Students in DeKalb County performed about the same as last year on statewide reading tests, but registered changes in math.
To move automatically up to the next grade, students in third, fifth and eighth grade must pass the reading portion of the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests. Students in fifth and eighth grade must pass the math portion.
This year, 86 percent of third graders met or exceeded the reading standard, as did 89 percent of fifth graders and 91 percent of eighth graders. The biggest change from the prior year was in fifth grade, where there was a 2.8 percentage point increase in the number of students passing.
It was a different story in math, where there was more change in the key grades: the third grade pass rate rose by 2.9 percentage points, but fifth grade dropped 2.8 points and eighth was down 3.9 points. The actual math pass rates were low compared to reading, where the percent of students who met or exceeded the standards ranged from the high 80s to the low 90s. The pass rate in math was 68 percent for third graders, 76 percent for fifth graders and 65 percent for eighth graders.
The school district attributed the declines in math to a more demanding test, and said it will address the performance in that and other subjects with a variety of strategies that include teacher training and student practice.
“The CRCT indicated a need for more rigorous intervention in improving performance in mathematics, science, and social studies and we are responding with actions that will directly address this need,” Superintendent Michael Thurmond said in a written statement.
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