Overview

Among the three Aspiration and Preparation indicators, Third Grade Reading Proficiency and High School Graduation Rates in the Southwest Florida region improved from last year’s report. The region reported a third grade reading proficiency rate of 59.3 percent during the 2018-2019 academic year compared to 56.2 percent during the 2018-2019 school year. Similarly, Southwest Florida High School Graduation Rates improved slightly, from 86.0 percent in the 2017-2018 school year to 86.4 percent in the 2018-2019 school year. Similar trends in these two indicators were observed for the state of Florida.

Kindergarten Readiness, the percent of pre-K students considered ready for kindergarten, declined slightly from last year’s report, from 44.4 percent in 2018 to 43.9 percent in 2019. The state of Florida observed a slight increase in Kindergarten readiness to 53.4 percent in 2019, up from 52.7 percent in 2018.

The Aspiration and Preparation Action Team noted a significant 2017 change in how the Star literacy assessment is administered – with the children being required to use headphones and a mouse – had impacted the 2018 scores. The decline in the Kindergarten Readiness is concerning due to the relationship between readiness as predictive of the Third Grade Reading measure. The FutureMakers Coalition will continue to advocate for age- and culture-appropriate testing procedures and to demand assistance for high-quality early childhood education programs to achieve a higher standard. The FutureMakers Coalition supports ongoing efforts – like the ones in Lee County - to scale the alignment of early childhood education systems in order to facilitate a seamless transition between pre-k and kindergarten.

Data by race/ethnicity and by gender in the Southwest Florida region are also provided for both Third Grade Reading Proficiency and High School Graduation Rates in this report. For Third Grade Reading Proficiency, none of the reported races/ethnicities – White, Latinx/Hispanic, and Black – achieved the 85 percent target rate. Only Southwest Florida students who identified as White achieved the 90 percent target rate for High School Graduation Rate (reaching a 90.1 percent rate). Latinx/Hispanic and Black students fell just below the 90 percent target, achieving rates of 82.6 percent and 83.0 percent, respectively.