Black History

Florida Black Students Reach Historic Academic Achievement with End-of-Year Progress Monitoring Results

SOUTH FLORIDA TIMES — Photo courtesy of Getty Images By David L. Snelling MIAMI – Florida students scored high marks in the classrooms, as 60 percent of pupils are …

Published

4 months ago

July 1, 2026

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By David L. Snelling

MIAMI – Florida students scored high marks in the classrooms, as 60 percent of pupils are performing on or above grade level in both English language arts and mathematics, marking another significant milestone for the state’s nation-leading education system.

Impoverished Black and Hispanic students improved significantly than their counterparts from wealthier areas, as part of the state’s efforts to bring all students’ classroom performances up to par.

The Florida Department of Education recently released the results of students’ performances for the 2025-2026 school year, making significant strive for education growth for three consecutive years.

Between 2023 and 2026, the percentage of students scoring on or above grade level on the end-of-year ELA progress monitoring assessment increased by 12 percentage points, from 49 percent to 61 percent.

The percentage of students scoring on or above grade level on the end-of-year mathematics assessment has improved by 9 percentage points, up from 53 percent to 62 percent.

Florida Commissioner of Education Anatasios Kamoustsas said the achievement reflects the dedication and commitment demonstrated by students and teachers.

“I am very proud of the progress monitoring results this year. These tremendous gains are a testament to the hard work of Florida’s students, the unwavering support of parents, and the high-quality instruction delivered by teachers across the state,” said Kamoustsas.

“Galatians 6:7 reminds us that, ‘…for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap.’ This year’s accomplishments are evidence of the seeds we have sown through a commitment to student achievement. As we celebrate these record breaking results, we must build on this momentum to achieve even greater success for Florida’s students in the years ahead.”

Kamoustsas said the results of students’ stellar performances continue a multi-year trend of academic growth following the launch of Florida’s first-in-the-nation coordinated progress monitoring system in 2023.

Kamoustsas said last year, roughly 115,000 additional students performed on or above grade level in English language arts since progress monitoring was implemented.

During the previous school year, the number has grown even further with more than 150,000 additional students across grades 3 through 10 now meeting or exceeding grade level expectations.

That is roughly equivalent to the population of the City of Hollywood, Florida, Kamoustsas said.

“Previously, we recognized that 100,000 more students performed on or above grade level in mathematics,” Kamoustsas said. “This year, that achievement has expanded to nearly 115,000 additional students across all mathematics assessments. This is equivalent to about the same as Clearwater.”

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida became the first state in the nation to replace traditional end-of-year testing with a progress monitoring system.

Under the previous high-stakes testing model, students could struggle the entire school year without educators receiving the information needed to proactively address those challenges.

Florida’s progress monitoring system changed that by providing teachers, students, and families with real-time insight into student performance.

It allows educators and parents to identify areas where students may need additional support, adjust instruction, and help students stay on track to achieve academic success.

Since, students’ performances have steadily increased across grade levels and student subgroups.

“Florida did not become the Education State by accident. We got here by setting high expectations, empowering parents, supporting teachers, and refusing to settle for the status quo,” said DeSantis. “For the first time ever, more than 60 percent of Florida students are now performing on or above grade level in both English language arts and mathematics. This success demonstrates that our education reforms, like progress monitoring, are delivering real results for our students.”

According to the assessment results, 61 of students in grades 3-10 scored on or above grade level on the end-of-year ELA progress monitoring assessment (PM3), an increase of 4 percentage points from 2025 and 12 percentage points from 2023.

Performance increased by 22 percentage points in ELA from the beginning of the school year (PM1) to the end of the school year (PM3), with 61 percent of students scoring on or above grade level in PM3 compared to 39 percent in PM1.

Students from economically disadvantaged families, African American students, Hispanic students, and English language learners increased their ELA performance by 5 percentage points in grades 3-10 compared to 2025.

Students with disabilities increased performance by 3 percentage points in grades 3-10 ELA/Reading compared to 2025.

In mathematics, 62 percent of students in grades 3-8 scored on or above grade level on the end-of-year mathematics progress monitoring assessment (PM3), an increase of 3 percentage points from 2025 and 9 percentage points from 2023.

Performance increased by 46 percentage points in mathematics from the beginning of the school year (PM1) to the end of the school year (PM3), with 62% of students scoring on or above grade level in PM3 compared to 16% in PM1.

English language learners increased performance by 6 percentage points, Hispanic students increased by 4 percentage points, and students from economically disadvantaged families and African American students increased by 3 percentage points in grades 3-8 mathematics compared to 2025.

