Rome City Schools students showed growth in math proficiency in several grades according to the Georgia Department of Education which released Georgia Milestone Scores for Math on Monday, Sept. 30.
Some highlights from the report for Rome City Schools included a 4.5 percent increase in students earning proficient or above on the test as well as 61 percent of students in the system showing typical or high growth.
Students showed 14 percent growth in Algebra over last year and third graders showed 10 percent growth over last year. Eighth graders saw a seven percent improvement.
Fourth graders showed two percent growth, while fifth graders saw a three percent increase. Sixth and seventh-grade students decreased by a small margin over last year’s results.
“One of our biggest goals at Rome City Schools is for our students to show growth,” Superintendent Dr. Eric L. Holland says. “We definitely see growth in several areas in these scores. We also know that one test doesn’t truly measure how everyone is growing. We want to celebrate our gains and work on those areas where we may not have made as many gains as we would like. Ultimately, we want to make sure that our students continue to grow every day.”
Math results are being released now because the assessments were updated to align with the new K-12 Mathematics Standards first implemented during the 2023-24 school year.
The Georgia Milestones Assessment (GMA) is an online, criterion-referenced, summative test created by the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE). Students take Georgia Milestones End of Grade (EOG) tests in grades 3-8, and Georgia Milestones End of Course (EOC) tests in identified high school courses. The Georgia Milestones Assessment System meets the federal requirement that states test students in math and ELA in grades 3-8 and once in high school, and in science once per grade band (3-5, 6-9, 10-12).
Rome City Schools administers the GMA to students in grades 3-8 in May and to students in grades 9-12 upon completion of the course, which is typically in December and May. Teachers and administrators use this and other data to help determine plans of action for student acceleration.