Fayette County CRCT Scores Among Top in Georgia

The 2010 CRCT results show Fayette County students are among the top statewide in subjects tested at all grade levels.

In comparison to the critical grade levels where students must pass reading in third grade and both reading and math in fifth and eighth grades to get promoted, only Forsyth County and a handful of smaller school systems posted higher scores in some subjects.

Overall, test scores remain high across all subjects and grade levels, soaring well above state averages. Students showed the greatest gains in math in grades 3, 5 and 8, posting 1.6, 1.9 and 6.3 points, respectively, above last year’s scores. Likewise, eighth graders also posted significant gains in both science and social studies with increased scores of 1.3 and 4.5 points, respectively.

The CRCT is a curriculum-based test given to students in grades 1-8 in the subjects of reading, English Language Arts and mathematics. In grades 3-8, science and social students are added.

It is projected that all schools will have all groups make AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) this year with the exception of one sub-group at Sandy Creek High and one sub-group at Fayette County High. A small sub-group at Sandy Creek did not have enough students make the AYP cut score on the English Language Arts portion of the GHSGT (Georgia High School Graduation Test); a small sub-group at Fayette County did not have enough students make the AYP cut score on the math portion of the GHSGT. Both schools are working with their groups during the next few weeks to help them prepare for a retest in July. The outcome of the retest could change both schools’ status to passing in these categories.

The Fayette County Public School System thanks its teachers and students for their hard work and will continue to address areas of improvement with additional strategies.

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Georgia Recognizes 15 Fayette County Schools for High Academic Performance

Over 50 percent of Fayette County public schools have been recognized by the state for promoting excellence in student achievement.

Out of the county’s 28 schools, eight elementary, two middle and all five high schools received award designations of platinum, gold, silver or bronze based on the number of years the school has made AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress), the percentage of students exceeding, and the percentage meeting and exceeding academic standards.

Awards were given in two categories: greatest gain, for schools that showed the greatest improvement on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) or the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT), and highest performance, for schools that demonstrated the highest achievement on the CRCT or GHSGT.

Awards received by Fayette County Public Schools make up four percent of the 327 awards given statewide. All award winners received recognition banners and certificates for display at their schools.

Peachtree City Elementary received a platinum award in the “greatest gain” category. Both Tyrone Elementary and McIntosh High also received platinum awards in the “highest performance” category. These schools made AYP for three consecutive years, had a minimum of 35 percent exceeding standards, and at least 98 percent of students meeting and exceeding standards.

The following schools received gold awards in the “highest performance” category: Peeples Elementary, Kedron Elementary, Peachtree City Elementary, Starr’s Mill High, and Sandy Creek High. These schools made AYP for two consecutive years with 30 percent of students exceeding standards, and at least 97 percent of students meeting and exceeding standards.

Silver award winners in “highest performance” were Crabapple Lane Elementary, Braelinn Elementary, Whitewater High, Bennett’s Mill Middle, and Rising Starr Middle. These schools received silver for making AYP two consecutive years, having a minimum of 25 percent of students exceeding standards, and at least 96 percent of students meeting and exceeding standards.

Cleveland Elementary, Sara Harp Minter Elementary and Fayette County High were awarded bronze for not being in “Needs Improvement” status, having a minimum of 20 percent of students exceeding standards, and at least 95 percent of students meeting and exceeding standards.

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Fayette County CRCT Scores Best in State

The 2009 CRCT results show Fayette County students leading the state in subjects tested at all grade levels.

In comparison to the critical grade levels where students must pass reading in third grade and both reading and math in fifth and eighth grades to get promoted, only a handful of smaller school systems posted higher scores in some subjects. These systems had fewer than 1,000 students taking the tests compared to Fayette’s more than 1,400-1,700 students, depending on the grade level.

The CRCT is a curriculum-based test given to students in grades 1-8 in the subjects of reading, English language arts and mathematics. In grades 3-8, science and social students are added. This year all of the CRCTs were aligned with Georgia’s new curriculum, resulting in more rigorous tests.

Overall, test scores remain high across all subjects and grade levels, soaring will above state averages. The largest gain in scores was seen in science in grades 3, 5 and 8 with increases between 4-6 percentage points.

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Mentors Help Students Prepare for CRCT

Gail Joiner tutors students (L-R) Dylan Rumbaugh, Madi Strickland and Josephine Nelson.

The Friends Mentoring Program and Mathnasium, a tutoring service that is a Partner in Education with Kedron Elementary in Peachtree City, joined forces to help fifth graders at the school prepare for the CRCT.

Gail Joiner, a volunteer math mentor, and Kevin Thoman, her boss at Mathnasium, along with several instructors, visited Kedron for CRCT Prep Night. The free sessions offered help with numbers and operations skills, fractions and some geometry.

Joiner, who spent 30 years as a teacher, says mentoring is vital to assisting teachers due to the daily demands that limit the amount of time they can spend with each child.

“The academic, social and emotional needs in a classroom are very diverse. There are a few children who need just that little extra that teachers truly want to give, but due to simple logistics, cannot provide. It’s frustrating for us teaches when we see a child who needs a little more time but we simply can’t provide it. That’s where the mentoring program is so vital,” she says.

The mentor program’s mission is to build positive, long-term relationships between schools and the public by partnering community role models with Fayette County school students to help with the complexities of school, home and community.

“The needs in our classrooms are many and truly does take a village to prepare our children for success,” says Joiner.

Information about the Friends Mentoring Program is available by contacting Jane Gough at 770-460-3990.

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