Parents whose children failed the math test will be notified by local schools. The state requires eighth-graders to pass the reading and math exams to move to high school.
Students who failed math exams — as well as those who might have failed reading — can retake the exam this summer. Schools will provide optional free classes to get them ready. Students who failed the social studies exam don't face any consequences under Georgia law.
State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox said test scores in both subjects dropped because students took harder tests to match the state's tougher and more rigorous curriculum.
"When you raise standards and expectations, it is not unusual to see a temporary dip in the percent of students who are meeting those expectations," Cox wrote in a statement released Monday afternoon. "We have seen this in other grades and other areas of the curriculum."
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