Science is still a problem for Georgia high school juniors taking the state's graduation test.
A higher percentage than ever failed the science portion of the test this year, according to results from the Georgia Department of Education. Just 71 percent of almost 69,000 juniors taking the test for the first time passed the science section, down from 73 percent in 2000. That's compared with 96 percent who got passing grades on the English portion of the test and 93 percent in math an improvement of 1 percentage point in each category. High school juniors must pass all sections of the test to get a diploma, including a writing test administered in the fall. Those who fail a section have at least four more chances to pass before the end of their senior year.