SCORES SOAR
Record number of BCHS juniors pass graduation test
By Anne Marie Kyzer annemariek@thetruecitizen.com

The percentage of juniors who passed the Georgia High School Graduation Test jumped more than 10 points this year at Burke County High School.

Some 71 percent of the school's students who took the test this year for the first time passed, the highest number ever at the school. Last year, only 59 percent passed on their first try.

BCHS principal Wayne Hickman was pleased to see such gains in a single year.

"I don't think words can describe how excited I was to see those improvements. I was excited because I watch every day how hard the people here work, students and teachers alike," he said. "To get such validation that what you've done really did make a difference is just tremendous."

Students are required to pass all four sections of the graduation test, including math, English/language arts, science and social studies, in order to receive their diplomas. They must also pass a separate writing assessment. While students may retake the test, they are given their first shot during their junior year.

More than 25 percent, or 63, of the 247 test takers scored at the pass-plus level, meaning they did exceedingly well. Last year, only 30 students were able to perform so well.

Hickman was particularly proud of the nearly 20-point jump in the percentage of students passing the science section, which has traditionally plagued students both in Burke County and statewide. Last year, only about 60 percent of Burke County's juniors passed the science portion, and this year that number jumped to 79 percent.

School officials said that gain was especially promising since science switched this year to the state's new curriculum, Georgia Performance Standards.

Pass rates in social studies and math remained about the same as last year, 81 and 90, respectively.

Still, Hickman said one the biggest achievements were pass rates in math among students who had been identified for potentially having trouble with the test.

Some 85 percent of students who were invited to attend extra math sessions on Saturdays to prepare for the test passed.

The school saw a decrease in the pass rate on the English/language arts portion of the test. It dropped from about 95 to 84 percent. Pass rates on the writing assessment also decreased among first-time test takers from 94 to 86 percent.

Angela Walker of the Georgia Department of Education said the pass rates for those portions were not comparable from last year to this year, though because of the change in curriculum to GPS. The GPS tests are designed to require a higher order of thinking.

This marked the first year the English/language arts, writing and science tests were fully aligned with GPS. Social Studies will be GPS-based starting in 2010 and math will follow suit in 2011.

BEHIND THE NUMBERS

This year, Burke County High School put several programs in place to help students pass the Georgia High School Graduation Test, such as:

• Saturday prep sessions

• Collaborative planning among teachers

• Daily math review for GHSGT

• Increased class time in math and English from 60 to 90 minutes through composite scheduling

• Overhauled teaching strategies in science for a more innovative approach