Eighth Graders Exceeding Georgia Writing Test Increases

The percentage of eighth graders exceeding standards (8 percent) increased by four percentage points and exceeded the state average (7 percent) by one percentage point on the 2012 Georgia Eighth Grade Writing Assessment (EGWA).

The percentage of MCS eighth graders meeting and exceeding standards (76 percent) declined by five percentage points from 2011 and was below the state average (82 percent) by six percentage points.

Marietta’s white student population exceeded state levels by two percentage points (89 percent meeting/exceeding), and black students performed on par with the state average (75 percent meeting/exceeding). Fifty-eight more students (562) tested in 2012.

“While both the state and metro percent meeting/exceeding declined slightly from 2011, our overall performance should have been stronger,” said Dr. Emily Lembeck, MCS Superintendent, in a press release.

“Writing is a critical skill at all levels and across all subject areas. We need to be sure that we are providing sufficient opportunities and appropriate instructional strategies to increase the number of students who write effectively.”

As part of the statewide test, students are required to write a composition on an assigned topic. The test provides eighth graders with a measurement of their writing performance, and rates their performance (on a scale of 1 to 5) in four domains of effective writing: Ideas, Organization, Style and Conventions.

Marietta students were on par with the state on two of the four domains (Organization and Style) and were off by one tenth (0.1) in Ideas and Conventions.

The scale score range for the Eighth Grade Writing Assessment is 100 to 350. The state reports these writing scores in the following performance levels: Does Not Meet (100-199), Meets (200-249) and Exceeds (250-350).