Local Students Show Improvement on CRCT Tests

The percentage of Georgia 8thgraders exceeding standards in all content-area Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) increased this year, including an eight percentage point increase in reading.

Grade 8 students showed a two percentage point increase in English language arts, a three percentage point increase in mathematics, a three percentage point increase in science, and a two percentage point increase in social studies.

While the school district test numbers will be out sometime next month, Franklin County School Superintendent Dr. Ruth O’Dell said students across the board showed significant improvement this year.

“We have made significant progress in the CRCT,” 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.”

Dr. O’Dell said all of the elementary schools performed far above the average in all subjects on the CRCT’s this year as well.

One area where students have especially improved, Dr. O’Dell said is in math, which has changed significantly over the past several years.   Dr. O’Dell said the way new math is being taught today is more abstract and practical.

“I just think it took awhile to learn the curriculum and it’s also going to take awhile for the children to begin to understand math process and practices in-depth,” she said. “Now, our children are learning what place value really is and they’re beginning to see what number sense is. For example, ‘What is five?’ ‘What is 10?’ What does that really mean?”

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. 

Dr. O’Dell said the new tests will include both multiple choice and essay questions, which she believes will give a truer picture of what students have actually learned.  But she says the basics will still be important.

“Good ol’ reading and writing is extremely important,” O’Dell said. “Our data screams we’re not doing enough reading and writing in our classrooms and we’re going to have to. And that’s going to be a big change for our kids. When those assessments start and our teachers know we’re going to be assessed that way, then we’re going to be much more likely to be sure we’re doing it in our classrooms.”