Nearly15,000 district students in grades 3-8 were tested last spring inEnglish/language arts, mathematics, science and social studies. Scoringlevels are Below Basic, Basic, Proficient and Advanced.

In17 of 24 categories, greater percentages of students met statestandards by scoring Basic or above. Gains were made in five out of sixgrade levels in math and in four out of six grade levels inEnglish/language arts, science and social studies. Sixth grade studentsmade gains in every subject area tested. At the state level, studentsmade gains in 16 out of 24 categories.

Thepercentage of district students scoring Proficient and Advanced showedgains in 18 out of 24 categories. Gains were made in every grade amongstudents scoring Proficient and Advanced in science and in five out ofsix grades in both English language arts and social studies. Two out ofsix grade levels made gains in math. At the State level, gains weremade in 15 out of 24 categories.

Independentnational research studies have shown that PACT's scoring requirementsare higher than annual accountability tests in other states. Thosestudies indicated that a PACT score of Basic, for example, might beequivalent to a score of Proficient in other states.

Studentsmust score Basic, Proficient or Advanced to meet South Carolina’srequirements. Students who score Below Basic did not meet the minimumexpectations for mastering South Carolina's academic standards.Academic plans are developed for students who score Below Basic in oneor more subjects.

Percentages ofstudents scoring Proficient or above on PACT English language arts andmath are used to determine Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) schoolresults required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

PACTscores also are key components in South Carolina's annual School ReportCards that rate elementary and middle schools as Excellent, Good,Average, Below Average or Unsatisfactory. Under the EducationAccountability Act of 1998, the state provides specialized assistanceto schools and districts with Unsatisfactory or Below Average ratings.High schools are rated by a formula that uses high school exit examscores, end-of-course tests scores and graduation rates.

Summary of Horry County Schools' 2007 PACT results:

Grade 3

• EnglishLanguage Arts - The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Levelor above increased from 92.8 to 93.5 percent; 7.7 points above thestate percentage of 85.8; the percentage of students scoring Proficientand Advanced increased from 66.2 to 69 percent, 14.6 points above thestate percentage of 54.4;
• Mathematics- The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Level or abovedecreased from 88.2 to 86.1 percent; 7.7 points above the statepercentage of 78.4; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced decreased from 47.9 to 44 percent, 13.2 points above the statepercentage of 30.8;
• Science -The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Level or aboveincreased from 68 to 68.8 percent; 4.3 points above the statepercentage of 64.5; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced increased from 27.6 to 34.1 percent, 5.2 points above thestate percentage of 28.9;
• SocialStudies- The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Level or aboveincreased from 85.6 to 86.6 percent; 1.9 points above the statepercentage of 84.7; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced increased from 45.7 to 48.4 percent, 7.5 points above thestate percentage of 40.9;

Grade 4

• EnglishLanguage Arts - The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Levelor above increased from 88.3 to 90.9 percent; 8.2 points above thestate percentage of 82.7; the percentage of students scoring Proficientand Advanced increased from 53.9 to 54.7 percent, 12.4 points above thestate percentage of 42.3;
• Mathematics- The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Level or aboveincreased from 85.4 to 86.1 percent; 8 points above the statepercentage of 78.1; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced decreased from 56.9 to 55.3 percent, 13.9 points above thestate percentage of 41.4;
• Science- The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Level or abovedecreased from 68.1 to 67.8 percent; 4 points above the statepercentage of 63.8; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced increased from 35.9 to 37.1 percent, 2.9 points above thestate percentage of 34.2;
• SocialStudies- The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Level or abovedecreased from 76.9 to 75 percent; 1.3 points above the statepercentage of 73.7; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced increased from 33.9 to 36.4 percent, 2.7 points above thestate percentage of 33.7;

Grade 5

• EnglishLanguage Arts - The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Levelor above decreased from 88.8 to 86 percent; 8.8 points above the statepercentage of 77.2; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced decreased from 48.5 to 42.8 percent,10.9 points above thestate percentage of 31.9;
• Mathematics- The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Level or aboveincreased from 86.7 to 87.1 percent; 9.4 points above the statepercentage of 77.7; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced decreased from 52.2 to 49.5 percent, 16 points above the statepercentage of 33.5;
• Science -The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Level or abovedecreased from 65.4 to 63.7 percent; 3.1 points above the statepercentage of 60.6; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced increased from 30.3 to 30.4 percent, one-tenth of a pointabove the state percentage of 30.3;
• SocialStudies- The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Level or aboveincreased from 68.6 to 68.9 percent; 5.1 points above the statepercentage of 63.8; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced increased from 26.5 to 29.6 percent, 2.4 points above thestate percentage of 27.2;

Grade 6

• EnglishLanguage Arts - The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Levelor above increased from 78.1 to 83.9 percent; 13 points above the statepercentage of 70.9; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced increased from 41.8 to 45.1 percent, 14.1 points above thestate percentage of 31;
• Mathematics- The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Level or aboveincreased from 86.5 to 89.1 percent; 11.9 points above the statepercentage of 77.2; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced increased from 49.4 to 54.7 percent, 16.8 points above thestate percentage of 37.9;
• Science- The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Level or aboveincreased from 54.1 to 66.7 percent; 7.2 points above the statepercentage of 59.5; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced increased from 25.9 to 38.1 percent, 7.1 points above thestate percentage of 31;
• SocialStudies- The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Level or aboveincreased from 71.7 to 81 percent; 3.9 points above the statepercentage of 77.1; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced increased from 37 to 39.4 percent, 3.8 points above the statepercentage of 35.6;

Grade 7

• EnglishLanguage Arts - The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Levelor above decreased from 80.4 to 79.3 percent; 9.5 points above thestate percentage of 69.8; the percentage of students scoring Proficientand Advanced increased from 36.7 to 38.7 percent, 10.3 points above thestate percentage of 28.4;
• Mathematics- The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Level or aboveincreased from 84 to 86.1 percent; 9.3 points above the statepercentage of 76.8; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced increased from 42.4 to 43.2 percent, 10.5 points above thestate percentage of 32.7;
• Science- The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Level or aboveincreased from 61.6 to 69.7 percent; 4.9 points above the statepercentage of 64.8; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced increased from 31.9 to 38.6 percent, 5.5 points above thestate percentage of 33.1;
• SocialStudies- The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Level or aboveincreased from 61.1 to 62.4 percent; 5.1 points above the statepercentage of 57.3; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced increased from 24.1 to 27.3 percent, 3.3 points above thestate percentage of 24;

Grade 8

• EnglishLanguage Arts - The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Levelor above increased from 80.4 to 81.5 percent; 10.2 points above thestate percentage of 71.3; the percentage of students scoring Proficientand Advanced increased from 31.1to 32.7 percent, eight points above thestate percentage of 24.7;
• Mathematics- The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Level or aboveincreased from 74.2 to 78.1 percent; 10.2 points above the statepercentage of 67.9; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced decreased from 29 to 27.1 percent, 7.4 points above the statepercentage of 19.7;
• Science -The percentage of students scoring at the Basic Level or aboveincreased from 65.3 to 69 percent; 5.3 points above the statepercentage of 63.7; the percentage of students scoring Proficient andAdvanced increased from 25.2 to 30.3 percent, 4.3 points above thestate percentage of 26;
• SocialStudies- The percentage of students decreased from 74.9 to 72.6percent; 6.7 points above the state percentage of 65.9; the percentageof students scoring Proficient and Advanced decreased from 29.9 to 22.2percent, 6.7 points above the state percentage of 15.5.