Annual CRCT scores released by the Georgia Department of Education last week revealed area students scoring high in reading and language arts and lower in math, science and social studies.
All scores are not final because the retakes have not been figured yet into each school's grades. Several times in the past, the retakes have edged McDuffie County's schools into the passing zone, according to previous McDuffie Mirror reports. McDuffie County Director of Curriculum Mychele Rhodes said final results will not be released until September.
Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests are assessment tests given at the end of each school year to measure how well students acquire skills and knowledge of the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) curriculum. Results of the CRCT are used to determine if each elementary and middle school makes Annual Yearly Progress as required by the No Child Left Behind Act. CRCT are administered the last two weeks of April. Students who do not pass the tests go through remediation classes the last two weeks of school and retake the tests the last few days of school.
State law requires students in third, fifth and eight grades to meet or exceed expectations on the CRCT in reading in order to be promoted to the next grade. Fifth and eighth grade students also must meet or exceed expectations in math for promotion. This is the first year Social Studies was included in the scores.
Dr. Rhodes said Thomson High School and Thomson Middle School made AYP in preliminary reports, but a second report revealed they did not make AYP. Thomson High School uses the Georgia High School Graduation Tests as the assessment tool for AYP. As with the CRCT scores, the final results are pending in September.
The McDuffie Mirror will report details of individual schools and comparisons of the current year with last year when the final results are released in September.