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 …
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 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.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026
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Black History
Jackie Wright Champions Bay Area Stories, Filmmakers and Cultural Institutions
As an award-winning communications professional, Wright has worked with corporations, nonprofits, government agencies, educational institutions, artists, and community organizations. In 2026, she expanded that work by launching an introductory public relations class for small businesses and nonprofits, offering practical tools for gaining visibility, shaping messages and building productive relationships with the media.
Jackie Wright has spent more than two decades helping people, organizations and communities understand the power of a well-told story.
As founder and president of Wright Enterprises, a San Francisco-based strategic communications and public affairs firm, Wright has built a career spanning journalism, public relations, media relations, crisis communications, community engagement and multimedia storytelling.
As an award-winning communications professional, Wright has worked with corporations, nonprofits, government agencies, educational institutions, artists, and community organizations. In 2026, she expanded that work by launching an introductory public relations class for small businesses and nonprofits, offering practical tools for gaining visibility, shaping messages and building productive relationships with the media.
Wright’s commitment to storytelling is also deeply personal. She wrote and co-directed the 15-minute documentary, “Love Separated in Life…Love Reunited in Honor,” which chronicles the story of her parents, Specialist Five (S5 Wyley Wright Jr. and Ouida Fay McClendon Wright. Her father, a U.S. Army helicopter crew chief, died in Vietnam in 1964 while serving as an honor guard during a visit by then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. Decades later, Wright and her siblings had their father exhumed from a segregated cemetery in Jacksonville, Florida, and their mother moved from her burial place in Georgia so the couple could be reunited at Arlington National Cemetery in 2014.
The family journey later took Wright and her sister to Vietnam, where they discovered the former military compound that had been named in honor of their father and another fallen soldier. The documentary, centered on love, war, family, racial understanding, and remembrance, earned festival recognition at screenings.
“It was quite an honor to learn about my family’s history and share it on film,” said Wright.
That filmmaking experience complements Wright’s longstanding advocacy for independent cinema. She has served as a media partner and brand ambassador for Bay Area film festivals, including the San Francisco Black Film Festival, Oakland International Film Festival, and the Durban International Film Festival in South Africa.
“It’s important to help filmmakers and underrepresented stories reach broader audiences,” said Wright.
Whether promoting a neighborhood organization, championing an independent filmmaker or preserving her own family history, Wright has remained consistent. Through Wright Enterprises, she has turned communications into both a profession and a form of community service, telling stories that might otherwise go unheard.
“Our stories are an integral part of our history, and our history is not only American history, but worldwide,” she said.
Black History
BOOK REVIEW: Every Inch of a Lady
“Born, bred, toasted, buttered, jellied, and honeyed in Harlem” in 1937, Audrey Smaltz was a force to be reckoned with almost from the time she could walk. Her parents imbued confidence in her; they nurtured her creativity and sent her to charm school, but they never allowed her to create a stir.
Author: Audrey Smaltz with Alina Mitchell, foreword by Michael Kors, Copyright: c.2026, Publisher: Amistad, SRP: $27.99, Page Count: 256 Pages, Snaps, zippers, buttons, ties.
Toss that garment on, pull it up, wrap it around; you know what you like and how to wear it. The color is perfect for your skin tone, and the fabric enhances your figure. Yep, you always look your best and, as in the new book “Every Inch a Lady” by Audrey Smaltz (with Alina Mitchell), that best is fabulous.
“Born, bred, toasted, buttered, jellied, and honeyed in Harlem” in 1937, Audrey Smaltz was a force to be reckoned with almost from the time she could walk. Her parents imbued confidence in her; they nurtured her creativity and sent her to charm school, but they never allowed her to create a stir.
“That,” says Smaltz, “is not what ladies did.”
By the time she was a teenager, Smaltz was modeling for New York City designers. Shortly thereafter, she started working for a married man with whom she had an affair, and whom she loved very much. She broke up with him, attended college, and worked a series of jobs that taught her about fashion and jobs that didn’t seem to fit her. An ill-fated marriage took her to Chicago, where she ultimately landed a position that sent her to work in Ebony magazine’s New York office.
