A higher percentage of South Carolina pupils passed the Palmetto Assessment of State Standards test last spring than in the previous year, according to results released today by the state Department of Education.
The test assesses third- through eighth-graders' mastery of academic standards in English Language Arts (reading and research), math, science and social studies. Only fifth- and eighth-graders were administered the writing portion this year.
The passing rate for all grades increased in math, with fourth grade having the best passing rate, at 79.4 percent, and eighth grade having the lowest, at 69.5 percent.
Five of the six grades tested saw an increase in social studies passing rate. Sixth grade had the highest passing rate, with 77.6 percent of pupils passing, and seventh grade had the lowest, with 63.4 of pupils passing.
Seventh-grade pupils led the passing rates for science, with 71.7 percent passing, and third grade had the lowest, at 60.8 percent. Four of the six grades tested saw an increase in passing rates.
The passing rates for writing increased for fifth-graders, with 77.7 percent of pupils passing. The percentage rate decreased for eighth-graders, from 71.9 percent to 67.8 percent.
Despite numerous increases, State Superintendent Mick Zais expressed concern in a news release regarding the declining scores in reading and that one-third of pupils tested did not pass the writing assessment.
The Aiken County School District's fifth- and eighth-graders had higher passing rates in writing than the state.
The county's fifth-graders had an 80.9 passing rate and 69.9 percent of eighth-grade pupils passed writing.
Aiken County also saw an increase in the overall percentage of pupils passing in math and social studies and a 0.3 percent decrease in science compared with the 2010 results.
There was a 1.1 percentage-point decrease in the overall pass rate for English/language arts in Aiken County. The passing rate increased only for eighth-graders.
"I'm excited about the gains we made in most subjects, but am disappointed about the 1 percent drop in (English/language arts) scores for all students," said Dr. Kevin O'Gorman, the district's associate superintendent of instruction, in a news release. "Having these scores for the first time in the summer months before school starts has been very beneficial in terms of strategic planning for the upcoming school year."
In Edgefield County, writing scores for both fifth- and eighth-graders decreased compared with last year's. However, Edgefield's eighth-grade pass rate was 68.1, which was higher than the state's rate of 67.8.
The percentage of Edgefield County pupils passing in math and social studies increased or remained about the same for all grades, except fourth. The percentage of pupils passing science also increased for all grades except fifth. The percentage of pupils passing English/language arts improved only for fifth- and eighth-grades.
For a complete break down of PASS results by district, schools and demographics, visit ed.sc.gov.
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