The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) released the 2019 College and Career Ready Performance Index scores for Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS) students and schools. The results show that 28 CCPS schools reported scores that were higher than their scores reported in 2018. These schools were led by Kemp Primary School, reporting a 24.9 point increase (71.8 in 2019 as opposed to 46.9 in 2018) and Mt. Zion Primary School reporting a 2019 score of 68.8 versus a 46.6 score in 2018.
The remainder of the top ten improved scores were as follows: Suder Elementary School (+19.1), Brown Elementary School (+13.9), Lovejoy Middle School (+12.3), Sequoyah Middle School (+12.3), East Clayton Elementary School (+10.8), M.E. Stilwell School of the Arts (+8.5), Eddie White Middle School (+8.1), and West Clayton Elementary School (+7.7). Of the 28 schools reporting improved CCRPI scores, 17 were primary/elementary schools, five were middle schools and six were high schools. Drew High School’s scores remained the same for 2018 and 2019. The highest-scoring school was Elite Scholars Academy at 94.9 (+0.9) followed by Stilwell at 91.4, Elite Scholars Academy Middle at 91.0 and Kay R. Pace Elementary School of the Arts at 79.2.
Five CCPS schools outperformed the state’s overall score of 75.9. They were Elite Scholars Academy (94.9), Stilwell School of the Arts (91.4), Elite Scholars Academy Middle (91.0), Kay R. Pace Elementary School of the Arts (79.2) and Thurgood Marshall Elementary School (76.2). The district-wide score is reported at 62.4.
For the complete list of CCPS CCRPI scores, please visit CCPS 2019 CCRPI Scores As explained by the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), the CCRPI is a comprehensive school improvement, accountability, and communication platform for all educational stakeholders that reports and promotes college and career readiness for all Georgia public school students. The 2019 scores are compared to scores reported in 2018 which was the first year that an updated calculation was approved and implemented as part of Georgia’s state plan for Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
“While we are pleased to report the positive performance of these 28 schools and commend their respective leaders, staff and students, the CCRPI calculation process concerns me,” Dr. Morcease J. Beasley, CCPS Superintendent/CEO said. “The new accountability process, implemented in 2018, appears to have some ‘unintended consequences’ that creates a confusing picture for our stakeholders as we attempt to share an overview of student academic performance.”
“Our data results show increases in student achievement and content mastery; however the CCRPI calculation indicates a decrease in performance at each level making it difficult for us to share a complete, accurate and data-supported picture of the work that has become part of the daily culture throughout CCPS,” he said. “This places our district in a challenging situation that our leaders and teachers do not deserve given the hard work they are doing every day with our students.”
“I have shared these concerns with Georgia State Board of Education and Superintendent of Schools Richard Woods, and his staff,” Dr. Beasley added. “While we thoroughly understand and support the concept of accountability and its complexity, I would implore the state, working collaboratively with school districts, to find a way to ensure that improvements in student achievement outcomes and overall CCRPI Scores are consistent and not confusing to boards of education, educators, parents, and the community-at-large.”
“It is important for our students, their families, and our community stakeholders to know that our Board of Education, school leaders, teachers, and support professionals are working most diligently to move Clayton County to higher levels of performance even with one of the state's highest mobility rates (32%),” he said. “We accept no excuses and will not allow ourselves to produce anything but higher levels of performance from year to year.”
“Please know that students across our district are making progress. We have more students reading and doing math at or above grade level. But this achievement, while it is good news, is not enough,” Dr. Beasley offered. “There are some gaps that need to be filled and remedied quickly. We are confident that our Advanced Learning for All expectations will result in long-term improvements as we transform our school district through a culture of high-performance.”
“If we are to be successful we must have high academic expectations and support students so that they can achieve the success that they deserve and that we should expect of them,” he continued. “Through our Advanced Learning for All initiative, we will continue to provide access to problem-based learning even as we ramp up academic rigor across all grade levels and increase the number of students taking Advanced Placement courses and participating in Dual Enrollment programs.”
