DeKalb County School District officials say students there demonstrated significant progress in academic proficiency for the 2017 Georgia Milestones testing, though statistics show declines in several areas.
The majority of DeKalb County School District students again failed to reach proficiency levels.
This year, 24 of the district's 84 elementary schools met or exceeded the state average in the percentage of students in grades 3 through 5 scoring in the state's highest categories, proficient or distinguished learner, down from 29 schools in 2016. Of those, 13 schools were Title I schools, up from 11 last year. Title I schools have a high proportion of low-income students.
District officials said 14 middle schools meeting or exceeding state averages in the percentages of students’ proficiency, up from nine schools last year. The number of Title I middle schools showing proficiency is up to seven from four last year.
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Last year, 16 schools showed more than 80 percent of their students scoring in the highest performance levels in one or more content areas. This year, just eight schools are on that list.
The Georgia Milestones test was implemented during the 2014-2015 school year as a harder test than the one it replaced, to ensure the state’s students were better prepared for college and careers.
The state Department of Education will use the scores in grading school performance.
Parents of students who fail the reading exam in third, fifth and eighth grade must have a conference with their school about repeating the grade. The same goes for students who fail math in fifth and eighth grade. The tests also count for a fifth of the grade in high school courses.
Check out critical information on specific schools such as graduation rates and teacher experience in the Ultimate Atlanta School Guide.
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