic adjustments are focusing on high-impact strategies that hold them accountable to make instructional adjustments. There are intervention action plans for targeted students to get down to the student level and impact student achievement. The district is creating intervention for students who are off track and acceleration for students who are on track.

Superintendent Dr. Denise Carlin said individual students matter. When they are working with schools, they are not looking at percentage points although they matter; they look at the student — who is reaching the level three and making gains and who is not.

The district is providing “real time support to our schools and that is absolutely critical,” she said.

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