Clarke County School District students showed growth in English Language Arts proficiency that exceeded state averages for grades 3-8 and had several other highlights in Milestones testing results released by the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) on July 26. 

CCSD elementary school students grew 2.8 points in ELA testing, and middle school students grew by 2.6 points from spring 2023 to Spring 2024, compared to the state averages of 2.5 and 1.9 points, respectively. These increases were bolstered by a 6.4-point rise in eighth-grade proficiency and 5.4-point bump in fifth-grade proficiency. 

Additionally, Johnnie Lay Burks, Timothy Road, and Barrow elementary schools outperformed the state average on ELA scores across the board while Cleveland Road (12.5) and Barnett Shoals (10.5) elementary schools had double-digit increases in ELA proficiency. Clarke Middle School eighth-graders’ ELA scores were also above the state average. Meanwhile, Black and white students increased by 3.5 and 3.8 points, respectively, in proficiency to their highest levels in five years, and special-education students saw a 2.4% increase, surpassing pre-Covid levels.

Other highlights from the data include:

• CCSD middle school students outperformed their state peers for growth in on-level reading comprehension from 2023 to 2024 with nearly 37% showing high growth compared to 35% at the state level. All three middle grades had proficiency increases in reading with eighth-graders surpassing pre-pandemic levels and sixth-graders showing an 8.5% increase over the last three years. CCSD’s overall grade-level reading proficiency for grades 3-8 was down slightly from 52.9% last year to 52.3% this year, which will be a key focus area of improvement during the 2024-25 school year. 

• In science, middle school students had a 3-point increase and elementary students increased 2.6 points in proficiency. Burks, Timothy Road, and Barrow fifth-graders tested above the state average while Clarke Central High School students outpaced the state average in the High School Biology End-of-Course Test. Timothy Road (17.5), J.J. Harris (16.7), and Oglethorpe Avenue (10.6) elementary schools had double-digit proficiency increases, while Winterville Elementary increased its proficiency by 8.1 points.

• Clarke Middle School eighth-graders outperformed the state average score in social studies and increased 6.3 points in proficiency. 

• CCSD high school seniors saw a 12-point jump in proficiency on the American Literature End-of-Course Test.

• In addition to ELA, CCSD special-education students saw proficiency increases in the U.S. History End-of-Course Test (8.5 points), overall social studies (7.3), overall science (5), overall reading (3.4), and American Literature (2.3).

“We are pleased to see this growth in student achievement, while recognizing that we still have work to do,” said Dr. Robbie Hooker, CCSD Superintendent. “Our teachers and leaders have been very intentional in creating a more rigorous and equitable learning environment across all schools and that hard work is showing. We look forward to the upcoming school year when we will be entering the second full year of our commitment to the science of reading and building foundational literacy in order to create educational journeys that empower all students to fulfill their potential.”

Every spring, students take Georgia Milestones End of Grade (EOG) tests in grades 3-8 and End of Course (EOC) tests in identified high school courses. The Georgia Milestones assessment system meets the federal requirement that states test students in math and English Language Arts in grades 3-8 and once in high school, as well as in science once per grade band (3-5, 6-8, 9-12). Mathematics assessment scores were not included in the results released last week due to changes in state standards; those scores will be released later this year. 

Full Milestones results for CCSD and the state are available here and through this interactive dashboard.