Student Scores Improve On Yearly PASS Test

More students in South Carolina met state standards on the 2011 administration of South Carolina's Palmetto Assessment of State Standards.

According to numbers released by the State Department of Education, Greenville County Schools students scored Met or Exemplary on 25 of 26 tests, exceeding the percentages of their peers statewide.

A release on the Greenville County Schools Web site said that the scores increased from 2010 to 2011 in 22 of the 26 tests, including all grades in English language arts and math. In 2009, student increases were seen in 15 of 30 subject tests.

To see more check out the release.

State test results showed that students scored at exemplary levels and increased scores in writing, English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies in nearly all the grades tested.

PASS, the state's current accountability test for grades 3-8, was first administered during the 2008-09 school year.

State Supt. of Education Mick Zais said this year's scores were encouraging and that students should be congratulated, according to a release from his office.

"The key is always going to be what happens in the classroom between a teacher and students," Zais said. "Credit for these results belongs to the hard work of students, teachers and parents across South Carolina."

Zais also said that he felt scores would continue to improve with customized instruction to meet the needs of the students.

Statewide reading scores declined from Grade 3 to Grade 8. And nearly one-third of students tested could not pass the writing assessment portion of the test. Zais said that state scores show that nearly 30 percent of eighth-graders did not have sufficient proficiency in mathematics or science.
 
But Zais said parents and students should remember that the state's accountability system will undergo significant changes in the future.

To see how your individual school did, visit the state Web site.