Reading Scores Rise on CRCTs

Paulding County School District students bettered their scores in 22 of 30 content areas for the six grades tested through the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCTs), the Georgia Department of Education reported Wednesday.

Paulding students also boasted better scores than the state averages in 22 of the 30 content areas.

“Based on our first-round analysis of CRCT results, scores have improved in all areas from 2010,” said Yvette Hill, the district’s assistant superintendent for school improvement. “There was a 2-percent point gain or better in reading at every grade level in grades 3-8. The average percentage for reading was 93 percent.

“With science coming on as a second indicator for [Adequate Yearly Progress] next year, we also looked at science scores and at each grade level percentage passing were maintained or increased,” she added. “This is an indication that student achievement on the CRCT continues to grow in Paulding County.”

The CRCT tests students from third to eighth grade in reading, English/language arts, math, science and social studies.

Students in third, fifth and eighth grades are required to meet or exceed grade requirements on the CRCT in reading in order to advance according to state law. Fifth- and eighth-grade students also must meet or exceed expectations on the CRCT in mathematics to move to the next grade.

Paulding County's fourth- and seventh-graders improved in all five categories. The largest increase for the fourth-graders came in social studies with 82.1 percent meeting or exceeding the standard, compared to 75.1 percent last year. The class also did well in math with 79.1 percent meeting or exceeding the standard in 2010 and 83.4 percent this year.

Seventh graders also improved in math, with 88.5 percent meeting or exceeding the standard this year. Last year, it was 86.3 percent.

The largest improvement came in social studies for the sixth graders. The class went from 68.6 percent of students meeting or exceeding the standard to 75.9 percent this year—a 7.3 percent jump.

Fifth- and eighth-grade students each topped their scores in three of the five content areas.

Although the third grade improved its scores from last year in only two of the five content areas, they, along with the fourth-graders, were the only students in the district to top the state average in each of the five content areas.

Statewide by Grade

Third

Fourth

Fifth

Sixth

Seventh

Eighth

No. Tested Reading

126,245

128,220

126,882

124,139

122,396

119,422

Reading: Mean Scale Score

840.11

836.07

833.9

837.68

830.02

837.53

Reading: % Did not meet the standard

9.1

12.1

9.5

6.1

9.1

4

Reading: % Meets the standard

50.8

50.1

56

57.1

67

58.9

Reading: % Exceeds the standard

40.1

37.8

34.5

36.8

23.9

37.1

Reading: % Met or Exceeded the standard

90.9

87.9

90.5

93.9

90.9

96

No. Tested English/ Language Arts

125,958

127,571

126,742

123,956

122,372

119,377

ELA: Mean Scale Score

836.53

836

838.88

835.61

840.81

842.64

ELA: % Did not meet the standard

10.9

12

7

8.8

6.9

7.2

ELA: % Meets the standard

54.5

53.8

57.2

59.8

52

50.6

ELA: % Exceeds the standard

34.7

34.2

35.8

31.4

41

42.2

ELA: % Met or Exceeded the standard

89.1

88

93

91.2

93.1

92.8

No. Tested Math

126,428

127,352

125,819

123,515

121,652

119,077

Math: Mean Scale Score

839.04

832.76

840.25

823.61

839.28

826.12

Math: % Did not meet the standard

18.8

18.9

13.4

23.6

10.6

22.3

Math: % Meets the standard

40.4

44.7

45.1

55.5

52.9

51.5

Math: % Exceeds the standard

40.8

36.4

41.5

21

36.4

26.1

Math: % Met or Exceeded the standard

81.2

81.1

86.6

76.4

89.4

77.7

No. Tested Science

128,324

129,781

129,621

125,618

124,022

121,205

Science: Mean Scale Score

831.26

836.06

831.34

818.86

836.95

817.35

Science: % Did not meet the standard

19.5

21

23.4

29.1

17.8

32.9

Science: % Meets the standard

44.9

39.8

39.7

54.1

44.2

47.5

Science: % Exceeds the standard

35.6

39.2

36.9

16.8

38

19.6

Science: % Met or Exceeded the standard

80.5

79

76.6

70.9

82.2

67.1

No. Tested Social Studies

127,944

129,294

129,225

125,225

123,598

120,787

Social Studies: Mean Scale Score

826.78

823.37

821.52

829.24

838.59

823.6

Social Studies: % Did not meet the standard

19

22.6

28.7

28.4

25.1

27.5

Social Studies: % Meets the standard

56.7

55.5

48.1

37.4

32.3

44.8

Social Studies: % Exceeds the standard

24.3

21.9

23.2

34.2

42.6

27.7

Social Studies: % Met or Exceeded the standard

81

77.4

71.3

71.6

74.9

72.5