Working at Ebony was a career-changer, in a way. Smaltz traveled the world and learned more about fashion, but she didn’t exactly get along with her boss.
Finally, seizing an opportunity, Smaltz decided to launch her own company, Audrey Smaltz, Inc., a “fashion production business,” but she couldn’t get any designers to take a chance on her. Undaunted, she reorganized, re-branded, hit the streets, and knocked on doors until she finally found one client, which led to many others.
Through it all, her personal life was a whirlwind. She dated “more men than you can shake a book at,” settling down occasionally, briefly. Fashion had always been her first love, but she accidentally found real love, “the love of a woman,” at a leadership course…
There’s an old saying that writers need to add lots of “color” into their stories. Read a little of “Every Inch a Lady,” and you’ll notice immediately that author Audrey Smaltz (with Alina Mitchell) quite literally takes that to heart by mentioning nearly every color of the spectrum here. Hmm.
That oddity aside, Smaltz is a wonderfully lively storyteller, speaking with the energy of a woman much younger to the heart of anyone who loves fashion. That glee extends to collectors of vintage clothing, who will be delighted to read about the industry long ago and the way things worked then. Smaltz says she experienced racism, which is not unusual for pre-Civil Rights America, but doors were surprisingly closed for other reasons that will astound anyone who’s savvy about the fashion industry, even today.
There’s quite a bit of name-dropping in this book, but most of it belongs in the anecdotes, so you likely won’t mind. If you’re a fashionista, too, find “Every Inch a Lady,” and snap it up.
Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026
Longtime BWOPA Member Brendalyn Goodall Appointed to California Workforce Development Board
Jackie Wright Champions Bay Area Stories, Filmmakers and Cultural Institutions
Chef Sharon Lee Blends Culinary Excellence, Education and Empowerment
‘Passing a Law Isn’t The Finish Line’: California Assembly Evaluates Implementation, Results
OPINION: Angie Nixon Will Turn You Into a Democratic Socialist If Donald Trump Hasn’t Already
Gov. Newsom Signs Law Shielding Immigration Aid Workers From Doxing Threats
BOOK REVIEW: Every Inch of a Lady
Big City Mayors Ask for “Yes” Vote on Housing Bond Measure; Conservatives Say “No”
Madeline M. Turner: The Inventor Who Made Juicing Easier
Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Blasts California New Tire Rules; Newsom Hits Back
Frontier Airlines’ Return to Oakland Airport Brings Flights, Jobs and Opportunity
Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber Urges Californians to Vote Early as Voter ID Battle Intensifies
Gov. Newsom’s Latest Appointees Include Sacramento Advocate for Formerly Incarcerated Students; State’s New Tech Chief
Oakland Coliseum Project Opens Door for Small Businesses to Build Bigger
Department of Homeland Security Demands California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber Scrub Voter Rolls
New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial
“The Power to See Threats Sooner”: Gov. Newsom, Safety Officials Showcase California’s Investments in Hi-Tech Wildfire Prevention
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Celebrates New North Atlantic Regional Director
California Sen. Padilla Joins Colleagues to Introduce Bill Imposing Term Limits on Supreme Court Justices
Less Affluent School Districts, Including Sacramento City, Face Threat of State Takeover
Car Wash Workers Cope with Lingering Impacts of ICE Raids
COMMENTARY: You Are Already Paying for the AI Boom
California Bill Would Let Abuse Victims Use Trauma as Legal Defense for Violent Crime
Oakland Post: Week of July 29 – August 4, 2026
OP-ED: ‘The Trusted Messenger’ and the Black Vote
Oakland Post: Week of July 22 – 28, 2026
How Oakland’s Courtsmith is Scaling its Business and Local Impact
ESSAY: California Can Close Its Colorectal Cancer Gap
As Part of Your Back-to- School Checklist, Vaccinate
The Conversation With Al McFarlane 6/23/26
Media Monday 6/22/26
LIVE! ASK ALMA! — TUES. 6.23.26 7PM EST
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Celebrating Juneteenth – Frederick Douglass on education and resistance
LIVE! — ASK ALMA! — TUES. 6.19.26 7PM EST
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