Franklin, Hart Students Meet/Exceed State CRCT Standards

The local school district CRCT test scores are out and elementary and middle school students in both Franklin and Hart counties scored well in all subjects, meeting or exceeding the state standard.

“We have made significant progress in the CRCT,” Franklin County School Superintendent Dr. Ruth O’Dell said. “Especially the Middle School. When you think that seven years ago, they were listed by the State as  ‘Needs Improvement’ for some seven years, they have really climbed out of that and are doing great.”

Franklin County elementary students scored in the 93 and 100-percentiles in Reading, English, and Math;  and in the 80-90 percentiles in Science and Social Studies.

Middle School students scored in the 90-98-percentile range in Reading and English and in the 80-percentile range in math, science and social studies.

In Hart County, middle school students also scored high in Reading, English, Math, Science and Social Studies.

Elementary school students in Hart and Franklin counties met or exceeded the state standard in Reading and English, but struggled somewhat in math, science, and social studies.

One area where elementary students have especially improved, Dr. O’Dell said is in math, which has changed significantly over the past several years.  O’Dell said the new math is more practical and more analytic, requiring students to rethink math concepts and use them in more practical ways.

“When you consider that two years ago, they had been in the “needs improvement” range for seven years, I think they have come a really long way,” she said.

This was the last year for the CRCT tests.

Next year, students will be taking new, more rigorous tests implemented by the Georgia Board of Education, called Georgia Milestones.

According to the State, the new testing system is one consistent program across grades 3-12, rather than a series of individual tests.

It will include open-ended questions to better gauge students’ content mastery and, with some exceptions for special education students with specific testing accommodations, will be administered entirely online by the fifth year of implementation.