• Trailing the county in 8th-grade math: Fayette Middle and Flat Rock Middle schools

• In 5th-grade math, Fayetteville Elementary and North Fayette Elementary bring up the rear

• North Fayette, Brooks and Oak Grove lag behind their peers in 3rd-grade math

The Georgia Department of Education released official results of the 2008 Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) Monday for all school systems throughout the state. Fayette County schools performed much better than the state average, though scores on reading and math components varied significantly across the school system.

Students in grades 3, 5 and 8 are required to pass the reading and math components to be promoted to the next grade level.

A survey of third-grade reading scores from across the school district revealed that students in most elementary schools scored well in meeting test expectations. The majority of schools had fewer than 5 percent of students that did not meet reading expectations.

Those schools with more than 5 percent of students not meeting reading expectations included Huddleston at 5.1 percent, North Fayette at 10.7 percent, Oak Grove at 7.5 percent, Burch at 9.9 percent and Fayetteville Elementary at 6.2 percent.

In third-grade math scores, only Braelinn had fewer than 5 percent that did not meet expectations. Those schools with more than 5 percent of students not meeting expectations included Cleveland at 8.6 percent, Harp at 8.7 percent, Crabapple at 11 percent, Tyrone at 5.2 percent, Huddleston at 14.1 percent, North Fayette at 23.8 percent, Oak Grove at 19.1 percent, East Fayette at 11.5 percent, Kedron at 5.7 percent, Peeples at 5.3 percent, Burch at 18.8 percent, Spring Hill at 5.7 percent, Fayetteville at 15.1 percent, Brooks at 19.2 percent and Peachtree City Elementary at 12.1 percent.

Schools where more than 5 percent of fifth-grade reading scores did not meet expectations included Crabapple at 5.6 percent, North Fayette at 6.4 percent, Oak Grove at 10 percent, Burch at 6.3 percent, Fayetteville at 6.7 percent and Peachtree City at 6.3 percent.

Schools where more than 5 percent of fifth-graders’ math scores did not meet expectations included Cleveland at 9.5 percent, Crabapple at 6.9 percent, Tyrone at 5.3 percent, North Fayette at 16 percent, Oak Grove at 12.2 percent, East Fayette at 5.8 percent, Braelinn at 5.6 percent, Burch at 22.8 percent, Spring Hill at 6.9 percent, Fayetteville at 18.9 percent, Brooks at 11.7 percent and Peachtree City at 10 percent.

None of the middle schools had reading scores where more than 5 percent of students failed to meet expectations. That was not the case with math scores.

All middle schools had more than 5 percent of eighth-grade math scores that did not meet test expectations. Those included Bennett’s Mill at 11.4 percent, Booth at 12.7 percent, Fayette at 37.7 percent, Rising Starr at 12.5 percent, Whitewater at 16.8 percent and Flat Rock at 20.9 percent.

“The lower pass rate in math is attributed to a tougher curriculum and a more rigorous test to match,” school system spokesperson Melinda Berry-Dreisbach said last month. “Up until last year, only a small number of students were exposed to algebra in the eighth grade. This year, every eighth-grader is taking algebra as well as statistics and geometry.”

Another feature of the CRCT test scores came in social studies scores in sixth and seventh grades, where a majority of students statewide and approximately 50 percent of Fayette students did not meet test expectations.

State Superintendent Kathy Cox called the scores into question, saying last month that a statewide panel would be formed to determine what caused the poor performance. One area that will be addressed is whether middle grades social studies standards had been clearly delineated, said Cox.

Passing the social studies test was not a requirement for promotion to the next grade level. Cox subsequently voided that test, in effect saying that the scores don’t count.

A breakdown of CRCT scores by school system and individual schools can be viewed at the Georgia Dept. of Education website at www.doe.k12.ga.us.

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