Rome and Floyd County have both showed gains over several subject areas in the spring 2012 End-of-Course Tests, based on results released by the Department of Education on Tuesday.

School-level scores will be released later.

Floyd County Schools showed a 12-percent increase in students meeting or exceeding standards in U.S. history and a 10 -percent hike in Math I, which Tim Hensley, assistant to the superintendent, called “significant.”

“It’s a good sign that we’re trending in a positive direction,” said Hensley.

In Math II, students meeting or exceeding the standard dropped from 52 percent in 2011 to 50 percent in 2012.

Hensley said the system is continually working to increase the percentage of those who exceed the standards on the tests.

“As we’re looking at this year’s scores, we see maybe areas where we can go in and tweak some instruction,” said Hensley.

Rome City Schools Superintendent Gayland Cooper said he is proud of the continued improvement of student test scores.

“I am pleased with the increases in percentage of students passing the EOCT,” said Cooper. “The more rigorous curriculum is being taught well at Rome High and obviously students continue to improve in their understanding of the content.”

Cooper pointed out that the increase in meeting or exceeding the standard for Math I and Math II were very significant. In Math I, the system achieved 71 percent meeting or exceeding compared to the state’s 65 percent, and Math II scores improved from 50 percent to 60 percent, rising to 6 percentage points above the state.

“Our teachers and students have really made steady gains in math, and we’re very proud of that,” said Cooper.

Economics and physical science show a need for improvement. Only 60 percent of Rome students met or exceeded the standard for economics, compared with 67 percent last year. Along the same lines, the number of students passing physical science dropped to 75 percent from 83 percent.

Statewide, the results show student improvement in seven of eight comparable tests. The percentage of students who met or exceeded standards for Mathematics II decreased by one percentage point.

In April 2011 the State Board of Education approved a plan to phase out the Georgia High School Graduation Tests, starting with students who entered ninth grade in the 2011-2012 school year for the first time. For these students, the EOCT counts as 20 percent of the final grade, an increase from the previous 15 percent level.

State School Superintendent John Barge said, “End-of-Course Tests are more rigorous than the Georgia High School Graduation Tests, so increases are further testament to the great job our teachers are doing delivering the Georgia Performance Standards to students in a way that they are grasping.”