State high school exit exam scores improve

Students' scores on the state high school exit exam soared to record heights, with four out of five sophomores passing both sections of the test on the first attempt this past spring, according to results released Friday.

The state's improvement to a 80.8 percent passing rate follows two consecutive years of improvement. Scores in the Lowcountry mostly followed the state trend, with all but one local district, Dorchester 4, posting gains on the state exam. Berkeley County schools saw the biggest jump in its scores.

South Carolina public high school students must pass an exit exam that tests English and math to receive a diploma. Students take the test for the first time during their second year of high school, and those who fail can retake the parts they did not pass again. High schools' performance on the exam are factored into state report card ratings and federal Adequate Yearly Progress ratings.

"If we continue to improve, that could have a positive long-term impact on high school graduation rates," said State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex in a statement.

While South Carolina has used high school exit exams for the past couple of decades, this version of the exam is relatively new, with last year's sophomores being the fifth to take it. Janet Rose, Charleston's executive director of assessment and accountability, said the longer tests are around, the more teachers learn about the test content, find better ways of teaching it and improve scores. In Berkeley, the district's pass rates rose dramatically, improving 10 percentage points to 82.2 percent and surpassing the state average. All high schools improved their pass rates, and Goose Creek High's made the biggest jump, 13.3 percentage points.

Principals and teachers targeted the exit exam and made a concerted effort to improve schools' pass rates, said Archie Franchini, deputy superintendent for learning services. Each high school created an improvement plan on how to boost pass rates, and those plans included tutoring, small group instruction and incentives, he said.

"We're pleased with the results, and we're not going to accept this as the end of it," he said, adding the district would work to improve.

In Charleston, the district's pass rates increased two percentage points from last year to 80.5 percent but fell short of surpassing the state average, which the district had done for two consecutive years. Rose said the accountability that high schools face has meant more schools focus on the exam by offering tutoring and using a diagnostic test that shows students' academic strengths and weaknesses.

Suburban Dorchester 2 had the best pass rate in the Lowcountry with 86.1 percent, an improvement of about three percentage points from last year. Debi Gilliam, the district's testing director, attributed the gains to a number of efforts working together, such as a focus on literacy and math instruction at elementary and middle schools and the same diagnostic test as the one used by Charleston.