CRCT scores dip in Catoosa

Rachel Brown Respond to this story Scores from a test designed to reflect how well students know the state curriculum dropped for Catoosa County Public Schools since last year. Yet local officials said students here still fared better than the rest of the state. Assistant superintendent Kim Nichols said the drop in math scores on the Criterion Referenced Competency Tests, or CRCTs, is an “implementation dip.” Last year was the first year that the state has used the new Georgia Performance Standards curriculum for critical grades in math. The standards-based curriculum emphasizes problem-solving skills, replacing the old Quality Core Curriculum, which was knowledge-based and emphasized memorization, educators said. “Overall I think we’re extremely pleased,” said Nichols. “If (the new curriculum) is truly a more rigorous... [read full story]