The South Carolina Department of Education released the PASS Test scores for the test students took at the end of the 2010-2011 school year.
The PASS Test is given to students in grades 3-8.
To see how your child's school or district fared, click here for the results.
Below is a press release from the Education Department on this year's results.
COLUMBIA - Larger percentages of public school students met state standards on the 2011 administration of South Carolina's Palmetto Assessment of State Standards. In addition, the percentages of students scoring at exemplary levels - the highest of three scoring levels under PASS - increased in all subjects and nearly all tested grades.
Gains also were shown by African-American students, students from low-income families and students with limited English proficiency in most grades and subjects. There was little progress, however, in reducing achievement gaps because white and more affluent students improved at even faster rates.
PASS, the state's current accountability test for grades 3-8, was first administered during the 2008-2009 school year. Last year, the State Board of Education adopted academic standards proposed by the Common Core State Standards Initiative in the subjects of English language arts, writing and mathematics. This decision will require the adoption of a new accountability test beginning in the 2014-2015 school year for these subjects and could be administered to most students by computer.
State Superintendent of Education Mick Zais said this year's higher percentages of passing and exemplary scores were encouraging and that educators and students should be congratulated.
"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. Test scores should improve further if we can energize that team with customized instruction to meet the needs of students."
Zais renewed his concern about two trends in reading: a decline in reading scores from Grade 3 to Grade 8 and the fact that one-third of students moving up to high school are not reading on grade level.
"It is simply not acceptable that one-third of last year's freshman class did not read on grade level," he said. "The decline in grade-level reading from Grade 3 to Grade 8 should continue to be a significant concern. The Strategic Reading Initiative, authorized by the General Assembly this year, will need to address both of these systemic problems, propose innovative solutions and implement them without regard to parochial politics. I look forward to leading this initiative and delivering a meaningful report next January."
Zais also raised concerns that one-third of students could not pass the writing assessment despite the importance of writing skills in preparation for entering the workforce, the military or a post-secondary education institution. More than 30 percent of eighth-graders did not have sufficient proficiency in mathematics and science.
"While it is important to review the proficiency of students today, parents and student should know the State's accountability test will undergo significant changes in the near future. These changes are a result of the State Board of Education's decision to adopt the Common Core standards and could result in statewide computer-based testing. This would be a significant departure from all previous accountability tests used in the classroom. At the urging of several legislators, I will submit the results of a cost-benefit analysis of new assessment costs to the General Assembly next year so the public will be informed about the costs and other potential impacts of this new testing model."
School and school district accountability
South Carolina and federal laws require end-of-the-year accountability tests for grades 3-8 that are based on state academic standards. PASS results include scores in five subject areas: writing, English language arts (reading and research), mathematics, science and social studies.
PASS has three scoring levels:
· Exemplary - The student demonstrated exemplary performance in meeting the grade level standard.
· Met - The student met the grade-level standard.
· Not met - The student did not meet the grade-level standard.
Comparing 2011 scores with 2010, the percentage of students with passing mathematics scores increased in all six grades tested. The passing rate increased in three of six grades in English language arts, in four of six grades in science and in five of six grades in social studies.
The percentages of students scoring at the exemplary level increased for every grade and subject, with only two exceptions - Grade 5 ELA and Grade 8 writing.
PASS scores in 2011 generally showed generally greater achievement gaps among white and African-American students even though those students improved their passing rates in five of six grades in math, four of six grades in science and social studies and three of six grades in English Language Arts. The reason is that while African-American students' scores improved, white students' scores improved at a greater rate. Of the 26 subject-grade combinations tested, achievement gaps shrank in only eight.
PASS scores for African-American students, for students with limited English proficiency and for those enrolled in free or reduced-price school food programs remain lower than overall student scoring percentages.
Students from low-income families improved their passing rates in math in every grade, in three of six grades in English language arts, in five of six grades in social studies, in four of six grades in science. Students with limited English proficiency (LEP) improved their passing rates in math in every grade, in three of six grades in English Language Arts, in five of six grades in science and in four of six grades in social studies.
PASS results by subject
· Writing - The writing test included multiple-choice questions and one extended-response (essay) item. In 2011, only fifth- and eighth-grade students were assessed in writing. Fifth-graders had the higher "passing" percentage of students meeting the standard or showing exemplary performance - 77.7 percent. The eighth-grade passing rate was 67.8 percent. The passing rate increased in one of the two grades tested.
