High School Graduation Scores Up

For the most part, students at Parkview and Berkmar high schools in Lilburn scored above state averages on the 2011 Georgia High School Graduation Tests, according to data from the Georgia Department of Education.

The tests are given to public high school students for the first time in the spring of their junior year. All four portions of the test, plus the Georgia High School Writing Test, must be passed to earn a full diploma. Students can retake the tests as many times as needed to pass.

The state agency reported that scores were up in Science, Social Studies and Language Arts over last year. There was no comparison in Math, which used the more rigorous Georgia Performance Standards-based test for the first time this year.

Statewide, 91 percent of Georgia test-takers passed the Language Arts exam (up one percentage point), 93 percent passed in Science (up three points), and 80 percent passed in Social Studies (up two points). In Math, 84 percent of the students passed; the decrease was expected from last year’s score of 91 percent on the Quality Core Curriculum-based exam.

At Parkview, 97 percent passed in Language Arts, 97 in Science, 93 in Social Studies and 94 in Math. The school also had high marks in the percentages of students scoring in advanced proficiency or honors levels. According to the data, 76.4 percent scored in those categories in Language Arts, 73.1 in Math, 82.4 in Science and 66.4 in Social Studies.

At Berkmar, 90 percent passed in Language Arts, 94 in Science, 80 in Social Studies and 85 in Math. Those scoring at advanced or honors levels: 47.9 percent in Language Arts, 39.4 in Math, 52.9 in Science and 36.5 in Social Studies.

Gwinnett County percentages were 94 percent in Language Arts, 96 in Science, 88 in Social Studies and 90 in Math. Those scoring at advanced or honors levels county-wide: 65.5 percent in Language Arts, 62.3 in Math, 73.9 in Science and 55.4 in Social Studies.

"The results of the 2011 GHSGT are very encouraging,” State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge said in a released statement. "These scores give us a good indicator that students and teachers continue to rise to the challenge of a more rigorous curriculum.”