Student Assessment

Through collaborative and continuous improvement efforts, the Cobb County School District has a long history of high student performance. Annual testing and ongoing assessment results are used by the District to ensure that all students are learning the required curriculum and are nationally competitive.

The data reported herein is based on District results, although each school has individual student results that are used to plan appropriate instruction for students. Complete test scores and additional information on the District’s testing program are available on the District web site.

Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT, GHSGT)

District scores for the Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT), administered in the spring of 2007, show that most Cobb students are learning the curriculum and meeting required standards. Cobb students surpassed state mean scores in every academic area tested, and the percentage of Cobb students meeting or exceeding standards was equal to or higher than the state at every grade level. Students in grades 1 – 8 were tested in the areas of Reading, English/Language Arts, and Mathematics, while students in grades 3 – 8 also were tested in Science and Social Studies.

The CRCT measures students in three performance categories that show the percentage of students “Not Meeting” the standards, those “Meeting” the standards, and those “Exceeding” the standards. These indicators show the progress that the system and individual schools are making in identifying where to target critical instruction and academic interventions. The CRCT is used as one component of the accountability system associated with No Child Left Behind federal legislation.

8th Grade Writing Assessment

Eighth graders in the Cobb County School District had a strong showing on the new Georgia writing assessment administered earlier this year. Cobb students posted higher scale scores and had a higher percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards than the state and metro Atlanta averages. Cobb students had an average scale score of 215, compared to the state average of 207 and a metro average score of 209. District administrators were especially pleased to see that 77 percent of all Cobb students met or exceeded standards, a higher rate than their metro and state peers’ performance of 69 percent and 67 percent, respectively. Because it is a new test, results of the Eighth Grade Writing Assessment for 2007 cannot be compared to previous years’ results but will serve as a baseline from which to measure future growth.

The new writing assessment includes information about student performance in different aspects of writing or domains. These domains include ideas, organization, style, and conventions. Domains are rated on a scale of 1 to 5. Performance of Cobb students was similar across all domains, ranging from 2.9 in organization to 3.1 in conventions.

Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT)

Cobb County’s senior class of 2007 scored significantly higher than their state and national peers on the SAT test for college readiness. Despite a drop of four points in the District average, the class of 2007 in Cobb had an overall average score (Reading, Math, Writing) of 1534 and beat the state average by 15 points and the national average by 23 points. More seniors took the SAT in 2007 than in the prior year, increasing the percentage of participants to 80 percent, well above the state average of 70 percent and the national average of 48 percent.
Nationally, scores declined in all three areas tested. Cobb’s average in Reading fell from 517 to 515, stayed the same in Math at 517, and dropped in Writing from 504 to 502. 2007 was the second year students have been tested in the Writing category, and Cobb students topped the state average by 19 points and the national average by 8 points.

Seven of Cobb’s 14 high schools had combined totals higher than the national average of 1511. Scores for Lassiter, Pope, and Walton high schools were more than 100 points higher than the national average. Particularly noteworthy were the performances of students at Campbell High School and Osborne High School. These schools showed significant increases in their average scores. Campbell’s combined Reading and Math total jumped from 953 in 2006 to 987 this year. Osborne had similar results, climbing from 835 in 2006 to 860 in 2007.

Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT)

More Cobb students passed the Social Studies portion of the Georgia High School Graduation Test this year than last while the percentage of students passing the other content tests (English/Language Arts,Math, Science) remained the same. Over the past five years, the percentage of proficient students in Social Studies has risen from 91 percent to 95 percent.
The most significant gains in student achievement, however, were in the percentages of students in subgroups who passed the tests this year. The overall five-year trend in the performance of these program groups is clearly upward.

The percentage of English Language Learner (ELL) test takers passing Social Studies and Science tests this year rose by 14 and 13 percentage points, respectively. Percentages in English/Language Arts and Math had smaller increases (1 percent and 2 percent). A similar pattern was seen for Students With Disabilities where the number of students passing Social Studies increased eight percent from last year. About 2 percent more Students With Disabilities passed both English/Language Arts and Mathematics tests this year. While the performance of these students is not yet at the same level as their regular program peers, District administrators are hopeful that these changes signal a narrowing of the achievement gap.

End of Course Tests (EOCT)

The state End of Course tests administered during 2006-2007 show that students are passing the tests at rates similar to those on the CRCT. The highest percentages of students meeting or exceeding standards were in American Literature/Composition, Geometry and US History with lower rates in Biology and Physical Science.

Mandated by the A+ Education Reform Act of 2000, the EOCTs are administered statewide for core subject classes in high school to ensure students have a grasp on state curriculum at year’s end.