State Unveils New School Grading System
The Georgia Department of Education Tuesday unveiled a new way of grading schools. The new system is part of the state’s waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind law.
The new College and Career Ready Performance Index replaces the Adequate Yearly Progress requirement of No Child Left Behind. Test scores determined whether schools met AYP. State superintendent John Barge says test scores still matter, but they won’t be the only criteria for the CCRPI.Listen to the audio version of this story.
“Under the old accountability system, the only thing that counted was test performance in English and math,” Barge said, ‘And now student performance across the board is important. It’s not just English and math, but it’s science and social studies.”
Schools will be evaluated on achievement, progress, and how well they close the achievement gap between white and minority students. They’ll be graded on a 100-point scale, just like a report card. But Barge says schools can earn up to 10 extra points.
“Within this index we have built in the opportunity for schools to earn credit for their students who are scoring in the ‘exceeds’ category, not just ‘meeting,’ for getting in that top tier.”
State education officials compiled schools’ scores to produce aggregate scores for elementary, middle, and high schools in the state. The score for elementary schools is about 83%; it’s just over 81% for middle schools, and just under 73% for high schools.
To see how Georgia schools stacked up on the College and Career Ready Performance Index, click here for the online database.
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