South Carolina Students Make Gains This Year

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) -- The state Department of Education said that South Carolina public school students made gains on the state's standardized test and other assessments this year, The State reports.

The department released data that showed 84 percent of schools earned a grade of "C" or better, larger percentages of students met state standards on the 2012 Palmetto Assessment of State Standards and four out of five high school students passed the South Carolina's high school exit examination on their first try, according to The State.

The state Superintendent of Education Mick Zais praised the students' results on Thursday.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio