Georgia report card shows whether Columbus area public schools are improving. See scores
Columbus area public schools improved in most categories compared to last year on the Georgia Department of Education’s 2024 report card.
The federal “Every Student Succeeds Act” requires each state to have an accountability system that reports how its public schools perform. Georgia’s accountability system is called the College and Career Ready Performance Index. The CCRPI comprises five components:
- Content mastery measures student achievement based on scores from the state’s standardized tests in English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.
- Progress measures how much students improved on the state tests in English language arts and math, as well as how much English language learners improved toward proficiency.
- Closing gaps measures how well schools met annual improvement targets for student subgroups based on demographics.
- Readiness uses literacy scores, student attendance, the percentage of students succeeding in courses beyond the core academic subjects, accelerated enrollment (the percentage of high school graduates who earned college credit through dual enrollment, Advance Placement or International Baccalaureate) and pathway completion to measure how prepared students are for college and careers.
- Graduation rate measures the percentage of students in the senior class who graduated within four or five years.
Muscogee County’s CCRPI scores
Here’s how the Muscogee County School District’s 2024 CCRPI scores compare to its 2023 scores and to the state average on the 100-point scale:
MCSD elementary schools
- Content mastery: 53.5, increased by 3.7, below state average by 14.3.
- Progress: 83.2, decreased by 0.1, below state by average by 3.0.
- Closing gaps: 94.4, (not comparable to last year due to calculation change), below state average by 5.6.
- Readiness: 80.3, increased by 1.6, below state average by 2.9.
MCSD middle schools
- Content mastery: 48.4, increased by 3.0, below state average by 15.6.
- Progress: 76.4, increased by 3.4, below state average by 5.9.
- Closing gaps: 94.4, (not comparable to last year due to calculation change), above state average by 26.1.
- Readiness: 77.9, increased by 1.4, below state average by 4.9.
MCSD high schools
- Content mastery: 60.5, increased by 3.7, below state average by 7.7.
- Progress: 91.2, increased by 20.2, above state average by 8.5.
- Closing gaps: 79.6, (not comparable to last year due to calculation change), below state average by 2.1.
- Readiness: 70.2, decreased by 0.3, below state average by 3.1.
- Graduation rate: 94.2, increased by 1.0, above state average by 8.5.
MCSD improved in eight of the 10 categories comparable to last year.
“Building on the results of the past few years, we join with our school communities in celebrating continued improvement in progress and notable increases in content mastery at all levels — elementary, middle and high school — in the areas of math, science and English Language Arts,” MCSD superintendent David Lewis said in a news release.
Although MCSD trails the Georgia average in 10 of the 13 overall categories, Lewis noted the school district’s improvement outpaced the state in seven of the 10 comparable areas.
“That further affirms the hard work by students and educators as well the improvement initiatives undertaken post-pandemic,” he said. “While we are pleased with the progress, we are not satisfied and must continue to focus on early literacy, writing, and the newly implemented math frameworks going forward.”
Scores for individual schools are available at ccrpi.gadoe.org.
Digging deeper into MCSD’s performance
In an emailed interview with the Ledger-Enquirer, Lewis explained what he thinks has contributed to MCSD’s progress on its CCRPI scores.
“We have worked hard as a district over the last two years to provide teacher-vetted, evidence-based instructional resources to support the delivery of instruction throughout Muscogee County that align to recent changes in state law and Georgia instructional standards,” he said. “Teacher leaders have been involved in developing course materials that provide teachers with a detailed road map for the year with the necessary supporting resources and assessments.
“As a district, we have created the MCSD Blueprint where these course materials are housed for teachers and school leaders to access. Within this Blueprint, achievement targets have been established to provide us the goals we are working to reach. We have also developed new writing assessments to better inform teachers on student writing ability and achievement.”
Asked what displeases him most about MCSD’s CCRPI report, and what the district is doing to improve in that area, Lewis said, “Although we are pleased with the improvement and increased content mastery at all levels in math, English Language Arts and science, we are not satisfied and must continue to focus on early literacy and numeracy, writing, and the newly implemented Georgia math frameworks outlined in our district improvement plan.
“To address early literacy, our district is engaged in a multi-year partnership with the Rollins Center for Language and Literacy begun last year in ten elementary schools that provides pre-k through Grade 2 staff training in the research-based Science of Reading. Remaining elementary schools will be added over this year and next to include expanding this training to grades 3-5. Additionally, the training, implementation and close monitoring of the previously noted MCSD Blueprint includes a greater emphasis on writing.”
