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GREENSBORO - Three times this spring Guilford County Schools has released preliminary results showing better performance on state exams among students.

Results made public Monday indicate that a higher percentage of high school end-of-course tests received passing grades this year.

Increases ranged from 1.2 percentage points in U.S. history to 10.5 percentage points in algebra 1. However, Gongshu Zhang, the district's chief accountability and research officer, doubts the gains will translate to more schools making federal testing goals.

"Guilford has made great progress," Zhang said. "I still don't think we can receive the same (Adequate Yearly Progress) percentages as last year." Zhang said meeting the federal Adequate Yearly Progress targets will be tough because the state raised the bar in reading and math during the 2007-08 year.

For example, grades three through eight are expected to have passing rates of 84.4 percent in reading and 77.2 in math this year.

Last year, those targets were 76.7 percent and 65.8 percent, respectively.

Federal officials also rejected this month a state request to exempt the new 2008 reading tests from AYP calculations.

The N.C. Department of Public Instruction expects to release reading results later than usual and made the request to keep from holding up school planning and enrollment decisions.

Zhang anticipates that the new reading test along with a higher target will make it more difficult for schools to make AYP, he said.

Still, school officials are celebrating the increases. This year, 71.8 percent of exams taken by students in the third through eighth grades earned passing scores, up 4.5 percentage points from 2007. Writing scores in fourth, seventh and 10th grades also improved this year.

"While we are pleased with the progress we've made, we recognize that we still have some work ahead of us," said Sharon Ozment, co-interim superintendent, in a statement Monday. "And we intend to continue to work relentlessly to boost student achievement."

The results of end-of-course alternative tests taken by students with special needs are expected in late July. Zhang expects preliminary reading scores in September or October.

Contact Morgan Josey Glover at 373-7078 or morgan.josey@news-record.com