ATLANTA -- The state Board of Education will hold a specialmeeting to consider whether to release the score students needed topass high-stakes third-grade reading tests.

State schools Superintendent Kathy Cox said the board will meeton June 29.

At issue is how many questions third-graders needed to answercorrectly to pass the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test inreading -- which was used for the first time this year to determinewhich students will advance to the fourth grade.

State officials proudly reported two weeks ago that a highernumber than expected passed the test. But the state Department ofEducation has not released the standard for passing the test,calling into question the results.

"Secrecy always gives rise to conspiracy theories," CathyHenson, president of the Georgia School Council Institute andformer chairwoman of the state Board of Education, said to TheAtlanta Journal-Constitution.

Just 11,000 of the state's roughly 115,000 third-graders failedthe reading portion of the test. Cox said that number -- about 10percent -- was much lower than predictions, based on previousresults, that as many as 26 percent would fail.

On Wednesday, Cox vehemently denied that standards on the testhad been lowered from previous years to prompt the strong showing.She said the cut score -- the minimum needed to pass -- was set by aprevious school board and has not been changed since 2002, the lasttime third-graders took the test.

"The media has to assume that when great progress gets made ineducation, it's because somebody tampered with something andsomebody's cheating," Cox said. "It's very disheartening andsaddening to me."

She credited an increased focus on reading by teachers and anearnest effort by students who knew that this year's test wouldaffect their promotion to the next grade.

Education officials have declined to release the cut score,citing state school board policy. Cox and others have asked theboard to reconsider that policy, although she said it was unclearwhether the board will take action at their June 29 meeting.

Meanwhile, Cox said she's focused on preparing students for nextyear's tests. The 2004 CRCT will use fifth-grade reading and mathtests to determine which of those students advance to the nextgrade.

This year, 22 percent of fourth-graders failed the state readingtest.

"I want my attention and this department's attention to be onhow we can help schools -- so we can have great results for allstudents," Cox said. "That's where my energy needs to be."

Students who failed the reading test will attend an intense,three-week summer school, then retake it.

A teacher, parent and principal must all agree to promote anychild that fails the test a second time.