Georgia Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox released statewide scores for the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests Monday, calling it the beginning of a new era for Georgia’s public schools.

This year, more than half of the CRCTs are aligned to Georgia’s new, more rigorous curriculum – the Georgia Performance Standards. In most cases, students also had to score higher on those tests in order to pass.

The Superintendent said expectations are being raised to make sure that our students are ready to compete in a 21st century global economy.

“We could not wait any longer,” Superintendent Cox said. “The world is going to have high expectations for our students in the 21st century, so we must be sure we have high expectations for them.”

Governor Sonny Perdue said Georgia must have world-class expectations for all of its students.

“Georgia students must be second-to-none in competition with students across the world,” Governor Perdue said. “To do that, we must have a realistic and challenging measuring stick. We cannot accept low expectations for Georgia students.”

RAISING EXPECTATIONS

The state has raised expectations for Georgia’s students in three main ways:

o A new curriculum that is more rigorous and puts the focus on mastering the material.
o New tests that require students to demonstrate higher thinking skills and deeper knowledge of the subject.
o Setting the bar higher by requiring students to answer more questions correctly to pass the test.

There are 19 CRCTs that are aligned to the Georgia Performance Standards: the reading test in grades 1-8; the English/language arts exams in grades 1-8; science exams in grades 6 and 7 and the math exam in grade 6.

THE RESULTS

Superintendent Cox presented each distinct set of results.

Tests based on the old curriculum: First, she released the statewide results of the 17 tests aligned to the old curriculum – the QCC. On these tests, which can be compared to previous years, students continued to show improvement in every area.

- Math scores showed improvement over last year’s results. There was a nine point, one-year jump in the percentage of students passing the math test in grade 8.

- Science scores rose slightly. The pass rate increased one point in grades 3, 5 and 8 and stayed the same in grade 4.

- The pass rate on the social studies test improved in grades 4-8, including a four point jump in the grade 6 pass rate.

Superintendent Cox said new tests will be created in these subjects as the rest of the curriculum is rolled out over the next few years.

New tests based on the new standards: The Superintendent then released the results of the 19 tests aligned to the new curriculum.

“These tests represent a new day in Georgia,” she said. “This is our new baseline.” The results show:

- Students are performing well in reading, with pass rates in grades 1-8 above 80 percent.

- English/Language Arts scores are also solid, with more than 80 percent of students passing the test in every grade but two.

- Math (grade 6) and Science (grades 6 and 7) pass rates showed there is still work to be done in those areas.

THE PLAN

Superintendent Cox said the CRCT results show there is a need for an increased focus on math and science in the middle grades.

“Since I took office, I have preached the value of making data-driven decisions,” she said. “We ask our schools and school systems to do this each year, and we will do the same.”

Best practices: Over the next several weeks, the department will gather teachers and curriculum directors from school systems that performed well on the new tests in science and math. The department will find out what can be learned from their success and if that can be translated to other schools around the state.

More training: The GaDOE will evaluate how teachers are being trained on the new curriculum and see if changes can be made to improve student achievement. Web-based tools will also be used to provide ongoing support.

Flexibility: Superintendent Cox said the department will begin looking at its budget and all its program to see if additional support can be given to middle grades math and science teachers. She also said public schools must team up with higher education, the business community and others to increase the focus on math and science education.