End of course exams remain 'unacceptably low'
By SCOTT POWELL Ledger Staff Writer spowell@gaffneyledger.com

Cherokee County middle school students had a high "B" average on end-of-course exams in algebra. Most Blacksburg and Gaffney High students failed the physical science exam.

These were the highlights and lowlights on county endof course exam scores released Friday by the state Department of Education. Students' end-of-course exams count for 20 percent of their final grade and are required for introductory courses under the state's Education Accountability Act.

Physical science joins Algebra I and English I as subjects students are required to pass to graduate from high school.

Statewide, students had an average grade of "C" in Algebra I, a "D" in science and "D" in English I.

Under South Carolina's uniform grading scale, an A is 93- 100; a B is 85-92; a C is 77-84; and a D is 70-76. Anything 69 or below is an F.

In a news release Friday, State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex said scores on end-of-course exams remain unacceptably low.

"We need answers to some key questions," Rex said in the news release. "Are students not motivated to do their best because these scores count for only 20 percent of their final course grades? Are teachers not covering specific material that students need to master before taking these exams? Have we set cut scores too high? But regardless, these scores should be improving more rapidly."

In physical science, Gaffney High students had an average grade of 64.8. Blacksburg High students had an average grade of 64.1 percent.

Many high school students often struggle with physical science due to the technical math skills required to be successful in the class, Gaffney High Principal Marlene Davis said.

This year, Davis said the school's honors ninth grade students are taking physical science while many of their classmates are enrolled in biology.

Gaffney High plans to offer physical science later in a student's high school career in the future so students will have more advanced math before they take physical science, Davis said.

Local middle school students had stellar results on the Algebra I end-of-course exam.

Middle school students can earn their first high school unit in algebra as an eighth grader. Students are selected to take the course based on teacher recommendation and math scores on the state's Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT.)

Granard Middle School had an average score of 94.4 percent in Algebra I. Ewing Middle had an average score of 89 in Algebra I while Gaffney Middle had an 88.7. Blacksburg Middle students had an 87.4 average.

The district did not fare as well on the English I end-ofcourse exam.

Blacksburg and Gaffney High students had an average score of 71 on the English endof course exam in 2007. Last year, district students had an average score of 72.6 percent in English.

The school district has required students to take endof course exams since 2001. The exams became a state requirement during the 2003- 2004 school year.

A U.S. History and Constitution end-of-course test was added last school year but is not yet part of the state's school accountability system.