The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) has released Newton County School System’s (NCSS) results from the 2017-18 administration of the Georgia Milestones Assessment System (Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade (EOG) in grades 3-8 and Georgia Milestones End-of-Course (EOC) in grades 9-12).
Student learning is measured on the Georgia Milestones along four levels of performance: Beginning, Developing, Proficient, and Distinguished. These following designations focus on capturing the progression of student learning and aim to shift the focus away from the reporting of test scores only:
- Beginning Learners do not yet demonstrate proficiency in the knowledge and skills necessary at this grade level/course of learning, as specified in Georgia’s content standards. The students need substantial academic support to be prepared for the next grade level or course and to be on track for college and career readiness.
- Developing Learners demonstrate partial proficiency in the knowledge and skills necessary at this grade level/course of learning, as specified by Georgia’s content standards. The students need additional academic support to ensure success in the next grade level or course and to be on track for college and career readiness.
- Proficient Learners demonstrate proficiency in the knowledge and skills necessary at this grade level/course of learning, as specified in Georgia’s content standards. The students are prepared for the next grade level or course and are on track for college and career readiness.
- Distinguished Learners demonstrate advanced proficiency in the knowledge and skills necessary at this grade level/course of learning, as specified in Georgia’s content standards. The students are well prepared for the next grade level or course and are well prepared for college and career readiness.
In addition to multiple choice, Georgia Milestones includes constructed response and extended response items that require students to generate, rather than select, responses. The system also assesses writing at each grade level/course.
“While we are not yet where we wish to be with regard to our state assessment results, we continue to make progress,” said Fuhrey. “It is important to note that these data are preliminary in that they reflect scores produced by those students who did not attend our schools for the ‘full academic year’ as defined by the Georgia Department of Education. When the results are ‘re-released’ as part of the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI), they will then be final and will likely look different.”
See below for highlights of the 2018 NCSS Georgia Milestones Assessments:
Elementary End-of-Grade Assessment Highlights:
- Third Grade: Nine elementary schools matched or surpassed the state in English Language Arts, including East Newton, Fairview, Heard-Mixon, Live Oak, Mansfield, Newton County Theme, Oak Hill, Porterdale, and Rocky Plains. In addition, four of those schools—East Newton, Mansfield, Newton County Theme, and Rocky Plains outperformed the state in mathematics.
In terms of improvement, seven elementary schools—East Newton, Flint Hill, Mansfield, Middle Ridge, Porterdale, Rocky Plains, and West Newton—increased their pass rates in English language arts from the previous school year. The district as well as eleven school improved their math scores in 2018, including East Newton, Fairview, Flint Hill, Livingston, Mansfield, Middle Ridge, Newton County Theme, Oak Hill, Porterdale, South Salem, and West Newton.
- Fourth Grade: Seven elementary schools—East Newton, Fairview, Heard-Mixon, Mansfield, Newton County Theme, Oak Hill, and Rocky Plains—matched or bested the state in mathematics and seven schools equaled or topped Georgia in mathematics, including: East Newton, Heard-Mixon, Mansfield, Newton County Theme, Oak Hill, Rocky Plains, and South Salem.
Five schools maintained or improved pass rates in fourth-grade English language arts, including—Flint Hill, Heard-Mixon, Newton County Theme, Rocky Plains, and South Salem. The district maintained its pass rate in mathematics and Flint Hill, Heard-Mixon, Middle Ridge, Newton County Theme, South Salem, and West Newton all posted increased pass rates. In fact, Newton County Theme School noted a 100 percent pass rate on the test.
- Fifth Grade: East Newton, Mansfield, Middle Ridge, Newton County Theme, and Oak Hill all outperformed the state in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies in 2018. In terms of improvement, Fairview, Livingston, Mansfield, Middle Ridge, Newton County Theme, and Oak Hill all posted increased pass rates in English language arts last year. The district and Heard-Mixon, Live Oak, Livingston, Mansfield, Middle Ridge, Newton County Theme, Oak Hill, Porterdale, and South Salem showed gains in mathematics while Rocky Plains maintained its pass rate in 2018. The district and East Newton, Fairview, Live Oak, Livingston, Mansfield, Middle Ridge, Newton County Theme, and South Salem increased pass rates on the science test in 2018. In social studies, the district maintained its pass rate and numerous schools increased their pass rate in 2018, including East Newton, Fairview, Heard-Mixon, Livingston, Mansfield, Middle Ridge, Newton County Theme, and West Newton.
