Special to The Post-Searchlight

The results of the spring 2012 Georgia End-of-Course Tests (EOCT) show student improvement in seven of eight comparable tests, according to a press release from the Georgia Department of Education.

In comparing the results to spring 2011, students demonstrated improvement in U.S. history, economics, biology, physical science, ninth-grade literature, American literature, and Mathematics I. The percentage of students who met or exceeded standards for Mathematics II decreased by one percentage point.

In April 2011, the State Board of Education approved a plan to phase out the Georgia High School Graduation Tests, beginning with students who entered ninth grade for the first time in the 2011-2012 school year. For these students, the EOCT counts as 20 percent of the final grade, an increase from the previous 15-percent level.

“It is encouraging to me to see student performance increase in the large majority of the End-of-Course Tests,” said State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge. “End-of-Course Tests are more rigorous than the Georgia High School Graduation Tests, so increases are further testament to the great job our teachers are doing delivering the Georgia Performance Standards to students in a way that they are grasping.”

Beginning this school year, End-of-Course Tests will be used as a factor of high school success for accountability purposes on the new College and Career Ready Performance Index.

Details from the EOCT Report:

• Sixty-eight percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for U.S. history. This is an increase of two percentage points, when compared to spring 2011.

• Seventy-seven percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for Economics/Business/Free Enterprise. This is an increase of five percentage points, when compared to spring 2011.

• Seventy-three percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for biology. This is an increase of three percentage points, when compared to spring 2011.

• Seventy-seven percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for physical science.  This is an increase of one percentage point, when compared to spring 2011.

• Eighty-four percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for ninth-grade literature and composition. This is an increase of two percentage points, when compared to spring 2011.

• Eighty-nine percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for American literature and composition. This is an increase of one percentage point, when compared to spring 2011.

• Sixty-five percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for Mathematics I. This is an increase of four percentage points, when compared to spring 2011.

• Fifty-four percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for Mathematics II. This is a decrease of one percentage point, when compared to spring 2011.

• Sixty-three percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for GPS Algebra. This test is new and was not administered last year.

• Seventy-four percent of Georgia’s students met or exceeded the standard for GPS Geometry. This test is new and was not administered last year.

More information about End-of-Course Tests

Any student receiving credit for a course that requires an EOCT must participate. The test serves as the final exam for the course and contributes 15 percent or 20 percent to each student’s final course grade, as provided for in State Board Rule 160-4-2-.13.

The purposes of the EOCTs are to assess student achievement of the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) in the designated core courses and to provide data to assist in the improvement of instruction and learning. The EOCTs also provide data to evaluate the effectiveness of instruction at the school, system, and state levels.

The EOCTs assess a sample of the knowledge and skills that educators agree comprise a complete curriculum for each course. Georgia students have opportunities to learn — and are expected to master — much more than the tests address. The Georgia Performance Standards are the source of the knowledge and skills assessed on the End-of-Course Tests in the following courses:

• English Language Arts — Ninth Grade Literature and Composition; and American Literature and Composition.

• Mathematics — Mathematics I: Algebra/Geometry/Statistics; Mathematics II: Geometry/Algebra II/Statistics; GPS Algebra; and GPS Geometry.

• Science — Biology; and Physical Science.

• Social Studies — United States History; and Economics/Business/Free Enterprise.

Student performance is categorized into three levels: “Does Not Meet Standard,” “Meets Standard,” and “Exceeds Standard.”