ATLANTA (AP) -- Georgia superintendent of schools Kathy Cox says the results of the state social studies exams sixth- and seventh-graders took earlier this year will be discarded.

Students took new tests this year to correspond with a tougher curriculum in math and social studies. Cox says it's common for tests scores to drop with a new test.

Cox says she was shocked by preliminary results of the social studies tests, which indicate that most students failed. She said Wednesday in a letter to local superintendents that she plans to ask a group of teachers and other experts to help determine what went wrong.

Scores from the eighth-grade math exam will stand, even though about 40 percent of students failed. They must pass that test to move on to high school.