“We will continue to teach our students up to higher levels of knowledge, thinking, competence and mastery,” Dr. Beasley added. “And we will continue to depend on our parents/guardians as they are extremely critical to the academic preparation of our students.”
“At-home, learning needs to expand our students’ content knowledge, enlarge their vocabulary, and increase their cognition. Students should be reading at home, and when appropriate, parent/guardian to student and student to parent/guardian,” Dr. Beasley continued. “Classroom and at-home activities need to encourage and support the critical thinking of our children as they build and grow their ability to ask and respond to higher-order questions ... questions that require in-depth, innovative and creative thinking.” “Please know that we stand ready to offer any resources and support to our parents/guardians as they work to envelop and intellectually enrich their child/children,” Dr. Beasley concluded. Parents and the community are encouraged to attend the scheduled Critical Conversations which are helpful to learn more about the work to improve outcomes for all children and schools.
The Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment has provided parents/guardians and students with helpful resources to support extending learning beyond the classroom for greater student achievement. These resources can be accessed online and should be used regularly to build students' knowledge, skills, and stamina for more rigorous courses of study. Parents are encouraged to have our students set aside time each day to practice using these resources.
If you have any questions about the resources, please contact your school for guidance. Additionally, our public libraries have other resources to support students’ learning and to increase their reading volume.
What is the CCRPI, and what does it measure?
ā https://tinyurl.com/CCRPIforParents
What knowledge and skills are tested on the Georgia Milestones Assessments?
ā Grades 3-8 Guides: http://tinyurl.com/k456ktz
ā Grades 9 and 11 Guides: http://tinyurl.com/m6dgs32
What type of writing is required on the Georgia Milestones Assessments in Language Arts and Math?
ā Grades 3-8 Released Writing: http://tinyurl.com/j3g2355
ā Grades 9 and 11 Released Writing: http://tinyurl.com/y7m3khuc
Why is my child’s Lexile (reading) level so important to his/her ability to learn?
ā https://tinyurl.com/LexilesforParents
On what websites can my child go to practice regularly with the knowledge and skills needed for success?
ā www.khanacademy.org (various subjects and test prep)
ā www.studiesweekly.com (social studies)
ā http://www.discoveryeducation.com/ (all subjects)
ā www.readwritethink.org (all subjects)
ā www.studentnewsdaily.com (reading comprehension and writing)
ā www.readworks.org (reading)
ā www.newsela.com (reading comprehension and writing)
School Climate Star Ratings
As part of the CCRPI reports, the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) has released the 2019 School Climate Star Ratings for local schools. This rating is provided as an informational tool for schools, parents, and communities. While it is reported alongside the CCRPI, it is not included in the calculation that produces school and district CCRPI scores.
Eleven CCPS schools earned a five (5) star climate rating. They were Adamson Middle, Arnold Elementary, Babb Middle, Elite Scholars Academy Middle, Elite Scholars Academy High, Huie Elementary, Kemp Primary, M.E. Stilwell School of the Arts, North Clayton Middle, River’s Edge Elementary and Roberta T. Smith Elementary. Of the remaining CCPS campuses, 27 earned a four (4) star climate rating.
School climate refers to the quality and character of school life – the “culture” of a school. A sustainable, positive school climate fosters youth development and student learning, which are essential elements for academic success, career-skill improvement, and overall quality of life.
The School Climate Star Rating assesses the climate of a school – each school in Georgia receives a one- to five-star rating, with five stars representing an excellent school climate and one star representing a school climate most in need of improvement.
To view the full list of CCPS Climate Star Ratings, please visit here: 2019 CCPS School Climate Star Rating
About Clayton County Public Schools
Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS) is fully accredited by AdvancED – Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement. The district offers a focused world-class program based on a challenging curriculum that is taught from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Serving over 55,000 students, Clayton County Public Schools is ranked among the 100 largest school districts in the U.S. and is the fifth-largest school system in Georgia.
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