Testing Program
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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) 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. Middle Grades Writing Assessment (MGWA) Scholastic Assessment Test (CRCT) The revised SAT was given for the first time in March of 2005 and included changes to the Math and Verbal portions of the test. In the new SAT, the Verbal section has been replaced with Reading, and Writing has been added as the third major component of the exam. Changes to the Math section include the addition of Algebra II problems. Cobb students averaged 517 on both the Reading and Math segments of the test. The combined average score for Reading and Math was 1034, or 13 points higher than the national average and 44 points higher than the state average. On the new Writing section of the SAT, Cobb seniors scored 504, seven points above the national average and 17 points higher than the state average (487). Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT)
Cobb County 11th graders improved already high marks on the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) in 2006, and again surpassed their peers in the metro area and state in all four categories of the test. This year, students were tested on the new Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) for the first time in English Language Arts and Science. Cobb students maintained or increased their passing rates in not only these two subject areas, but also in Math and Social Studies as well. The Social Studies passing rate was 93 percent, up 1 percent from the previous year. The passing rate in Science improved by 2 percent, going from 81 to 83 percent passing. Cobb students maintained a 97-percent passing rate on the Mathematics section as well as their 99-percent passing rate on the English Language Arts portion of the test. Student scores from the English/Language Arts and Mathematics tests are used by the state as one measure to determine if a high school meets Adequate Yearly Progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. End of Course Tests (EOCT) |
District scores for the Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT), administered in the spring of 2006, 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.
Eighth graders in Cobb continue to perform well on the important Middle Grades Writing Assessment (MGWA), with more than 90 percent scoring in the test’s highest two categories. Cobb students also maintained a five-year trend of outscoring their local counterparts with an average scale score of 361, compared to an average score of 359 for students in the metro area and 359 statewide. Ninety-three percent of all Cobb eighth graders tested scored in either On Target or Exceeds Target, the highest two categories.
Cobb County’s senior class of 2006 posted an average total score of 1538 on the newly revised SAT, a mark 20 points higher than the national average of 1518, and 61 points higher than the Georgia average of 1477.
The state End of Course tests administered in 2005-2006 show that students are meeting or exceeding standards at rates similar to those on the CRCT. The highest percentages of students meeting or exceeding standards were in American Literature/Composition and Biology with lower rates in Economics and Physical Science.