Based on the recently-released Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) assessment data, the Walton County School District’s students demonstrated the highest achievement ever, showing significant increases in the top two performance categories (Proficient and Distinguished) in 2019. On both assessments, WCSD met or exceeded the state of Georgia in all tested grade levels and subjects.
“I am extremely proud of these results and commend our students, teachers and staff for their outstanding accomplishments on the Georgia Milestones,” said Superintendent Nathan Franklin. “Our district focus has been and will continue to be on teaching, learning and improving student achievement. This focus has resulted in more of our students demonstrating higher levels of achievement by reaching the Proficient and Distinguished Learner levels – an indicator that they are on track and prepared for the next grade level, course or college and career.”
“These results are directly attributed to the hard work and dedication of our students and teachers,” said Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Rusty Linder. “Last year, we placed a strong emphasis on literacy and the impact it has across all grade levels and subject areas. It is rewarding to see such strong improvements in ELA as well as other areas as a direct result of our efforts.”
The Georgia Milestones Assessment System is a comprehensive summative assessment program required by Georgia law for students in grades 3 through 12. The assessments cover English Language Arts (ELA), mathematics, science and social studies content areas. EOG assessments in ELA and mathematics are taken by students in grades 3 through 8. Science and social studies EOG assessments are administered to students in grades 5 and 8. EOC assessments are given in seven courses designated by the State Board of Education including Ninth Grade Literature and Composition, American Literature and Composition, Algebra I, Geometry, Biology, United States History and Economics.
Walton County School District Georgia Milestones 2019 Highlights
English/Language Arts EOG
- The percent of students scoring at the Beginning Learner level in all grade levels decreased with the most significant change occurring in 6th grade (down by 5 percentage points).
- The percentage of students achieving the Proficient Learner level and above increased and outperformed the State at all grade levels.
Mathematics EOG
- The percentage of students achieving the Proficient Learner level and above increased and significantly outperformed the State at all grade levels with 8th grade with 8th grade exceeding the state average by 17 points.
Science EOG
- The percentage of students achieving the Proficient Learner level and above exceeded the State in both grade levels where the assessment was administered.
- The percent of 8th grade students performing at the Distinguished Learner level has increased by 8 percentage points since 2015.
Social Studies EOG
- The percent of students scoring at the Beginning Learner level has decreased in both grade levels since 2015.
- The percent of 5th grade students scoring at the Distinguished Learner level outperformed the State by 3 percentage points.
- The percent of 8th grade students performing at the Beginning Learner level has decreased by 7 percentage points since 2015.
High School EOCs
- When compared to last year’s results, the percent of students scoring at the Beginning Learner level significantly decreased for the majority of courses.
- The percentage of WCSD students in the Proficient and Distinguished Learner levels were at or above the state in all subjects.
Subgroup Performance
- WCSD subgroups surpassed the overall performance of the State subgroups.
- WCSD subgroups improved performance on the majority of tests when compared to 2018.
To see the percentage point increase of students achieving at the Proficient and Distinguished Learner levels, visit http://bit.ly/WCSDMilestonesData19.