With a couple of notable exceptions, Pickens County schools compared favorably to others across Georgia on the state’s standardized Criterion-Referenced Competency Test.
According to system-wide data released last week, Pickens County beat most state averages for students “exceeding or meeting expectations” on the CRCT. Officials with the Georgia Department of Education, who released statewide results in early June, applauded this year’s test results, saying students improved scores in all areas over last year, especially in math and science. Students across the state posted gains on all 14 of the tests in math and science.
“Except for one or two areas, we compared favorably to the state on the CRCT,” said Pickens School Superintendent Mike Ballew. “We will continue to evaluate our results and meet with principals and take action on ways to make improvements in certain areas.”
The CRCTs are curriculum-based tests given to students in grades 1-8 in reading, English language arts and mathematics. Beginning in third grade, students are also tested in the areas of science and social studies. Two years ago the state began a new curriculum called the Georgia Performance Standards, or GPS. This year marked the first year the CRCT was aligned with the GPS curriculum.
State law requires that students in third, fifth, and eighth grade must meet or exceed expectations on the CRCT in reading for them to be promoted to the next grade level. Fifth and eighth grade students must also meet or exceed expectations in math. Depending on the school system and when test results are returned from the state, students who have failed a portion of the test may re-take it before the end of school or during the summer.
The biggest one-year gain was in eighth-grade math, where 70 percent of students across the state met or exceeded standards, an increase of eight percentage points. In Pickens County, 74.8 percent of students met or exceeded those standards. Ninety-five percent of Pickens eighth-graders met or exceeded expectations, edging out the state score by three points.
In language arts, Pickens was below the state mark by two points with 89 percent of students meeting or exceeding. In math, 74 percent of local students met or exceeded, compared to 70 percent statewide. In science and social studies, Pickens students beat out the state numbers by at least 13 points. Locally, 77 percent met or exceeded in both science and social studies compared to just 64 and 62 percent, respectively, statewide.
In Pickens, 94 percent of third graders met or exceeded standards in reading compared to 88 percent statewide. Locally, in language arts, 89 percent of students met or exceeded standards compared to 86 percent across the state. Pickens third graders showed stronger marks compared to the state in math, science and social studies.
Eighty-two percent of Pickens students met or exceeded standards in math compared to just 74 percent across the state; 89 percent of Pickens students met or exceeded in science with only 77 percent throughout the state; and 80 percent of Pickens students met or exceeded in social students while just 71 percent did so throughout the state.
In fifth grade reading, 87 percent of students met or exceeded standards, the same as those throughout the state. In language arts, Pickens students fell behind state scores with 90 percent exceeding or meeting standards compared to 91 percent. Pickens students narrowly edged out their state counterparts in science and social studies with 77 and 71 percent, respectively, meeting or exceeding expectations.
A noteworthy exception to Pickens’ performance on the test was on fifth grade math scores where only 70 percent of local students met or exceeded standards, compared to 79 percent statewide.
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