· English language arts (reading and research) - The ELA test contained multiple-choice questions based on reading passages. Third-graders had the highest passing percentage at 80.0 percent. Grade 8 was lowest at 67.8 percent. The passing rate increased in three of six grades.
· Mathematics - The mathematics test contained only multiple-choice items. Grade 4 had the best passing rate at 79.4 percent. Grade 8 was lowest at 69.5 percent. The passing rate increased in all six grades.
· Science - The seventh-grade passing rate of 71.7 percent was best on this multiple-choice test. Grade 3 was lowest at 60.8 percent. The passing rate increased in four of six grades.
· Social studies - This test also contained only multiple-choice questions. Grade 6 had the best passing rate at 77.6 percent, while Grade 7 was lowest at 63.4 percent. The passing rate increased in five of six grades.
Exemplary performance
Third-grade English language arts had the highest percentage of students scoring at the exemplary level - 54.9 percent, a gain of 1.0 percentage points over 2010. Grade 3 also had the highest percentage of exemplary-level scorers in two other subjects - math at 42.9 percent and social studies at 37.4 percent. Eighth-graders had the highest percentage at the exemplary scoring level for science at 36.9 percent. In writing, Grade 5 was the higher at 37.7 percent.
The lowest percentage of exemplary scores occurred in science at grade 6 - 14.4 percent, a slight (0.2 percentage point) gain over last year's results.
Demographic results
The highest passing rate for African-American students came in ELA at the third-grade level - 68.5 percent. The lowest passing rate for African-American students was 39.0 percent in Grade 3 science. The highest percentage of African-American students with exemplary scores - 36.5 percent - occurred in third-grade ELA and represented a slight drop of 0.4 percentage points from 2010. The smallest percentage with exemplary scores was 4.1 percent in sixth-grade science, a gain of 0.6 points.
LEP students recorded their highest passing marks in math (78.0 percent in Grade 4 and 73.4 percent in Grade 5) and social studies - 75.4 percent in Grade 6 and 74.0 percent in Grade 4. Their lowest passing marks came in science testing - 48.4 in Grade 6. The highest percentage of limited English proficient students with exemplary scores - 44.5 percent - occurred in third-grade English language arts and represented a gain of 1.7 percentage points. The smallest percentage with exemplary scores was 9.2 percent in sixth-grade science.
The highest passing rate for students enrolled in free or reduced-price school food programs was 72.4 percent - a mark reached in third-grade ELA. The lowest passing rate was 48.7 percent in Grade 3 science. The highest percentage of free/reduced-price students with exemplary scores was 42.3 percent in third-grade English language arts, representing a gain of one percentage point over 2010. The smallest percentage with exemplary scores was 6.8 percent in sixth-grade science.
Summary of statewide 2011 results for all students
Grade 3
· Writing - not tested at this grade.
· ELA (reading and research) - 80.0 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· Mathematics - 70.4 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· Science - 60.8 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· Social Studies - 76.6 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· The percentage of students scoring Met or above increased in three of four subjects.
Grade 4
· Writing - not tested at this grade.
· ELA (reading and research) - 78.0 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· Mathematics - 79.4 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· Science - 70.9 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· Social Studies - 77.1 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· The percentage of students scoring Met or above increased in all four subjects.
Grade 5
· Writing -77.7 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· ELA (reading and research) - 78.3 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· Mathematics - 75.3 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· Science - 64.9 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· Social Studies - 70.4 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· The percentage of students scoring Met or above increased in four of five subjects.
Grade 6
· Writing - not tested at this grade.
· ELA (reading and research) - 70.2 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· Mathematics - 72.5 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· Science - 64.9 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· Social Studies - 77.6 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· The percentage of students scoring Met or above increased in two of four subjects.
Grade 7
· Writing - not tested at this grade.
· ELA (reading and research) - 68.4 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· Mathematics - 69.7 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· Science - 71.7 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· Social Studies - 63.4 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· The percentage of students scoring Met or above increased in two of four subjects.
Grade 8
· Writing - 67.8 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· ELA (reading and research) - 67.8 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· Mathematics - 69.5 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· Science - 70.1 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· Social Studies - 71.9 percent Met or showed Exemplary performance in meeting the grade-level standard.
· The percentage of students scoring Met or above increased in four of five subjects.
