COUNTY — South Carolina has released the results of end-of-course exam testing, showing Pickens County a mixture of growth and decline from the previous year.

The end-of-course examination program tests middle and high school students in Algebra 1/Math Tech 2 and English 1 classes, and it tests high school students in Biology and U.S. History. The state reports results in two ways: average score and percent passing.

The greatest gain for Pickens County was in English. SDPC’s average score and percent passing both hit five-year highs.

Pickens County students’ average scores were above state averages on Algebra, English, and Biology, but dipped below in U.S History. For the third year in a row the percentage of students passing the Algebra 1/Math Tech 2 exam was slightly below the state average, and the percentage passing the U.S. History exam dipped below state average as well. SDPC scores declined from the previous year in every subject except English.

“The gains we’ve made in English are something to be proud of, and I hope we can continue building on that going forward,” said Danny Merck, SDPC Superintendent. “In the other subjects, state-wide progress has been gradually closing the gap with Pickens County for several years, and this year we were overtaken in several subjects. It’s very important for us to continue to improve so that our students have a competitive advantage after graduation.”