How did Columbus area school districts do on the newest state tests? Here are the scores
The latest scores from the state’s standardized tests show mixed results for public school districts in the Columbus area.
For the third straight year, Muscogee County surpassed the state average on one of the 27 Georgia Milestones tests for grades 3-12 during the 2022-23 school year: eighth-graders who took high school physics.
Compared to last year, Muscogee improved on nine tests its percentage of students scoring at least on the proficient level:
third-grade reading
third-grade math
fourth-grade English language arts
fourth-grade reading
fourth-grade math
sixth-grade reading
seventh-grade English language arts
seventh-grade reading
biology.
Muscogee narrowed its gap with the state average on nine tests:
third-grade reading
fourth-grade English language arts
fourth-grade reading
fourth-grade math
eighth-grade social studies
American literature/composition reading
algebra
biology
U.S. history.
Harris County surpassed the state average on 26 tests, an increase of two from last year. The only exception was fifth-grade math.
Compared to last year, Harris improved on 14 tests:
third-grade reading
fourth-grade math
sixth-grade reading
sixth-grade math
seventh-grade English language arts
seventh-grade reading
seventh-grade math
eighth-grade English language arts
eighth-grade reading
eighth-grade math
eighth-grade science
eighth-graders who took high school physics
eighth-grade social studies
U.S. history.
Chattahoochee County surpassed the state average on nine tests, an increase of two from last year:
third-grade English language arts
third-grade reading
third-grade math
fifth-grade reading
fifth-grade science
sixth-grade reading
seventh-grade English language arts
seventh-grade reading
eighth-grade reading.
Compared to last year, Chattahoochee improved on 14 tests:
third-grade English language arts
third-grade reading
third-grade math
sixth-grade reading
sixth-grade math
seventh-grade English language arts
seventh-grade reading
seventh-grade math
eighth-grade English language arts
eighth-grade reading
eighth-grade math
eighth-graders who took high school physics
eighth-grade social studies
U.S. history.
The Ledger-Enquirer asked via email the Muscogee, Harris and Chattahoochee superintendents for reaction to their school district’s results: what pleases them most about the results, what contributed to that success, what displeases them most about the results and what their district is doing to address that concern.
Muscogee County
Muscogee superintendent David Lewis didn’t directly answer those questions, but in a news release he said the results “reflect the lingering impact of unfinished learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As expected, students and schools who experienced comparatively minor disruption performed better than those with higher absences and/or staff shortages during and since the pandemic.”
Lewis noted the results indicate early signs the district is benefiting from last year’s implementation of its P3-2025 initiative to improve students’ reading in prekindergarten through third grade by increasing personalized instruction and focusing more on the science of reading.
P3-2025 includes training 600 of the district’s educators through a program provided by the Georgia Department of Education and the Atlanta-based Rollins Center for Language and Literacy.
“As a result of our district’s previously demonstrated commitment to literacy, it has been selected to continue this multi-year work with the Rollins Center,” Lewis said. “Coupled with our district’s personalized learning initiative that, as the name implies, assesses and strategically charts a personalized learning path for students, we are aggressively addressing these concerning gaps.”
Harris County
Harris superintendent Roger Couch said he is “extremely pleased and proud” of the middle school for surpassing the state average on every test in the seventh and eighth grades.
“We attribute their success to the year-long commitment of the entire faculty and staff, who worked tirelessly to support their students’ education,” he said. “It was a great team effort.”
Couch said he is “disappointed and surprised” by the decline in scores on 11 of the 27 tests.
“In response, we are conducting an analysis and adjusting school improvement plans to target areas of concern,” he said. “During this school year, we will continue to provide additional resources and support in needed areas to improve student achievement.”
Couch added, “We will continue striving to achieve our goal of being in the top 10 percent of the state in all performance measures while continuing to keep everyone safe.”
Chattahoochee County
Chattahoochee superintendent Kristie Brooks didn’t directly answer the Ledger-Enquirer’s questions, but in a news release she said, “Overall, there are areas in which we are very pleased with the results. Also, we are aware of those areas in which the test results did not yield scores that we expect from our students. However, as a community of learners, we used this opportunity to dig into the specifics of what may have hindered the results for some of our students.”
The school district’s leaders compared the Georgia Milestones scores to the results from the instructional assessments ChattCo gives its students throughout the year, Brooks said. They are using that analysis “to align our resources to those content areas, grade levels and student groups that may not be demonstrating expected growth targets,” she said.
Brooks said she is “very pleased” with the improved third-grade test scores that exceed the state average.
Those results indicate “positive outcomes associated with our intentional focus on early learning,” she said. “By consistently implementing our evidence-based literacy framework along with the teacher training and classroom coaching model, it is evident that our approach in supporting student learning remains successful.”
Brooks credits the district’s focus on literacy for helping its reading scores at each grade level in middle school exceed the state average.
“We are also extremely pleased with the continued increase in the number of middle grades students whose scores increased into the proficient and distinguished levels in math and ELA,” she said.
Brooks noted the district’s algebra scores were higher than pre-pandemic levels, including a “significant increase” in the number of Black and Hispanic students achieving proficient or distinguished scores. Similar results for student subgroups were evident in U.S. history, she said. And in biology, the district increased its percentage of distinguished scores while decreasing its percentage of beginner-level scores.
Like other school district’s across the nation, Brooks said, ChattCo’s teacher shortage might have hindered test scores in subjects and grade levels where students had long-term substitute teachers.
