More Georgia high school juniors failed the math section of their graduation exam.

Scores released by the state Thursday show that 16 percent of students who sat for the Georgia State High School Graduation Test for the first time this year flunked math. That’s up from 9 percent who failed the math section last year.

Matt Cardoza of the state Department of Education said state officials are glad the scores didn’t drop even more. He said two things caused this year’s lower scores.

“We went to a more rigorous curriculum, while at the same time, we had a paradigm shift in how we taught it,” Cardoza said.

That shift was to a so-called “integrated” approach where students take algebra, geometry and statistics in the same class rather than separately in consecutive years. That transition has been rocky, and in March, the state Board of Education voted to let districts continue in that path or go back to the more traditional approach.

Students fared better in English, social studies and science, with pass rates in those subjects rising slightly over last year.

This is the last year that students are required to pass the graduation test to receive a diploma.

Tags: Georgia State High School Graduation Test