Greenville County students’ average or mean scores on the state’s End-of-Course exams improved in 2013-14 for all four exams: Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2, English 1, Biology 1/Applied Biology, and U.S. History and the Constitution. The End-of-Course exams are given for high school core courses and courses taken in middle school for high school credit, and count 20 percent of a student’s final grade for the course.
2013-14 End-of-Course Scores
· Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 – Average score increased to 83.6 from 82.1.
· English 1 – Average score increased to 80.4 from 79.8.
· Biology 1/Applied Biology – Average score increased to 84.8 from 84.4.
· U.S. History and the Constitution – Average score increased to 78 from 75.7.
End-of-Course passage rates (A – D) for GCS students also increased for two of the four exams: Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 and U.S. History and the Constitution. While the percentage of students passing English I and Biology 1/Applied Biology declined slightly, the mean score for both subjects increased.
Passage rates for GCS students over five years show a positive trend with US History and the Constitution leading with a 19.2 percentage point increase. The passage rate for Biology I/Applied Biology increased by almost nine percentage points.
End-of-Course exam scores are used in the calculation of middle school and district Absolute Ratings for School Report Cards. Passage rates are used in the calculation of high school and district Absolute Ratings for School Report Cards. End-of-Course exam scores for Biology I/Applied Biology and US History and the Constitution are used in the calculation of federal ESEA grades for high schools and school districts.
2013-14 Results
Greenville County SchoolsCS South Carolina
Algebra I* – 87.3% 85.6%
English I* – 82.2% 77.0%
Biology I – 84.4% 78.8%
U.S. History – 75.4% 65.4%
*Algebra I and English I scores include exams taken by middle school students
