Fewer Eighth Graders Pass State Writing Test
Every year, Georgia third, fifth, eighth and eleventh graders take a state-issued writing exam. State education officials announced the results of the eighth grade test this week.
This year, 82% of eighth graders passed the exam, compared with 83% last year. But Georgia Department of Education spokesman Matt Cardoza says there were signs of improvement too.
“The average score on the test went up three points this year,” he says.
School systems in Fulton, Cobb and Dekalb counties, and the Atlanta Public Schools all saw a slight drop in their percentage of passing students. But the Gwinnett County Schools improved a little, with 93% of eighth graders passing. Spokesperson Jorge Quintana says the district uses the test as a benchmark.
“That is something that they need to be promoted to the next grade level,” he explains, “So, our students very early on in elementary school start writing and they start getting ready for that assessment.”
Quintana says Gwinnett emphasizes writing in all subject areas. He says they offer support and interventions to students who struggle.
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