Lewis added, “Moreover, we are excited for the inaugural year of the innovative, re-purposed Brewer Elementary K-2 Innovation Academy focused on early literacy and numeracy acceleration for qualifying children of Dorothy Height, Martin Luther King, Jr. and J.D. Davis Elementary Schools. With the assistance of our community partners, this school will equip and empower these children for success in third grade and beyond.”
Harris County
Here’s how the Harris County School District compares to its scores last year and to the state average in the CCRPI components:
HCSD elementary schools
- Content mastery: 82.4, increased by 13.3, above state average by 14.6.
- Progress: 91.4, increased by 18.5, above state average by 5.2.
- Closing gaps: 100, (not comparable to last year due to calculation change), same as state average.
- Readiness: 91.3, increased by 4.4, above state average by 8.1.
HCSD middle schools
- Content mastery: 84.1, increased by 8.6, above state average by 20.1.
- Progress: 100, increased by 0.8, above state average by 17.7.
- Closing gaps: 100, (not comparable to last year due to calculation change), above state average by 31.7.
- Readiness: 89.2, increased by 2.2, above state average by 6.4.
Harris County High School
- Content mastery: 75.9, increased by 2.1, above state average by 7.7.
- Progress: 90.4, increased by 12.3, above state average by 7.7.
- Closing gaps: 75, (not comparable to last year due to calculation change), below state average by 6.7.
- Readiness: 84.3, same as last year, above state average by 11.
- Graduation rate: 91.3, increased by 0.4, above state average by 5.6.
HCSD secondary curriculum and instruction director Donna Patterson told the Ledger-Enquirer in an emailed interview what pleases her most in the CCRPI report is that the majority of the district’s schools scored 100 in closing gaps and the district’s content mastery, progress and readiness scores are higher than the state average.
“All of this reflects our efforts to provide high quality instruction to all students,” she said.
Asked what displeases her most about HCSD’s performance and what the district is doing to improve that area, Patterson said, “Now that we know that the majority, but not all, of our schools scored 100% in Closing Gaps, we must now investigate why and provide the necessary support so that all of our schools will score 100% in this area as we move forward.”
Chattahoochee County
Here’s how the Chattahoochee County School District compares to its scores last year and to the state average in the CCRPI components:
Chattahoochee County Education Center
- Content mastery: 69.1, increased by 3.8, above state average by 1.3.
- Progress: 89.8, increased by 17.4, above state average by 3.6.
- Closing gaps: 50, (not comparable to last year due to calculation change), below state average by 50.
- Readiness: 86.9, increased by 0.2, above state average by 3.7.
Chattahoochee County Middle School
- Content mastery: 64.1, increased by 7.7, above state average by 0.1.
- Progress: 81.4, decreased by 7.1, below state average by 0.9.
- Closing gaps: 100, (not comparable to last year due to calculation change), above state average by 31.7.
- Readiness: 86.4, decreased by 0.3, above state average by 3.6.
Chattahoochee County High School
- Content mastery: 64.2, increased by 11.9, below state average by 4.
- Progress: (No score due to too few students).
- Closing gaps: 100, (not comparable to last year due to calculation change), above state average by 18.3.
- Readiness: 74.7, increased by 1.2, above state average by 1.4.
- Graduation rate: 91, decreased by 4.9, above state average by 5.4.
In an email to the Ledger-Enquirer, ChattCo superintendent Kristie Brooks called these results “a strong performance.”
“The district’s scores demonstrate significant achievements in academic accountability, especially among elementary and middle school students, while also highlighting areas for targeted improvement,” she said.
Brooks said the scores “reflect the hard work of our teachers, students, and community partners in fostering a culture of academic excellence.”
The key factors contributing to these successes, she said, include:
- A focus on literacy: “The district’s adoption of the Science of Reading instructional approach has significantly enhanced students’ language development, academic vocabulary, and critical thinking skills,” she said.
- Community partnerships: “Collaboration with families and local organizations has enriched students’ exposure to academic language and real-world problem-solving opportunities,” she said.
- STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) integration: :By incorporating STEM practices into classroom instruction, students are learning to apply their knowledge in meaningful, practical ways that prepare them for future careers,” she said.
As for areas to improve, Brooks said, “With a need for high school to increase content mastery and for elementary school to continue increasing the academic performance specifically in the subgroups of students with disabilities, we remain focused on accelerating growth for every learner.
“To address these challenges, the district is implementing targeted interventions to include providing additional time for skills-based instruction based on individual data to personalize learning experiences and support individual student needs.
“Also, our continued focus on professional learning communities allows our teachers to engage in collaboration and training to support innovative practices to further close learning gaps and accelerate student progress.”
This story was originally published December 9, 2024 at 12:09 PM.
