Cherokee Students Exceed State Averages On Georgia Milestones Tests

CANTON, GA -- Students in the Cherokee County School District continue to exceed state averages on the Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade and End-of-Course tests, which measure whether pupils are mastering Georgia Performance Standards.

Cherokee students, the school district said Thursday, have surpassed statewide averages each year since the Milestones tests were rolled out during the 2014-15 school year.

“Continued exceptional performance on Milestones across grades and subjects shows that our teachers are successfully instructing students in mastering knowledge crucial to career and college readiness,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower said. “I am so proud of the effort by everyone within our organization in collaboration with our students, their families and our community partners and volunteers to make important achievements like this possible.”

Students in grades 3 through 8 take Milestones End-of-Grade exams every spring in select core subjects; high school students in specific courses take Milestones End-of-Course exams (eighth-graders enrolled in the classes for high school credit also take these exams). Parents will receive scores for their children in August.

Results show the percentages of students classified as Beginning, Developing, Proficient or Distinguished Learners; these percentages also include English Language Learners and students who receive Special Education services. Although differing groups of students affect year-to-year change within a grade level, the district's performance improved overall.

“New initiatives including the Instructional Framework standards for how teachers design instruction and assess student learning, the Professional Learning Communities groups for teacher collaboration and this coming school year’s introduction of new English Language Arts instructional resources – the first update in more than a decade – show our commitment to even greater success for every child,” Dr. Hightower said.

For third-grade, the percentage of district students achieving Developing to Distinguished scores was: 88 percent for math (80 percent for Georgia) and 79 percent for English/language arts (as compared to 70 percent for Georgia).

For fifth-grade, the percentage of local students achieving Developing to Distinguished scores was: 85 percent for math (75 percent for Georgia), 82 percent for English/language arts (74 percent for Georgia), 78 percent for science (69 percent for Georgia) and 83 percent for social studies (73 percent for Georgia).

For eighth-grade, the percentage of students achieving Developing to Distinguished scores was 83 percent for math (79 percent for Georgia), 87 percent for English/language arts (80 percent for Georgia), 66 percent for science (58 percent for Georgia) and 83 percent for social studies (75 percent for Georgia) -- these totals do not include eighth-graders in high school credit classes with end-of-course exams.

The mean scaled scores ranked Cherokee County in the top 15 percent of school districts in Georgia for reading across all grades, with middle schoolers in the top 10 percent, and placed Cherokee in the top 10 percent for elementary school math.

For high school credit courses, the percentage of district students achieving Developing to Distinguished scores was: 91 percent for ninth-grade literature and composition (84 percent for Georgia), 91 percent for American literature and composition (82 percent for for Georgia), 83 percent for algebra (70 percent for Georgia), 87 percent for geometry (75 percent for Georgia), 82 percent for biology (70 percent for Georgia), 80 percent for physical science (67 percent for Georgia), 84 percent for U.S. history (76 percent for Georgia) and 88 percent for economics (72 percent for Georgia).

The mean scaled scores for the tests ranked CCSD in the top 15 percent of school districts in Georgia, with the majority of assessments ranking in the top 10 percent.

Dr. Hightower said the district and school leaders will analyze the scores as part of its review of instructional strategies and school improvement plans. These Milestone scores, he added, also contribute to the calculation of the district's College and Career Ready Performance Index scores.

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