Cherokee leads metro in grad test scores; Atlanta lands last
I threw the question out last week about how students fared on the Georgia High School Graduation math test and found an array of responses. Some posters reported great scores for their own schools.
But district scores released today indicate a drop in math scores overall in the metro area.
The AJC has a database where you can check math, science, social studies and English scores. My own district did well, with 99 percent passage on science, 90 on math, 96 on English and 91 social on studies. Overall, 84.4 percent of students passed all parts of the test, giving Decatur City Schools spot 18 on the statewide ranking.
The metro’s highest pass rate was Cherokee with 90 percent of its students passing all parts of the test. The lowest passing rate in the metro area was Atlanta Public Schools, with 58 percent passing.
District-by-district scores released Friday showed fewer metro students passed the math portion of the exam, which is one of five parts necessary to earn a diploma. Atlanta Public Schools showed the biggest drop in the percentage of passing students, 17 points; Cobb showed the least, 1 percentage point.
Current high school juniors have been taught integrated math since 2006. But this is the first year the graduation exam tested them on the new format, which meshes algebra, geometry and statistics in a single course. In March, the state Board of Education voted to give districts the option of teaching math traditionally, one subject at a time.
The high-stakes graduation test is also on the way out: Starting next year, all students except incoming freshman can opt to take end-of-course test instead. Freshman and students that follow will only take the end-of-course, which will count more heavily.
–From Maureen Downey,. for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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55 comments Add your comment
Maureen Downey
May 29th, 2011
3:17 pm
@Dr. Spinks. I noted the other day that Hancock was in the top 10. There must be a turn-around story there as I can recall when Hancock was a struggling county with high drop out rates.
Maureen
Jerry Eads
May 29th, 2011
5:50 pm
Maureen, you guys flunk freshman 101 testing again. You have absolutely NO idea whether average “scores” went up or down for CRCT or EOCT or GHSGT or whatever other acronym salad the state puts out. They are MINIMUM COMPETENCY TESTS, and ONLY THE PERCENTAGES of people who PASS OR FAIL are reported. Even IF the tests were properly scaled to show growth or loss (and they are not), you cannot tell whether the average SCORES went up or down by PASS RATES. It is just as likely that an average score, if it could be accurately calculated, DROPS when a pass rate goes up, because the focus is on the 10th or 20th or so percentile kids to pass the test, at the expense of all the rest. Bracey would have your hide. Why do you continue to insist on misleading and miseducating your public?
Miss Priss
May 30th, 2011
8:14 am
@ Maureen, thank you.
norman ravitch
May 30th, 2011
4:09 pm
Why the surprise?
teachss
June 3rd, 2011
1:17 pm
I already contacted AJC about their wrong reportings….Buford city is #1 with a 94.9% passing rate…they made a 100% on the Science portion….Way to Go!