More Georgia students pass state-mandated tests

<p>Two years after Georgia toughened state-mandated tests based on beefed up reading and math curricula, thousands more students are passing the exams, according to data released by the state Department of Education on Wednesday.</p><p>That means fewer students will head to summer school this year in hopes of retaking the Criterion Referenced Competency Tests and advancing a grade.</p><p>The state-mandated exams are used to fulfill testing requirements of the Bush administration's "No Child Left Behind" program. All students up through eighth grade take the tests, but third-, fifth- and eighth graders must pass them to move to the next grade.</p><p>Students who do not pass the tests must enroll in summer classes in order to take the test again.</p><p>The largest improvement in pass rates was in 7th grade science, increasing from 63 percent to 70 percent over last year.</p><p>Among eighth graders, 81 percent passed the math portion of the CRCT compared to 77 percent last year. But they fared worse in social studies and science, slipping two percentage points for pass rates in both subjects.</p><p>Reading and English language arts scores didn't change much for the eighth grade. Eighty-nine percent passed reading _ the same as last year _ and 88 percent passed English language arts, compared to 87 percent last year.</p><p>Third graders improved pass rates in reading _ from 83 percent to 85 percent _ and English language arts _ from 82 percent to 86 percent. Math scores slipped slightly for third graders from 91 percent to 90 percent.</p><p>Fifth graders improved pass rates from 81 percent to 86 percent in reading and from 85 percent to 88 percent in English language arts. But scores in math dropped from 88 percent to 89 percent.</p><p>Last year, Georgia was criticized in a report put out by the Education Trust for making the CRCT test too easy. Many more students were passing that test compared to National Assessment of Educational Progress test, known as "the nation's report card." The state already had begun to phase in new curriculum when the report came out, but state officials decided to toughen CRCT based on the new material.</p><p>Scores for individual districts were not made available Wednesday because state officials are still processing the data. Matt Cardoza, spokesman for the department, said district scores will be released by June 20.</p><p>____</p><p>On the Net:</p><p>HASH(0x2debd38)</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2007/6/96581