Georgia College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) scores released by the Georgia Department of Education show that the Coweta County School System outperformed school systems statewide during the 2013-2014 school year.
School system spokesman Dean Jackson said Coweta County schools scored 75.1 points overall on the state accountability measure that has a 100-point maximum. The state average is 72.0. The school system also scored higher than the state on average performance scores at the elementary, middle and high school levels in the annual report, Jackson said.
“Our school system’s average has exceeded state averages in all three years that the CCRPI has been issued,” said Coweta County Superintendent Steve Barker. “The index is a complex instrument, using several different factors to track performance, and this year’s report will be reviewed to identify areas of focus.”
In the 2013-14 school year, CCRPI averages for Coweta County School System’s 19 elementary schools, six middle schools and three high schools were:
• The Coweta County School System (overall) – 75.1 (compared to a state score of 72.0 for all Georgia public high schools)
• Coweta County Elementary Schools – 73.6 (compared to a state score of 72.6 for all Georgia public elementary schools)
• Coweta County Middle Schools – 80.5 (compared to a state score of 73.2 for all Georgia public middle schools)
• Coweta County High Schools – 70.7 (compared to a state score of 68.4 for all Georgia public high schools)
Throughout Georgia, elementary schools saw a one-year decrease in scores of 5.2 points over the year before, middle schools saw a one-year decrease of 1.4 points and high schools saw a one-year decrease of 3.4 points, Jackson said.
Coweta’s scores in this year’s report decreased by an average of 2.6 points in elementary schools and 4.1 points in high schools, but middle school averages increased by .6 points. Coweta’s overall system score decreased by 2.3 points, compared to a state decrease of 3.8 points.
“While decreasing CCRPI scores are disappointing, they are not unexpected,” said Georgia State School Superintendent John Barge. “This index is still relatively new and demands different areas of focus for our schools. Improvements will not happen overnight, but the CCRPI is giving them a roadmap to tailor an education that is student-centered and one that will ensure they are college and career ready.”
Jackson said the annual report relies heavily on student achievement data such as standardized test performance and graduation rates – areas which Coweta County has generally outperformed Georgia averages overall.
Barker noted that the CCRPI has continued to be adjusted during its first years of use and that other changes – such as the transition to new state Milestones exams in grades 3 through 12 in 2015 – are expected to affect CCRPI scores statewide in the future.
The 100-point CCRPI measures Georgia public schools and systems on a broad set of academic criteria under three major areas three major areas: “Achievement” (60 points possible), “Progress” (25 points possible) and “Achievement Gap” (15 points possible). The report compiles the criteria into a single score for schools and districts, based on multiple points of data and weighting systems.
Georgia’s statewide CCRPI accountability system was implemented in 2012 to replace the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) measurement, after the U.S. Department of Education granted Georgia’s waiver from NCLB in 2012, said Jackson.
Jackson said CCRPI uses a much broader set of achievement data to calculate school and system achievement scores than NCLB. Generally, the CCRPI has been designed around a comprehensive definition of college and career readiness, meaning that all students graduate from high school with both rigorous content knowledge and the ability to apply that knowledge. CCRPI measures schools and school districts on a 100-point scale to replace the pass/fail system previously in place under AYP.
The CCRPI is Georgia’s educational accountability system. This year’s CCRPI report can be found on the Georgia Department of Education’s website (gadoe.org) at ccrpi.gadoe.org/2014/ccrpi2014.
