Preliminary Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) results showed area students did well on third grade reading and fifth grade math and reading scores, officials said.

Texas students posted their highest passing rate ever on the state’s fifth grade math test, with 85 percent passing the English-language version of the exam and 39 percent receiving “commended” status, the Texas Education Agency announced.

The passing rate rose from 79 percent in 2005 to 81 percent last year.

TEA has not yet released statewide figures for reading scores.

Forsan Independent School District fifth graders exceeded the state math scores, with 93 percent posting passing grades, Superintendent Randy Johnson said.

Those figures represent a slight drop from 2006, when 95 percent of fifth graders passed the TAKS math test.

“We’re thrilled,” Johnson said. “When this group was in the fourth grade, only 80 percent passed. That’s what we’re most excited about — that we showed that much improvement from one year to the next.”

Forsan’s third graders posted a perfect 100 percent passing mark in reading scores — compared to 96 percent in 2006 — and 95 percent of its fifth graders succeeded in the reading test, compared to 91 percent the previous year.

Big Spring ISD fifth graders also showed improvement from the previous year, although they did not meet the state average in math scores.

Superintendent Michael Downes said 73 percent of the district’s fifth graders passed the TAKS math test, compared to 69 percent the previous year.

Downes added that fifth graders had an 81 percent of the fifth graders passed the reading portion of the test — compared to 72 percent in 2006 — as did 85 percent of the third graders.

And Downes expects scores to move even higher after the second round of test administration later this month.

“All reading scores from the six campuses met criteria for Recognized campuses, and that was before the second administration of the test,” he said. “With the math scores, the target for Recognized status is 75 percent, and we fully expect to reach that level by the second administration of the test.”

Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331, or by e-mail at