Students with disabilities increased performance by 2 percentage points in grades 3-8 Mathematics compared to 2025.

In Algebra and Geometry, 61 percent of students scored on or above grade level in Algebra 1, an increase of 4 percentage points from 2025 and 11 percentage points from 2023.

Fifty-five percent of students scored on or above grade level in Geometry, an increase of 1 percentage point from 2025 and 9 percentage points from 2023.

African American students, Hispanic students, and English language learners improved their performance in Algebra 1 by 4 percentage points compared to 2025.

African American, Hispanic, and White students increased their performance by 2 percentage points in Geometry compared to 2025.

For Science performance in grades 5 and 8, and in Biology 1, is the highest it has been since the tests were first administered.

About 60 percent of students scored on or above grade level in 5th Grade Science, an increase of 5 percentage points from 2025.

Fifty seven percent of students scored on or above grade level in 8th Grade Science, (including 8th Grade students who took the Biology 1 EOC, an increase of 4 percentage points from 2025.

About 74 percent of students scored on or above grade level in Biology 1, an increase of 4 percentage points from 2025.

Students from economically disadvantaged families, African American students, and Hispanic students increased their performance by 6 percentage points in 5th Grade Science, while students with disabilities and English language learners increased by 5 percentage points compared to 2025.

African American students increased performance by 6 percentage points, while students from economically disadvantaged families and Hispanic students increased performance by 4 percentage points in 8th Grade Science, including 8th Grade students who took the Biology 1 EOC, compared to 2025.

Hispanic students and English language learners increased performance by 4 percentage points in Biology 1 compared to 2025.

For Social Studies performance in Civics and U.S. History is the highest it has been since the tests were first administered.

About 76 percent of students scored on or above grade level in Civics, an increase of 6 percentage points from 2025.

About 73 percent of students scored on or above grade level in U.S. History, an increase of 3 percentage points from 2025.

English language learners increased performance by 8 percentage points, students from economically disadvantaged families and Hispanic students increased by 7 percentage points, and African American students and students with disabilities increased by 6 percentage points in Civics compared to 2025.

African American students increased performance by 5 percentage points, while students with disabilities increased by 4 percentage points in U.S. History compared to 2025.

Based on reporting by South Florida Times.

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Black History

Practitioners of African Traditional Spirituality Offer Ancestral Reverence Ritual Oct. 31

The Council for Global Ancestral Reverence will host “Ancestral Souls Rising” from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, featuring a three-day gathering of prayer and discussion. Led by elders and priests across the African diaspora, the seventh annual ritual honors those lost without traditional rites while addressing current social challenges. This year’s event connects ancestral wisdom with contemporary issues, including a two-day conversation inspired by Afro-Beat music focused on Black community solidarity and the sacred importance of voting. Read more for details on the ritual schedule and participants.

Published

7 days ago

October 19, 2026

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Oakland native Nedra Williams writes sacred symbols on the ground in San Leandro. Courtesy photo.

By Special to The Post

The Council for Global Ancestral Reverence (C4GAR), a group of elders who practice African traditional spirituality, will lead a three-day gathering of prayer and discussion from Oct. 31-Nov. 2.

Called ‘Ancestral Souls Rising,’ the council members and 21 priests will lead the prayers from many parts of the African diaspora: Africa, Portugal, and across the U.S. from Maryland to the Bay Area.

Now in its seventh year, the annual ritual began during the 2020 pandemic when hundreds of thousands of people died alone and were buried in mass graves without rites and rituals according to loved ones’ traditions.

This prayer event was and is intended to give peace to the departed and comfort for the living who still mourn. Each year, we gather names of new ancestors from living elders to elevate them into the “Great Hall of the Titans.”

In ensuing years, C4GAR added themes to the prayer gathering that referenced current events. In 2024, before the consequential presidential election, C4GAR called on people to vote, invoking the memory of Civil Rights Movement heroes and heroines like John Lewis, who urged “Good Trouble,” and Fannie Lou Hamer, who famously declared that she was “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

The day of global Prayer on Oct. 31 will be followed by a two-day conversation inspired by “The Blueprint,” an Afro-Beat song by UyiosaEl, to write our new blueprint that supports solidarity and action in the Black community.

“Our elders have, for many generations, known the power of prayer, ritual and breath,” the council said in a statement.

It was and is their intention, then, to use the cultural wisdom, the gift of prayer “and the most sacred thing we have, our breath, to send energy into the world that invokes and honors our ancestors,” the council statement continued.

