According to numbers provided by the local school district, the outcome of the 2010 Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) shows slight overall improvements for students of the Griffin-Spalding School System compared to last year’s results.

Six out of the eight grades in elementary and middle school yielded higher scores in reading, with only grades two and six dropping by 2.0 and 2.3 percent, respectively.

Grade eight achieved the highest reading score of all grades, with 94.4 percent of all students meeting or exceeding standards.

In math, five grades improved their test results from last year. While still at a relatively low 64.5 percent of meeting or exceeding standards, grade eight showed the greatest gain — 16.7 percent — within one year.

The other three subjects tested as part of the CRCT — English/language arts, science and social studies — are only administered to students in grades three to eight. All of those five grade levels improved their scores in science, even though the overall percentages of students meeting or exceeding standards remains mediocre, ranging from 71.3 percent (grade five) to 52.8 percent (grade eight).

Likewise, five of the six grades tested in English/language arts scored better than in 2009, as the average score this year was 86.6 percent.

“We are pleased with these test results. The scores show that we are implementing the right strategies and that we are successfully educating our students,” said Griffin-Spalding School System Superintendent Curtis Jones in a news release. “We still have room for improvement, especially in math. However, our test scores are headed in the right direction.”