One Gwinnett County school has done what few can claim – for a second straight year, 100 percent of its students passed the Georgia High School Graduation Test.
Jeff Mathews, principal of Gwinnett School of Math, Science and Technology in Lawrenceville, said Monday several factors contributed to his students' success on the test that gauges their cumulative knowledge in English/language arts, science, math and social studies and has long been the gateway in Georgia to high school graduation.
"The success of our students not only speaks to the strength of of our faculty and to the dedication our students, but it also can be attributed to the use of common terminology across all classes though the integrated nature of our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curriculum," Mathews said.
Mathews' school's perfect passing rate is a standout in a year when the state and most metro counties saw a decline in their overall passing rate on the graduation test. The test, which has been used in Georgia for more than a decade, will be phased out starting next year in favor of more narrowly focused end-of-course tests.
Two other schools in Richmond County in East Georgia -- Johnson Magnet and Davidson Arts -- had 100 percent passing rates this year, the first time students were tested on integrated math, which is tougher and meshes algebra, geometry and statistics in a single course, according to school-by-school data released Monday.
DeKalb School for the Arts had a 100 percent passing rate last year, but a 96.6 percentage passing rate this year, the data shows.
In recent weeks, the state Department of Education has released state and district test results, showing a sizable drop in the overall passing rate. Students must pass all five portions of the graduation test to receive a full diploma, including a writing portion, the results of which have not yet been released.
State officials said the drop in the passing rate was expected since this is the first year that students have been tested on the new math. In March, the state Board of Education voted to give districts the option of teaching math traditionally, one subject at a time.
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This year, the statewide passing rate on the graduation test was: 91 percent on English/language arts; 93 percent on science; 80 percent on social studies; and 84 percent on math. On all but math, the rate slightly improved. The math passing rate dropped seven percentage points.
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