Georgia more than doubled the rate of high school students passing their second attempt at the state's science and social studies graduation tests this year. Data released from the state Department of Education on Monday shows that nearly 1,400 students passed the exam this year, or 68 percent of the students who took it. That's compared to the 27 percent who passed the social studies retest and the 29 percent who passed the science retest last year. A new program that gives students who failed the tests an extra two weeks of intensive study before they try again helped boost the rate. Georgia students must pass every section of the high school graduation test - English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies writing - to graduate.
(Associated Press)