“Doing this creates a vibration that protects us and employs their ancient wisdom for the well-being of our communities,” the elders said.

The councilmembers, all over the age of 60, recognize that what is now history for so many was once their lived experience. And that history, those joys and sorrows, are now in their bodies.

To them, the uttered prayer and the sacred breath are oaths to an unfolding future that people can still shape.

The council members are Dr. Iyabeji Cathy Royal, Iyalocha Jennifer Dillard, Manbo Charlene Desir (Florida), Nana Sula Spirit (Louisiana), Baba Obafemi Feyemi, Ohen Nedra T. Williams, and Iyalocha Wanda Ravernell-Stewart Emeritus (Oakland).

This year, they also encourage everyone within their reach to VOTE because it is not only a secular and political act, but a sacred one. Remember, the ancestors were denied that right and died for it.

For tickets, go to:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/council-for-global-ancestral-reverence-presents-ancestral-souls-rising-26-tickets-2003127345814?aff=oddtdtcreator

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of October 14 – 20, 2026

Published

7 days ago

October 19, 2026

Oakland Post

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Black History

OP-ED: The Black Church Writes AI’s Next Chapter

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — I implore my fellow faith leaders to use these tools. Start now and use them with wisdom. We count on each and every one of you to make sure our communities help write the next chapter of this story. This rapid change is not as unfamiliar as it may sound. My first understanding of AI came from using a calculator for the first time in grade school. We did not call it AI, but it was a tool that helped me work through mathematical equations hours more efficiently.

Published

7 days ago

October 18, 2026

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For generations, the Black church has stood strong in our communities through every historical change this country has experienced. During the civil rights movement and in recent times, faith leaders have helped uplift Black sanctuaries to register voters, keep food pantries open for people in need, and sit with families in hospital rooms in their most desperate moments. When our people faced new trials, they could always look to our faith leaders and the church to lean in to help us be included in these transformative changes.

Artificial intelligence is the latest revolutionary change to impact our society, and much like other transformations before us, underserved communities often get left behind.

I was recently featured in a report entitled “Faith, Community & AI” and it found that people send ChatGPT more than 70 million messages a week about religion. Nearly 22 million involve studying sacred texts, and 16 million ask about religious practices and holy days. Our members make up part of those numbers. They bring questions of faith to these tools every day.

Pastors have noticed, and according to a September 2025 Lifeway Research survey of 1,003 Protestant pastors, 42 percent said they use or experiment with AI in ministry. I count myself among them.

I write my sermons by hand, through prayer and study. When I finish a draft, I ask ChatGPT this question: “Where might this sermon become unclear or difficult to follow for someone early in their walk of faith?” It shows me gaps in my preparation, like where I incorrectly assumed everyone would know the context of who the Pharisees were. Then, change comes from my own pen, not the robot. The tool helps me reach the person in the back pew while the message still comes from me.

If I could have my wish, our whole community would take a similar posture. We must use these tools, understand them, and most importantly be present to help shape them if we want to be included in the coming change.

I implore my fellow faith leaders to use these tools. Start now and use them with wisdom. We count on each and every one of you to make sure our communities help write the next chapter of this story. This rapid change is not as unfamiliar as it may sound. My first understanding of AI came from using a calculator for the first time in grade school. We did not call it AI, but it was a tool that helped me work through mathematical equations hours more efficiently.

It starts with training; there is no involvement without understanding. Free AI trainings have begun in our churches and community centers across the nation. Every faith leader should sign up and, when possible, encourage members of your congregations to join you. By learning how to use AI, we can better understand what it can do, make up our own minds about its impact, and have a say in how it shapes our communities.”

Next, we must be at the tables where the builders of these tools make decisions. Presence is the first step toward understanding, and that gap is only bridged through a coordinated effort. How can any tool serve a community well if that community is not part of the conversation? Our traditions, needs, and concerns must be accounted for, and Black faith leaders are already making that happen. OpenAI’s recent Faith report states plainly that AI should never become an arbiter of religious truth. I fully intend to hold the company to its word, and the most effective way I can do that is from inside.

I will close with this––we must diligently protect what only the church can give. A believer in Seoul, Korea quoted in the report warned, “if you pour every struggle into a private chat, your pastor and your friends may never learn you need help.” A chatbot will not sit with a grieving family or pray with you at two in the morning. As we adopt this technology, it is up to us to ensure it keeps people connected to each other and to their church.

Rev. Dr. Adolphus Lacey is senior pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York.