Effect of poverty still shows in state’s new ‘growth’ measure
One persistent criticism of judging schools based on test achievement has been that impoverished students typically score lower.
Georgia is trying to address that criticism with a new method of scoring, but the effects of poverty are proving persistent. Non-poor students in Fulton County, for instance, had higher growth in many subjects and grade levels than their impoverished peers, according to the new student “growth” results released by the Georgia Department of Education Thursday.
In math, for example, the median growth percentage for non-economically disadvantaged students was 58. That compares with 42 percent for economically disadvantaged students.
The results are derived from year-to-year performance on Georgia’s Criterion Referenced Competency Tests and End of Course Tests and are for the 2012-13 school year. Change in a student’s test performance is compared against that of peers who had similar scores in the prior year.
Look up your school here, or visit the Georgia Department of Education for comparative information. See analysis and reaction at MyAJC.
About the Author
Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.
