Exit exam scores on par with state average

Nearly 75 percent of Blacksburg and Gaffney High tenth graders completed a major graduation requirement by passing the state's high school exit exam this spring.

High school students must pass the English and math sections of the High School Assessment Program (HSAP). About half of the states require high school students to pass an exit exam. South Carolina is among only a few states which require 24 course units for a diploma.

Three quarters of tenth graders statewide passed the HSAP on their first attempt this spring, according to results released Thursday by the state Department of Education. The state passing rate this year was 74.7 percent.

"Our graduation rate was 79 percent, well above the state average of 71 percent for this year. We feel good about the direction our

school is headed," Blacksburg High Principal Jim Touchberry said. "We have implemented numerous instructional strategies to take our students from where they are now and make our scores better than last year."

Blacksburg High had 72.4 percent of students pass both sections of the exit exam on their first attempt. Gaffney High had 75.2 percent of its tenth graders pass the exit exam, compared to 67.8 percent in 2005.

About 74 percent of Blacksburg and Gaffney High students passed the state's high school exit exam in 2004 when the exit exam was given for the first time. The state average was 76 percent.

This is a significant increase from 1997 when only half of the district's high school students were passing the BSAP exit exam on their first attempt.

"We are pleased with the dedication of our teachers who continue to work to increase student achievement," said Page McCraw, director of educational programs in Cherokee County schools. "Academy classes serve as a vehicle to improve HSAP performance."

The district implemented an academy program for ninth and tenth graders four years ago to help prepare students for success in high school. Students in those grades take additional English and math classes in which students can focus on improving their skills in those subject areas.

"We are really pleased with our exit exam scores. The academy program is working exactly the way we intended it to work," Gaffney High Principal Dr. Quincie Moore said. "We have less students who need remediation to pass HSAP. The academy program is helping prepare students to do higher level course work as juniors and seniors."

The exam is given to students in their second year in high school. Students who do not pass the exam on the first attempt have other chances to pass it before graduation.

The district's high school graduation rate increased from 69.8 percent in 2005 to 76.7 percent in 2006. The state average was 73.1 percent. The graduation rate is based on the number of ninth graders who finish high school in four years.

High school academic programs are being organized next year around career clusters where students will select a major subject as the focus of their four year high school studies. Credit recovery such as Gaffney High's NovaNet and the district's Virtual Schools are expected to have a positive impact on local high school graduation rates over the next couple years.

High school seniors must pass the exit exam as one of their graduation requirements. The test is given for the first time in a student's second year of high school. Students who don't pass on the first attempt are given additional opportunities before graduation.

Blacksburg High had 72.4 percent of students pass both sections of the exit exam on their first attempt. Gaffney High had 75.2 percent of its tenth graders pass the exam.

In 2005, Blacksburg High had 76.1 percent pass on the first attempt. Gaffney High had a 67.8 percent passing rate on the exit exam. The state average was 74.7 percent, compared to 71.2 percent in 2005 and 76 percent in 2004.