ATLANTA - New state data show thousands more Georgia eighth-graders passed a state-mandated math exam on the second try.<br />
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According to data released by the state Wednesday, another 19,000 rising high school freshmen passed a retake of the Criterion Referenced Competency Test this summer. That improved the statewide pass rate from 62 percent to 77 percent for the year.<br />
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In the spring, 38 percent of eighth-graders - nearly 50,000 - failed the math test on their first attempt. Students crowded summer school classes to brush up before the retest.<br />
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Students in first through eighth grade take the CRCT every year. It's among the measurements Georgia uses to meet federal No Child Left Behind standards.<br />
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Students get one chance to retake the test.<br />
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On the Net:<br />
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Georgia Department of Education: http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/