RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina public schools are seeing a dramatic drop in standardized test scores, largely because of harder reading exams for elementary and middle school students.

Statewide data for the 2007-08 school year was released Thursday for the ABCs of Public Education, the state’s testing and accountability program.

The report shows that in about a third of the state’s schools, less than 60 percent of students passed the exam. That’s double the number of students compared to 2006-07.

At least 80 percent of students passed the test in only 10 percent of schools, compared to 23 percent of schools in the previous academic year.

But public education officials said the drop is largely due to new reading tests in elementary and middle schools. They said drops are normal when a new exam is introduced.