Hundreds of Richmond County students who failed eighth grade are finding out if they'll move on to the next grade.

Wednesday parents met with principals to appeal the decision not to promote their children. More than 780 Richmond County eighth graders were not promoted after failing their second attempt at the math portion of the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests this summer.

Amy Freeman's daughter was one of those students.

“I was hurt. That’s my daughter and I know she does work hard so it did kind of offend me,” she said.

Hundreds of parents like Freeman decided to appeal after their children failed and school leaders are listening.

“As long as the parent, the teacher and the principal decide it is in the best interest of the child to be promoted,” said Langford Middle School Principal Cheryl Fry.

Out of about 100 eighth graders who failed the math portion of the CRCT at Langford, Fry says only about 15 will be held back this year. And the school is trying to prevent poor math performance in the future. To ensure students who register this year excel in math, Langford is adding two new math teachers.

“Math got us here at Langford, but we’re not hanging our heads down. We didn’t make Adequate Yearly Progress, because of math,” said Fry.

But Langford is resilient and school leaders say this is the start of a brighter future. Freeman, whose daughter gets to move on to the ninth grade, is hoping for the same.

“Just to excel and be the best student she can be which I know she is,” said Freeman.

Statewide more than half of the students who took the math portion of the CRCT failed it. NBC Augusta spoke with the Georgia Department of Education and they say they have no plans to change that test or make it easier next year.

They say it's important for parents to start helping their kids prepare for the test now.

Parents of Richmond County third, fifth and eighth graders, who weren't promoted because of poor results on the CRCT, have until Monday, August 11 to appeal the decision.