Standardized test results have improved statewide
Burke County results soon to be released
By Anne Marie Kyzer Staff Writer

As Georgia teachers implement new curriculum standards, preliminary results show that students are making gains on standardized tests.

The Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) is given to all students in first through eighth grades to evaluate how well the students have gained the skills and knowledge set forth in the curriculum.

The test is administered each spring in Georgia schools.

The state has been in the process of transitioning to the new Georgia Performance Standards, and new CRCT tests have been designed to test the more rigorous curriculum. According to a news release from the Department of Education (DOE), students chalked up higher test scores this year in nearly all of the areas where the new standards have been implemented.

Scores for school systems and individual schools have not yet been released.

However, Dr. Allen Kicklighter, director of testing for Burke County Public Schools, said that he is optimistic by the preliminary figures he has seen for local students.

Specific numbers for Burke County should be available in the next couple of weeks, according to the DOE.