Students in Beaufort County improved their performance on 2014 state tests administered at the end of key high school courses, according to results released this week by the South Carolina Department of Education.

South Carolina students’ scores on end-of-course exams count for 20 percent of final grades in Algebra 1, English 1, Biology and U.S. History and Constitution.  Beaufort County students improved their percentages of passing grades in all four courses in 2014:

• Algebra 1: The percentage of students passing increased from 79.2 percent in 2013 to 83.7 in 2014 (state passing percentage was 85.6).

• English 1: The percentage passing improved from 77.5 percent in 2013 to 78.3 in 2014 (state passing percentage was 77).

• U.S. History and Constitution: The percentage passing improved from 60.4 in 2013 to 65.7 in 2014 (state passing percentage was 65.4).

• Biology: The percentage passing increased from 80.7 in 2013 to 83 in 2014 (state passing percentage was 78.8).