The CRCTs are curriculum-based tests given to students in grades one through eight in five subjects - reading, English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.
State law requires that students in third, fifth and eighth grade meet or exceed expectations on the CRCT in reading in order to advance to the next grade. Fifth- and eighth-grade students must also meet or exceed expectations on the CRCT in mathematics. Students who fail, however, are given opportunities for retests and remediation.
Cobb County School District Superintendent Fred Sanderson said Thursday via email that he is encouraged by the progress being made.
"A preliminary look at Cobb's CRCT performance is very encouraging," Sanderson said. "Students are really moving into the higher performance levels across many schools, which is a tribute to our outstanding teachers. I'm especially proud of what the students at Clarkdale Elementary have achieved after such a difficult and disruptive school year. To show strong CRCT gains after what they've been through is really remarkable."
Marietta City Schools Superintendent Dr. Emily Lembeck said that she is initially pleased with most of her 12 school's CRCT score results.
"My initial thoughts are, overall, our schools did a really, really good job with the challenge of the higher requirement for mathematics," Lembeck said. "Overall, the test scores were stronger this year."
Lembeck said school principals will begin to analyze the scores this summer to see what they can improve in certain schools and what can be replicated from some of the more successful schools.
At Marietta Center for Advanced Academics, a magnet school for math and science on Aviation Road near South Marietta Parkway close to Dobbins, 100 percent of students met or exceeded standards in all five subject areas in grade 3, and most subjects in fifth grade, with the exception of math.
Although students must pass certain entrance criteria to attend the school, Lembeck said she was pleased that Marietta Center for Advanced Academics continues to show impressive results.
"Throughout all the other schools, there are high achievers as well," Lembeck said. "There continues to be an increase in the number of students exceeding standards, which is something we work toward. We want them to meet standards, but once they do that we must get them to exceed standards."
In Cobb Schools, Tritt, Kemp, Rocky Mountain and Timber Ridge elementary schools all had 100 percent of their third graders meet or exceed standards in reading, while Mountain View Elementary in northeast Cobb had 100 percent of its third graders meet or exceed standards in English/language arts. Third graders at Murdock Elementary and Timber Ridge Elementary also posted high scores.
Cobb had 100 percent of fifth graders meet or exceed standards at Rocky Mountain Elementary School in northeast Cobb in reading and 100 percent in English/language arts at Garrison Mill, Kincaid, Mount Bethel and Kennesaw Charter. High scores were also made by fifth graders at Murdock, Garrison Mill and Due West elementary schools.
Third and fifth graders at the Imagine School in Mableton and in Smyrna struggled with CRCT testing, especially in the areas of science and math. Fifth graders at Belmont Hills Elementary and Green Acres, both in Smyrna, posted lower scores also.
In eighth grade 100 percent of students at Dodgen Middle School, in east Cobb, met or exceeded standards in reading and English/language arts; while students at Dickerson took the top spot in the science and math testing categories. Students at Campbell Middle School struggled in math and science.
Marietta City Schools that preformed well in third grade included Sawyer Road Elementary in reading and Burruss Elementary in math.
High performing schools at the fifth grade level in MSC included, West Side, Marietta Charter School, Hickory Hills and Burruss elementary schools.
In eighth grade, Marietta Middle School had 93.6 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards in reading and 76.1 meeting or exceeding standards in math.
A few Marietta schools produced dismal scores, such as Marietta Charter School in math and Dunleith Elementary in science.
Sanderson warned that while the Cobb District made overall gains in CRCT scores, it still probably will not make Adequate Yearly Progress as a whole.
"As I've said before, it's unfortunate that the overall performance increases we are seeing on the CRCT won't have any impact on Adequate Yearly Progress," he said. "The standards for AYP continue to increase, and since the law looks almost solely at the performance of subgroups, it's possible that a relative handful of students could cause a school to miss AYP even though the school overall made tremendous gains."
The Adequate Yearly Progress report is released each year as part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. It measures schools in three areas: academic performance, test participation and a "second indicator," such as graduation rate or attendance.
To demonstrate academic performance, a certain percentage of students and any qualifying subgroup of students must meet or exceed standards on state tests, such as the CRCT, in reading, English language arts and mathematics.
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Former Cobb Teacher wrote on Friday, Jul 09 at 02:20 AM »
..."Every year we struggled to get 50-60% passing rates on the CRCT. This year that same school was 80% across the board". ...
MAYBE THE INCREASE IN YOUR FORMER SCHOOL'S CRCT PASSING RATE IS DUE TO THE FACT THAT YOU AREN'T TEACHING THERE ANYMORE! YOU COMMENTS VIBRATE WITH YOUR DISLIKE OF OUR STUDENTS WITH HISPANIC HERITAGE! YEA! YOU ARE OUT OF A SCHOOL!
And when all else fails, which it always does, blame it on a sub group!
Jay, I so could do your job and my job simultaneously!
All the spouting off about the CRCT being useless just cracks me up! A couple of years ago when scores were lower- nobody was talking like that. Whe ITBS scores increase they will say the same dumb thing about cut scores!
We have our children tested each year with WJ III at a learning center for a very small fee so that we can monitor how they are doing on a national level and TRULY know what is their area of weakness which we work on during the summer and if needed with tutoring during the school year---such a huge difference from how they measure with the CRCT! Anyone can shine like an apple in the state of GA with such low standards of CRCT!
Get rid of the CRCT!! Parents do not depend on the CRCT to see how well your child is performing!
Based on the results alone, these tests are a sham!
With regard to the ITBS, its use is not as widespread as it used to be.
improvements. However, it is a big mistake
to conclude that this test means very much
as a measure of educational progress. We
are undermining the love of learning with
these high stakes tests that pander to the
lowest common denominators. Learning is the
Thing and this kind of test will never be able
to show us if that is really happening. Maybe
it affords some school administrators bragging rights but it's pure drudgery for teachers and students, who could spend their educational capital on more worthy pursuits.
If I ask you "do you speak English" and you give me a blank look and I am forced to ask you "hablas ingles?" I doubt that you are that good of a reader.