The new state standardized test results are out for the 2017-18 school year, and in Cobb the top scoring school for third grade English was Tritt Elementary.
Students who don’t master reading by third grade will likely struggle in later years, when they will need to be able to read well in order to learn other subjects. Though nine out of 10 students at Tritt — a routinely high-achieving school — were ready to move to the next grade, the district had a dozen elementary schools where only a quarter of the third graders were so well prepared.
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The Georgia Department of Education divides results on the Georgia Milestones into four tiers. The best performers are “distinguished,” followed by “proficient.” They are ready for the next grade.
“Developing” and “beginning” learners, however, will need help, with the beginners in the worst spot. They will require “substantial” support to get on track.
In addition to English in third grade, mastery of math by eighth grade is considered essential, since it’s a foundation for the more complex concepts in high school.
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The highest scoring Cobb school in that category was Dickerson Middle, where 87.6 percent were proficient or above. Those students are in good position for the next four years, but, as with English with the younger kids, Cobb has numerous schools where students are performing poorly in math. At five middle schools, more than three out of four eighth graders scored developing or worse.
Newsroom Data Specialists Jacquelyn Elias and Jennifer Peebles contributed to this article.
Third grade English Language Arts — the 10 Cobb schools with the highest percentage of students scoring proficient or distinguished on the 2018 Georgia Milestones:
Tritt Elementary School — 91.6
Shallowford Falls Elementary School — 83.7
Davis Elementary School — 81.6
Mount Bethel Elementary School — 79.9
Timber Ridge Elementary School — 79.3
Sope Creek Elementary School — 78.1
Murdock Elementary School — 78.1
East Side Elementary School — 77.7
Due West Elementary School — 69.8
Kemp Elementary School — 68.8
Eighth grade math — the 10 Cobb schools with the highest percentage of students scoring proficient or distinguished on the 2018 Georgia Milestones:
Dickerson Middle School — 87.6
Dodgen Middle School — 78.5
Hightower Trail Middle School — 76
Durham Middle School — 75.2
Lost Mountain Middle School — 66.9
McClure Middle School — 63.9
Mabry Middle School — 62.1
Simpson Middle School — 56.3
Palmer Middle School — 52
Lovinggood Middle School — 49.3
GEORGIA MILESTONES: 2018 METRO ATLANTA RESULTS
Visit our 3rd grade reading searchable database
Visit our 8th grade math searchable database
The AJC has updated The Ultimate Atlanta School Guide to bring you the latest information on school safety ratings, student demographics and more. Research schools in your community and across the state at schools.myajc.com.
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