Muscogee County improves passing rate on more than two-thirds of state tests

The Muscogee County School District’s passing rate improved on more than two-thirds of the state’s standardized tests when comparing scores from this year to last year.

MCSD’s passing rate on the 2016 Georgia Milestones Assessment System compared to 2015 is higher on 22 of the 31 tests — one less than the state’s average — according to results the Georgia Department of Education released Tuesday. The district’s passing rate dropped on six of the tests and remained the same on the other three.

MCSD remains below the state average on all except one of the tests, sometimes by more than double digits, but closed the gap on 11 tests: third-grade English language arts, science and social studies; fourth-grade science and social studies; fifth-grade ELA, math, science and social studies; seventh-grade science and eighth-grade social studies.

“We are very encouraged by the overall increases in the number and percentages of students scoring proficient and above as well as the reduction of identified Beginning Learners,” said Superintendent David Lewis, in a press release. “This is a credit to the hard work and diligence of our students, teachers, and administrators in making timely instructional adjustments to meet the demands of the more rigorous Georgia Milestones assessments.”

The passing rate is considered the percentage of students who scored as either a Proficient or Distinguished Learner, the two highest achievement levels out of the four designated in the assessment system. Those levels from bottom to top are:

▪  Beginning Learners haven’t demonstrated proficiency and 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 demonstrated partial proficiency and 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 demonstrated proficiency and are prepared for the next grade level or course and are on track for college and career readiness.

▪  Distinguished Learners demonstrated advanced proficiency and are well prepared for the next grade level or course and are prepared for college and career readiness.

So passing a test means the students scored at the Proficient or Distinguished level.

Students in grades 3-8 take Georgia Milestones in four subjects: English language arts, math, science and social studies. Those are called End-of-Grade tests. High school students take Georgia Milestones when they are in the following courses: ninth-grade literature, American literature, analytic geometry, algebra, biology, physical science, U.S. history and economics. Those are called End-of-Course tests.

In the elementary schools and middle schools, MCSD improved its passing rate on all four subjects in fifth grade and seventh grade, on three out of the four in third grade (remained the same in ELA), and on two out of the four in fourth grade (declined in ELA and math), sixth grade (declined in ELA) and eighth grade (declined in math and science).

By subject, out of the six grades, MCSD improved on social studies in all six, on math and science in four and on ELA in two.

In the high schools, MCSD improved its passing rate on five of the seven comparable subjects (declined in ninth-grade literature and remained the same in physical science). Analytic geometry is the only test in which MCSD scored higher than the state average in 2016 or 2015.

The state administered 32 Georgia Milestones tests in 2015 and 2016, but no valid comparison can be made on the algebra tests because Muscogee County and most of Georgia’s districts changed the course, said Patrick Knopf, MCSD’s director of research, evaluation and assessment.

The 2015 algebra course was Coordinate Algebra, which is considered integrated math, meaning it includes elements of other math courses, Knopf said. The 2016 algebra course was Algebra I, which is considered a discrete math, meaning it doesn’t include elements of other math courses, he said.

Teachers and district officials preferred the more focused approach in Algebra I, said MCSD chief academic officer Keith Seifert, and accepted the state’s option to change the course.

So although the Georgia Department of Education reports the state’s average passing rate improved on 23 of the 32 tests, including Coordinate Algebra, for the sake of comparing it to MCSD, the state’s proportion is considered 23 out of 31.

Another complication is that, for the first time, middle school students who were enrolled in math or science courses at the high school level took the associated End-of-Course test and not the corresponding End-of-Grade test, meaning they had a tougher test.

Knopf’s analytical notes about MCSD’s performance also include:

▪  Decreased or maintained the number of Beginning Learners in 17 of the 24 EOG tests and six of the seven comparable EOC tests between 2015 and 2016.

▪  Increased the number of Proficient and Distinguished Learners in 17 of the 24 EOG tests.

▪  Increased the number of Proficient and Distinguished Learners on half of the EOG tests in ELA and math.

▪  Increased the number of Proficient and Distinguished Learners on five of the EOG tests in science.

▪  Increased the number of Proficient and Distinguished Learners on all of the EOG tests in social studies.

▪  Increased the number of Proficient and Distinguished Learners in six of the seven subjects comparable between 2015 and 2016 on the EOC tests.

▪  Increased the number of Proficient and Distinguished Learners on one of the two EOC tests in ELA.

▪  Increased the number of Proficient and Distinguished Learners on both of the EOC tests in science.

▪  Increased the number of Proficient and Distinguished Learners on both of the EOC tests in social studies.

Georgia law requires students in grades 3, 5 and 8 to attain grade level (Proficient or Distinguished) in English language arts to be promoted to the next grade. Georgia law also requires fifth-graders and eighth-graders to be at least a Developing Learner in math to be promoted to the next grade. The Georgia Board of Education waived those requirements for the 2015 tests because it was the first year of the state’s new exams, and the board granted another waiver for the 2016 tests because some school districts reported glitches while administering the Georgia Milestones tests online this spring.

The state’s previous exams were the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests, the End-of-Course Tests and the Georgia Writing Assessments. These were dropped two years ago in favor of the tougher Georgia Milestones, which assess students on the state’s more rigorous standards. The Georgia Milestones include open-ended questions in English language arts and math, requiring students to explain their answers. The assessment of writing is part of the English language arts test.

This story was originally published July 26, 2016 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Muscogee County improves passing rate on more than two-thirds of state tests."