Two schools in the city of Decatur had among the highest proportional increases in third-grade students who failed their state standardized English tests this spring, as compared to the year before.
The percentages were not huge, but the changes ranked among the worst in the state: Oakhurst Elementary School saw an increase of 355 percent, as the percentage of students who scored as “beginning” learners on their English Language Arts Milestones test climbed from 2.4 in 2015 to 10.9 this spring. It was the largest proportional gain in Georgia. Winnona Park Elementary had the sixth largest such gain, with 3.4 percent scoring as beginners in 2015 and 9.3 percent doing so in the spring, a 169 percent increase.
The Georgia Department of Education divides test performance into four tiers. The best performers are “distinguished,” followed by “proficient.” They can be considered to have passed the test. “Developing” and “beginning” learners haven’t mastered what they need to know for future success, and the beginners are in the worst spot, requiring “substantial” support to get on track. State education officials consider third grade reading performance to be a predictor of future learning and say it’s crucial to be reading on grade level by then.
Decatur is a tiny independent system in DeKalb County. Three DeKalb elementary schools showed some of the state’s greatest improvents in third-grade English.
Oak Grove Elementary went from 17.1 percent failing in 2015 to 2.2 percent in the spring, a drop of 87 percent. Ashford Park Elementary was close behind, dropping from 11.4 percent to 2.4 percent, for a decline of 79 percent in the beginning category. The DeKalb Elementary School of the Arts had the state’s third highest rate of improvement, with 26.5 percent scoring as beginners in 2015 dropping to 5.9 percent this year, a change of 78 percent.
Overall in Georgia, the percentage of children passing their tests in most subjects increased slightly from 2015, but younger students didn't see as much success. Read more about the latest Milestones results here. Look up some of your school's test scores here.
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