“We know students learn best when placed with a highly skilled teacher,” she said. “It is imperative that all content and grade levels have access to skilled teachers trained in their content level.”
To address that concern, Brooks said, ChattCo has partnered with Georgia Southwestern University in offering paid internships to student teachers.
GEORGIA MILESTONES 2022-23 TEST SCORES
The first number listed for the school districts in the Columbus area (Muscogee, Harris and Chattahoochee counties), plus the state averages, represent the percentage of tested students who scored in the “proficient” or “distinguished” achievement categories, meaning they are considered to have passed the test because their results are at or above grade level.
The second number shows by how many percentage points the 2022-23 scores increased or decreased compared to the 2021-22 scores.
The school districts and state averages are ranked here from highest to lowest based on the current scores.
Not every grade level has a Georgia Milestones test in each subject. “NA” means no score was available from the Georgia Department of Education because not enough students (minimum of 15) took that test in that school district.
THIRD GRADE
Third-grade English language arts
Chattahoochee 60.5, +35.5
Harris 46.9, -1.8
State 38.6, +2.2
Muscogee 26.6, -1.1
Third-grade reading
Chattahoochee 84.2, +31.1
Harris 81.1, +2.3
State 65.9, +2.1
Muscogee 57.4, +2.6
Third-grade math
Chattahoochee 55.3, +27.2
Harris 47.7, -8.5
State 45.6, +2.6
Muscogee 28.7, +1.1
Fourth-grade English language arts
Harris 43.0, -0.6
State 36.1, -1.5
Muscogee 27.3, +2.0
Chattahoochee 14.6, -19.6
Fourth-grade reading
Harris 63.4, -2.0
State 56.6, +0.3
Muscogee 48.7, +2.6
Chattahoochee 41.5, -19.0
Fourth-grade math
Harris 60.2, +9.3
State 45.7, +1.8
Chattahoochee 34.1, -13.3
Muscogee 29.5, +2.7
FIFTH GRADE
Fifth-grade English language arts
Harris 42.2, -3.1
State 41.6, +.0.1
Chattahoochee 34.2, -23.7
Muscogee 31.4, -0.8
Fifth-grade reading
Chattahoochee 76.3, -5.3
Harris 71.0, -1.3
State 68.8, -0.9
Muscogee 61.0, -4.2
Fifth-grade math
State 37.4, +0.5
Chattahoochee 34.2, -2.6
Harris 33.4, -2.9
Muscogee 21.2, -0.5
Fifth-grade science
Harris 48.8, -0.6
Chattahoochee 42.1, -10.5
State 40.0, +0.8
Muscogee 29.2, -0.2
SIXTH GRADE
Sixth-grade English language arts
Harris 46.6, -3.6
State 39.2, +0.1
Chattahoochee 34.2, -1.5
Muscogee 27.3, -1.1
Sixth-grade reading
Harris 68.4, +6.3
Chattahoochee 58.2, +3.9
State 56.1, +1.0
Muscogee 45.7, +0.4
Sixth-grade math
Harris 56.8, +4.4
State 32.9, +1.8
Chattahoochee 24.1, +8.2
Muscogee 14.9, -2.0
SEVENTH GRADE
Seventh-grade English language arts
Harris 49.4, +23.0
Chattahoochee 43.4, +19.2
State 39.1, +3.6
Muscogee 27.0, +1.0
Seventh-grade reading
Chattahoochee 82.9, +7.1
Harris 77.8, +15.5
State 69.9, +3.2
Muscogee 59.7, +2.6
Seventh-grade math
Harris 54.5, +14.5
State 34.9, 0.0
Chattahoochee 31.6, +2.4
Muscogee 20.4, -1.4
EIGHTH GRADE
Eighth-grade English language arts
Harris 51.4, +7.3
State 42.1, +1.6
Chattahoochee 32.9, +7.5
Muscogee 31.0, -1.9
Eighth-grade reading
Harris 81.9, +11.5
Chattahoochee 77.6, +9.9
State 71.5, +1.3
Muscogee 60.5, -2.8
Eighth-grade math
Harris 44.7, +3.7
State 36.2, 0.0
Chattahoochee 33.3, +0.4
Muscogee 22.5, -3.3
Eighth-grade science
Harris 52.3, +1.3
State 26.4, -2.5
Muscogee 17.4, -4.7
Chattahoochee NA
Eighth-graders who took high school physics
Harris 86.3, +6.6
Muscogee 59.7, -6.4
State 51.9, -1.5
Chattahoochee 15.8, +4.4
Eighth-grade social studies
Harris 46.6, +3.1
State 35.9, -1.5
Muscogee 24.8, -1.2
Chattahoochee 22.1, +6.2
HIGH SCHOOL
American literature and composition ELA
Harris 45.0, -8.8
State 38.9, -3.1
Muscogee 34.2, -5.6
Chattahoochee 28.8, -5.9
American literature and composition reading
Harris 74.3, -4.4
State 67.4, -1.7
Muscogee 65.9, -0.5
Chattahoochee 62.2, -10.7
Algebra I
Harris 49.6, -4.4
State 35.8, -1.6
Chattahoochee 34.0, NA
Muscogee 21.4, -1.2
Biology
Harris 50.4, -5.1
State 45.5, -0.7
Muscogee 38.2, +1.5
Chattahoochee 32.5, -0.5
U.S. history
Harris 59.2, +4.3
State 37.1, -1.8
Chattahoochee 31.1, +5.8
Muscogee 22.5, -1.6
