Gwinnett students score above state average on Georgia Milestones
Gwinnett County students fared better than the statewide average on the latest round of Georgia Milestones state assessments, according to data released Tuesday.
Forty-three percent of Gwinnett’s third-graders were proficient or better in English/Language Arts, eight percentage points higher than the state average. Nearly half of Gwinnett’s fifth-graders were proficient or better in math, 11 points higher than the state average. State Superintendent Richard Woods has prioritized proficiency for students on those two grade levels in those subjects.
Buford city students did even better than Gwinnett, the results show. Buford, the only city school district in Gwinnett, has about 4,330 students. Gwinnett, the state’s largest school district, has more than 176,000 students.
Statewide, students improved over the prior year’s results, Woods noted in a press release.
The Georgia Milestones replaced the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests in the 2014-15 school year. The tests are given starting in third grade and include open-ended questions. The exams were taken this spring. Students are ranked in one of four categories in each tested subject:
- Beginning learners have failed to grasp the fundamentals and will require "substantial" help to catch up.
- Developing learners are almost there but still need help to get on track.
- Proficient students have mastered the basics.
- Distinguished students are the top performers.
Schools do not have to use the scores when considering whether to hold back low-performing students because of technical glitches.
>>See how your school scored on state tests
For more on Georgia Milestones, go to myAJC.com. The raw state data is available on the state Department of Education website.
About the Author
Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.
