The writing is on the wall for students in North Central Florida: they are pretty much equal to their peers across the state when it comes to the writing portion of this year's FCAT exams.
4th, 8th, and 10th graders write an essay in response to questions. Around Florida, 85% of 4th graders, 90% of 8th graders, and 77% of 10th graders scored high enough on the combined expository and persuasive sections of the test to be considered "proficient."
Students in our area matched those scores, for the most part. But 4th and 8th graders in Dixie County scored much higher--and 10th graders posted the third-worst score in the state.

Among 4th, 8th, and 10th graders, Alachua County 89%, 88%, and 77% were considered "proficient." In Columbia, it was 85%, 87%, 83%; In Dixie, it was 91%, 94%, and 57%; In Gilchrist, it was 89%, 90%, and 77%; In Levy, it was 83%, 88%, and 61%; and in Marion, it was 80%, 86%, and 70%.

The reading and math portions of the FCAT are scheduled to be released in May.