Coweta County CRCT scores show evidence of improvement
From Staff Reports
news@newnan.com
Results for Coweta County School System students on the Georgia Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT) show improved performance in several grades and subjects.
Coweta students consistently outperformed students throughout the state of Georgia, with higher percentages of Coweta students meeting or exceeding state standards at a higher rate than the Georgia average in 27 of 30 grade/ subject areas, said school system officials.
The CRCT gauges student mastery of Georgia’s basic curriculum in the areas of reading, language arts, math, science and social studies in grades 3-8.
“I am very encouraged by the results,” said Coweta County Superintendent of Schools Steve Barker. “Our students continue to perform well in comparison to students across the state and in surrounding districts.”
Coweta schools outperformed Georgia by five percent in second grade math, with 85 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards compared to 80 percent of students statewide, and eight percent in eighth grade math, with 85 percent meeting or exceeding standards compared to 77 percent of students statewide.
CCSS students also did exceptionally well on CRCT science and social studies exams. Compared to their state counterparts, Coweta students outperformed students statewide in all grades 3 through 8, often exceeding state passage rates by five percentage points or more.
Coweta’s overall CRCT test performance improved by three points on the fourth grade science test – to 88 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards. Performance improved six points on the eighth grade science test, to 83 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards. Local students’ performance also improved by four points on the eighth grade social studies test, to 83 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards.
The CRCT also determines whether students meet or exceed the standards based on grade-level expectations. A higher percentage of Coweta students exceeded expectations during the 2012 administration of the CRCT, with increases in the percentages of students exceeding standards in 20 of the 30 areas tested.
In third through eighth grade science exams, an average of nearly four percent more students scored in the “exceeds expectations” category in 2012 than in 2011. While 90 percent of Coweta fourth-graders met science standards overall in 2012, 50 percent of fourth graders not only met but exceeded the standards on the exam.
“That more students are moving into performance that exceeds standards reflects a lot of hard work on the part of both students and teachers,” Barker said.
The CRCT, administered to Georgia students each spring, is designed to measure how well students acquire the skills and knowledge described in state curriculum.
The assessments yield information on academic achievement at the student, class, school, system and state levels, and that information is used to diagnose individual student strengths and weaknesses as related to instruction and to gauge the quality of education throughout Georgia.
