Cherokee Tribune
Kyle Dominy
June 23, 2011 12:00 AM

CANTON – Cherokee County students have outperformed many of their peers across the state and metropolitan Atlanta on the Criterion’Referenced Competency Tests according to data released by the Georgia Department of Education yesterday.

“We are very excited,” said Susan Padgett’Harrison, the director of student assessment for the Cherokee County School System. “There are always subjects you are going to go up in and some you’ll go down in but Cherokee consistently scores among the highest in the state.”

Cherokee students scored consistently higher than the students in majority of the six county core of metro Atlanta, Cobb, DeKalb Forsyth, Fulton and Gwinnett Counties. 85 percent or more of Cherokee county test takers passed almost all five portions of the test.

The CRCT is a state mandated test administered to third’ through eighth’grade students. Students are tested in reading, language arts, math, science and social studies.

Third-, fifth- and eighth-grade students are required to pass certain portions of the test in order to advance to the next grade level.

Cherokee’s highest scores came in the reading portion of the test. More than 98 percent of eighth’ grade students passed, while 97 percent of third graders passed.

The county’s lowest scores came in social studies. Only 83 percent of Cherokee fifth- and sixth-grade students passed that portion. A passing score is not required on the social studies test for grade advancement.

The only county to outshine Cherokee was Forsyth County.

Forsyth County had a 90 percent or greater passing rate for all grades in all portions of the test.

Other surrounding school districts had passing rates barely over half the students in some testing areas.

Some of the region’s lowest scores came from DeKalb County with only 55 percent of fifth-grade students passing social studies.

65 percent of DeKalb eighth-graders passed math, one of the required tests for grade advancement.