Several students took the Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT) for a second time over the summer, and the percentage that passed could make a difference in their school and the Newton County School System — possibly even coming off the dreaded "Needs Improvement" list.
CRCT tests also determine if a child in third, fifth and eighth grades can move on to the next grade as well. Approximately 1,187 students were re-tested in the CRCT tests over summer. In third grade 202 students took the reading portion of the test again and 41.1 percent of those passed.
In fifth grade, 242 students were re-tested in reading and 45 percent of those students passed the CRCT; 420 students took the math portion again and 28.3 percent passed. There were 105 eighth grade students who were re-tested in reading and 53.3 percent passed; 493 were tested in math again and 29.6 percent of those students passed the CRCT the second time around."We are hoping that the additional number of students passing the CRCT during the summer retests will change the status for some of our schools that did not originally meet AYP this year," said NCSS Director of Public Relations Sherri Viniard. "That could also have a positive impact on the district’s AYP status as well. Of course our goal is to ultimately have 100 percent of our students passing all of the tests and that is what we will continually strive for."
When CRCT scores came out originally, Newton County as a whole did not meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), and Middle Ridge Elementary, Ficquett Elementary, Livingston Elementary, Challenge Charter Academy, Cousins Middle, Clements Middle and Indian Creek Middle schools all failed to meet AYP. Cousins’ AYP scores flowed to the newly opened Liberty Middle School. Scores from students who took the CRCT tests again over the summer could potentially allow schools that may have failed AYP to pass.
Additionally, 137 students took the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) over again. In language arts, 61 students took the test again and 37.7 percent of those passed; 35 students were re-tested in math and 40 percent of those passed; 66 students were re-tested in science and 30 percent of those passed; and in social studies, 67 students were re-tested and 29.8 percent of those students passed.
