PICKENS COUNTY — Students across the county will start standardized testing next Wednesday, according to school district officials.

Students in third through eighth grades will start taking the Palmetto Assessment of State Standards, or PASS, on March 16, beginning with a two-day assessment in writing.

PASS replaced the PACT test as the statewide assessment program, as part of ACT 282, state legislation passed in June 2008, said Julie Thompson, a spokesperson for the school district.

“In addition to writing, PASS includes tests in English language arts, math, science and social studies,” she said.

Those tests will be taken over a four-day period in May, she said.

But for the writing portion next week, testing will consist of one extended-response item administered on the first day and multiple choice items on the second day.

“Each student’s extended response will be scored in four domains: content and development, organization, voice, and conventions,” Thompson said. “The four domains have been used in the past, however, the grading rubic has been updated to reflect the 2008 English language arts academic standards.”

According to Thompson, PASS tests are designed to “provide detailed information about whether a student meets a particular standard and is performing at the appropriate grade level.”

She also said test results will be used for school and district accountability, as well as for federal accountability as defined in the No Child Left Behind Act.

Students can score exemplary, met or not met on the tests, and assessment results should be available by June 16, Thompson said.

For more information, including sample items, visit the S.C. Department of Education’s Web site at http://ed.sc.gov.