Lilburn, Gwinnett Students Score Well in State Writing Test

(Editor's Note: This article was originally published March 25, 2013.)

Gwinnett County middle school students scored well in the recent state writing test, with Lilburn's Trickum Middle scoring among the highest.

More than 12,600 eighth-grade students took the test in January 2013, and Gwinnett County Public Schools released overall results on March 25.

The district’s average passing rate (met or exceeds standard) remains high and increased one percentage point this year, from 93 percent in 2012 to 94 percent now, according to officials. Statewide, 82 percent met or exceeded the standard.

Trickum Middle School was among the highest performing schools in the district, with 97 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards. It also had the fewest percentage of students to score in the "does not meet" category. (See Table 1 for other Lilburn-area cluster schools.)

In Gwinnett County, 15 percent of Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) students scored in the "exceeds" performance level, officials said. This is compared with just six percent across the state.

Officials also said that a fewer percentage of GCPS students scored in the "does not meet" category than the state. In Gwinnett County, six percent landed in this area; in the state, 18 percent did.

(See Table 2 for Gwinnett County and state data.)

Historically, GCPS eighth-grade students have scored well on the state writing test. The state writing test serves as a local promotion requirement for eighth-grade students. They must "meet" or "exceed" state standards in order to move to the ninth grade.

Table 1: Lilburn-area Cluster School Scores*

• Berkmar Middle (Berkmar Cluster): 335 -- 4% -- 78% -- 19%
• Sweetwater Middle (Berkmar Cluster): 577 -- 12% -- 82% -- 6%
• Lilburn Middle (Meadowcreek Cluster): 436 -- 6% -- 88% -- 6%
• Radloff Middle (Meadowcreek Cluster): 548 -- 14% -- 81% -- 5%
• Trickum Middle (Parkview Cluster): 666-- 3% -- 77% -- 20%

Table 2: Writing Test Scores Gwinnett County and State*

• GCPS: 12,643 -- 6% -- 79% -- 15%
• State: 124,257 -- 18% -- 76% -- 6%

*Percentages may total less than or more than 100 due to rounding.