Metro and state CRCT test scores improve

Clayton County, which struggled this year to regain accreditation, saw most of its passing rates rise and come closer to the state average.

For example, 71 percent of the county's fifth-graders passed the math test, a leap from last year's 59.4 percent. It was still below 79 percent of students statewide who passed the test this year.

Across the state, students showed improvements in all areas of the CRCT, but especially in math and science, according to results released by the Georgia Department of Education on June 5.

These tests, which are geared to a new and tougher curriculum, carry enormous weight. Not only do the results determine whether third-, fifth- and eighth-graders move to the next grade, they also determine whether schools meet the goals of the federal No Child Left Behind Act and are eligible for certain federal funds.

In Forsyth County, Superintendent L.C. "Buster" Evans said Wednesday he gives much of the credit to local teachers. "Our rankings ... reflect the great work of our teachers who make teaching Georgia Performance Standards and our curriculum a real priority," Evans said.

The AJC analysis also showed:

? Gwinnett County, the state's largest school system, saw essentially no change in its reading results, but significantly higher passing rates on the math test. For example, 86 percent of fifth-graders passed the math test, compared to 80.1 percent last year, figures show.

? Cherokee County was one of the state's top performers on the third- and fifth-grade reading tests, with passing rates on the tests of 95.5 percent and 92.5 percent, respectively.

? DeKalb County had a 10-point jump in its passing rate on the eighth-grade math test, plus sizable improvement on the third- and fifth-grade math tests. Still, the passing rates were below the state average, with only 62 percent of eighth-graders passing their math test.

? Like Clayton County, Fulton and Cobb showed some of the strongest gains on the math tests. For example, the passing rate on the eighth-grade math test jumped 9.5 points, to 74.5, in Fulton and 7.1 points, to 78, in Cobb.

Last year, adults were stunned by the failure rates on some of the tests, which are supposed to align with the curriculum for students in grades 1-8 in reading, English language arts and mathematics. Third- through eighth-graders also are tested in science and social studies.

State Schools Superintendent Kathy Cox ultimately threw out 2008 scores from the sixth- and seventh-grade social studies exams, which about 71 percent of the sixth-graders and about 76 percent of the seventh-graders failed.

Matthew Dempsey contributed to the article.