Students Make Gains on Milestones Assessments

More Fayette students are scoring at grade level or better on standardized assessments given through the Georgia Milestones Assessment System, according to 2016 scores released by the Georgia Department of Education.

The county’s percentage of students achieving at “proficient leaner and above” increased for 27 of the 32 tests given, with the highest gains in third grade math, science, and social studies; fifth grade social studies; sixth grade math; seventh grade math, science, and social studies; eighth grade math, science, and social studies; Ninth Grade Literature and Composition; American Literature and Composition; Analytic Geometry; Biology; Economics; and U.S. History. Students who achieve “proficient” or better are considered to be on track to being college and career ready.

Double-digit increases occurred in eighth grade social studies (11.9 percent increase), Analytic Geometry (11.4 percent increase), American Literature and Composition (16.1 percent increase), and Economics (24.7 percent increase). Over 60 percent of students are now performing at or above grade level on these tests. Last year, roughly 40 to 50 percent were performing at or above grade level.

Across the board, test scores were among the top 20 in the state (this includes county and city systems much smaller than Fayette), and mostly second among the metro-Atlanta county school systems.

Over 50 to nearly 70 percent of Fayette’s students at all grade levels and subjects tested were shown to be performing at the “proficient learner and above” achievement level. Test scores also tracked well above those of the state, ranging from 10 to 26 percentage points higher.

Students began taking Georgia Milestones assessments in 2014-15. The new testing system is one comprehensive program across grades 3-12 and includes open-ended questions to better gauge students’ content mastery. In 2015-16, students in grades three through eight were tested in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. In grades nine through 12, students enrolled in Ninth Grade Literature and Composition, American Literature and Composition, Coordinate Algebra, Analytic Geometry, Algebra I, Geometry, Biology, Physical Science, U.S. History, and/or Economics took a Georgia Milestones End of Course assessment.