Middle School End-of-Grade Assessment Highlights:
- Sixth Grade: Newton County Theme School topped the state pass rate in both English language arts and mathematics. In addition, Newton County Theme School secured a 100 percent pass rate on the mathematics test. Newton County Theme School improved its pass rate in English language arts and the Theme School, Cousins, and Indian Creek also showed gains in mathematics as well. Both Clements and Veterans Memorial maintained their pass rate from the previous year.
- Seventh Grade: Cousins, Newton County Theme, and Veterans Memorial equaled or surpassed the state pass rate in English language arts. Newton County Theme School also bested the state in mathematics on the seventh grade test. The NCSS seventh-grade class maintained their pass rates on both tests in 2018. At the school level, Cousins, Liberty, Newton County Theme, and Veterans Memorial increased their pass rates on the seventh-grade English language arts and Clements, Liberty, and Veterans Memorial posted gains in mathematics. Cousins also maintained their pass rate in mathematics from the previous year.
- Eighth Grade: Newton County Theme School bested the state in each subject category. The school also posted 100 percent pass rates in both English language arts and mathematics. The Theme School maintained its perfect pass rate in English language arts and along with Clements Middle, improved scores in mathematics in 2018. Clements, Liberty, Newton County Theme, and Veterans Memorial posted increase pass rates on the science test in 2018. In social studies, the district and Newton County Theme maintained their pass rates while Cousins, Liberty, and Veterans Memorial posted increases on the test.
Students in eighth grade who participated in high school physical science and high school algebra courses demonstrated progress in 2018. Cousins, Newton County Theme, and Indian Creek maintained their 100 percent pass rate in algebra last year and Liberty also posted a perfect pass rate in the subject. Veterans Memorial experienced an increase in their pass rate as well. Both Indian Creek and the Newton County Theme School posted perfect pass rates on the physical science test in 2018. Cousins also experienced significant improvement in physical science last school year.
High School End-of-Course Assessment Highlights:
- NCSS high school students topped the state in economics and matched Georgia pass rates in both ninth-grade literature and American literature. At the school level, Eastside High School bested the state in ninth-grade literature, American literature, geometry, biology, physical science, U.S. history, and economics. The school also increased its pass rate in algebra I in 2018. Newton High School increased their pass rate in both American literature and algebra I last year. The district and all three high schools posted increased pass rates in both biology and economics in 2018 while the district maintained and Eastside posted a gain on the physical science test. In U.S. history, the district, Alcovy, and Newton posted gains while Eastside maintained its pass rate from the previous year.
“It is important to remember that our students are much more than a number generated by any one assessment given at any one moment in time,” said Fuhrey. “Our students, throughout the school year, have achieved many milestones that are not captured by our state’s assessment. For instance, the graduating class of 2018 earned approximately $39 million in academic, athletic, and fine arts scholarships. We closely analyze and monitor multiple indicators, including Milestones data, to determine the progress that our students make as they matriculate through the school system and the need to adjust our practices to better serve our students. It is our vision to ensure all students are well-rounded and prepared for the future.”
Fuhrey added, “We also administer the nationally-normed Iowa Assessments to provide teachers and leaders with relevant, real-time achievement information. The resulting data has been instrumental in providing a reliable, valid national perspective regarding our students’ achievement, demonstrating growth over the course of one academic year, and providing parents, teachers, and schools with actionable reports within 24-48 hours of the assessment administration. Our NCSS Iowa Assessments have demonstrated improvement across all grade levels from the pre-test administration given in August to the post-test administration in May. I am proud of the hard work, dedication, and focus of our teachers and leaders. They continue to work diligently to prepare students for life beyond high school, and I look forward to all that our students will accomplish in the 2018-2019 school year!”
For more information on Newton County School System’s 2017-2018 Georgia Milestones Results, contact Dr. Allison Jordan, NCSS Director of Testing, Research, and Evaluation, at [email protected].
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