Metro CRCT scores follow state's upward trend

By Nancy Badertscher

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Most metro Atlanta school districts saw their CRCT scores climb again this year -- mirroring a statewide trend that some say defies the economic times.

Suburban Forsyth County emerged as one of the state's top performers in district-by-district test results released Wednesday afternoon by the state Department of Education.

About 48.5 percent of the Forsyth's eighth-graders received the highest score possible on the math portion of the all-important Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests. Statewide, only 24 percent -- or half that percentage -- reached the pinnacle: the  "exceeds standards" category.

"We're ranking right at the top," said Forsyth County School Superintendent L.C. "Buster" Evans as he pored over the latest data Wednesday afternoon. "It tells me our people have worked hard, and that, even in these economic hard times, they haven't forgotten what's important."

Gwinnett County, the state's largest school district, put a priority on helping students reach the "exceeds standards" category and saw some payoff, particularly at the elementary school level. Fifty-five percent of Gwinnett fourth-graders were top scorers on the CRCT science test.

“Every day, Gwinnett teachers do an outstanding job challenging students academically," said Dale Robbins, associate superintendent for teaching and learning support. "As a result, we are seeing stable and improved performance across most content areas in nearly all grade levels."

CRCT tests gauge students' knowledge against tougher curriculum, can keep students from advancing to the next grade and factor into whether a school achieves adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Students in third through eighth grades are tested in reading, English/language arts, mathematics, science and social studies. The tests for first- and second-graders are in reading, English/language arts and mathematics.

Statewide, CRCT scores improved in almost all categories, with middle school students showing some of the biggest gains. Those statewide scores were released June 9, while the most closely watched results – those for each individual school – are due out July 8.

State Schools Superintendent Kathy Cox attributes the two-year increase in statewide scores to the hard work of teachers who, since 2004, have had to roll out the new and tougher state curriculum. The climate’s been even harsher for teachers with the recent budget cuts, class-size increases and unpaid furlough days, she has said.

The test results have been closely scrutinized the last two years, and more than 50 Atlanta city schools are currently being reviewed for possible CRCT cheating.

Scores released Wednesday showed mixed results in Atlanta Public Schools. Reading scores increased slightly for eighth-graders but dropped for third- and fifth-graders. Math scores were off, as much as 10 percentage points in third and fifth grade, data showed.

In a prepared statement, Atlanta's Superintendent Beverly Hall said the new scores point out the need "to review the instructional program and implementation practices and strategies at the elementary level, while continuing to strengthen the instructional focus and needed reforms at the middle school level."

At the middle school level, she said, "clearly further improvement is still needed."

"New middle school redesign initiatives and professional development opportunities planned for next year should lead to continued progress in our middle schools," Hall said.

Of the 181 school districts for which the state reported results, Atlanta ranked 169th in terms of the percentage of third- and eighth-grade students who passed the CRCT reading exam.

By comparison, Cobb eighth-graders ranked 22nd in percentage passing that same exam.

DeKalb Schools ranked close to the bottom in reading, ranking 154th on the third-grade test, 142nd on the fifth-grade test and 159th on the eighth-grade test, an AJC data analysis showed.

Matt Cardoza, spokesman for the state Department of Education, said students who fail the CRCT are not required under state law or board rules to attend summer school.

"It is simply an opportunity school systems must make available to children who fail the spring administration of the third-grade Reading CRCT," he said.