ALBANY, GA --
State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge announced the state-wide 2012 Criterion-Referenced Competency Test results this afternoon.

The CRCT scores are based on the Reading, English, Math, Science, and Social Studies levels in grades three through eight - totaling 30 scores.

There was an increase in percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards on 20 of the 30 tests - which Dr. Barge commends teachers for achieving despite budget cuts.

"We have teachers that are really working extra hard with less time, larger class sizes, and getting some really good results so I think that's a really big take-away,” said Dr. Barge.

Although he is pleased with the increases, Dr. Barge is still concerned about the four categories that showed decreased percentages and the six categories with no changes - and plans to focus on successfully implementing the new standards.