Letters to the Editor

+ PTO applauds FCAT performance
Dear Editor,
On behalf of the Robert Willis Elementary PTO, we would like to congratulate all of our students, parents and Willis staff on a job well done.

Willis 2014 FCAT scores ranked among the highest in the district. We attribute the excellent FCAT results to improved teaching rigor and the implementation of our eight keys of excellence, which not only focus on highest student academic achievement, but on becoming outstanding people, as well. Willis teachers continue to enhance their teaching skills through training sessions focused on instructional rigor and character building.   

Robert Willis Elementary 2014 FCAT highlights are most noteworthy. Willis third-grade students ranked highest in the district for proficiency in both reading and math with 88% and 93% of our third-graders scoring a level 3 or above, respectively. Our fifth-grade students ranked highest in the district for proficiency in reading and science with 90% and 85% of our fifth-graders scoring a level 3 or above, respectively.

Willis fourth-graders ranked second highest in the district for proficiency in both reading and math with 80% and 87% of our fourth-graders scoring a level 3 or above, respectively. Willis fourth-graders increased their proficiency percentages by 18 points in math and 12 points in reading over their last-year scores.

The fifth-graders increased their proficiency percentages by 17 points in math and 10 points in reading over their last-year scores.

Overall, Willis received another grade of “A” from the state. The total points earned by Willis was 683 (out of 800), which is an increase of 116 points over last year. Willis had the highest total points in the district among the elementary schools. According to School Digger, a website that ranks schools based on most recently reported math and English standardized test scores, Robert Willis Elementary School ranks better than 97.5% of elementary schools in Florida.

We, the Robert Willis Elementary PTO, would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the amazing Willis staff for all you do for our students. We would also like to thank the community for its continued support of Willis Elementary. Your generous contributions throughout the year have allowed Willis to continue to be a top performing school.
Yazzie Bruss,
Willis PTO president