Education Minister Dame Jennifer Smith yesterday admitted there was concern over the number of senior students showing a proficiency in maths.

New figures released yesterday showed that 70 of the 79 Berkeley and CedarBridge students taking the Maths GCSE exam passed, less than a quarter of all the senior school students showed proficiency in the subject. At a press conference held to announce the results of proficiency tests in the Island's public schools, Dame Jennifer said: "The Bermuda Criterion-Referenced Test scores indicate a mathematics concern at the middle and senior levels.

"Together, these results give a picture of areas where our students are doing well and areas that need to be targeted for improvement."

According to the figures, 215 Berkeley and CedarBridge students sat 266 GCSE examinations, with 259 examinations receiving a pass with 214 of those approximately 80 percent scoring between A and C.

Last year, it was reported that CedarBridge and Berkeley had a GSCE pass rate of 43.8 percent and 45.7 percent respectively in the 2008-2009 school year, significantly lower than this year's 80 percent pass rate.

However, it was not revealed how many students actually took the exams last year, which are optional in both schools. When asked for more detailed results, a Ministry of Education spokeswoman said they did not have individual school results in greater detail, but that the Ministry aimed to release more information to the public going forward.

The figures from the Berkeley and CedarBridge 2009-2010 academic year show:

• 51 of the 57 students that sat the English Language Arts exam passed.

• 70 out of the 79 students that sat the Mathematics exam passed.

• Four of the five students that sat the English Literature examination passed.

• 76.06 percent of S1 students demonstrated proficiency in English Language arts, while 22.96 percent showed proficiency in mathematics.

• Of the students enrolled in the 2009-2010 academic year, CedarBridge had a graduation rate of 99 percent, and Berkeley had a 98 percent graduation rate.

• Of the students that enrolled in S1, 86 percent of CedarBridge students and 79 percent of Berkeley students graduated.

• 198 of the 234 graduating students had a GPA of 2.0 or higher.

• 100 students obtained a National Centre for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) core certificate, a certification created to develop industry driven standards in the construction field.

• No senior level ranked above or at the midpoint in the Terra Nova tests, which compares results to students in the US.

Dame Jennifer said that this year's results helped highlight what areas need to be improved going forward.

While she called the senior school's Terra Nova results disheartening, she added: "Students at this level undertake a barrage of tests and the Terra Nova is not one students consider crucial to graduation requirements.

"While our challenges are many, I do not believe they are insurmountable. Rather, I believe that we must all be held accountable for making every school a great school and ensuring excellence in education for every student.

Deputy Chair of the Board of Education Vance Ingham said he was pleased that the schools are showing some level of success,

"The good news is that more students from the class of 2010 graduated with GPA's over 2.0 than in 2009," he said.

Commissioner of Education Wendy McDonnell said that the results had indicated some "pockets of excellence," but also areas of concern.

Asked how the Ministry planned to move forward to address the areas of concern, Mrs McDonnell said: "In a few weeks we will be back to talk about how we will move ahead. We have a plan that will be shared at a later date."

Bermuda Demorcatic Alliance leader Craig Cannonier said it was refreshing to know where the problems are so they can be tackled.

"We know we have major, major issues, and now we need to start moving towards solutions. We have got to get things in shape," he said. "I trust the Minister will now be able to move forward and make the education system what it needs to be."