Pike scores beat state average

Pike County schools got their report cards recently as the Georgia Department of Education released its College and Career Readiness Performance Index ratings. The primary and high school’s scores were higher than last year’s state average. ’We’re very proud of the accomplishments of our students and educators, as evidenced by one of the state’s highest graduation rates, but we still have work to do,’ said superintendent Dr. Michael Duncan. ‘History has shown when we set a course for improvement we achieve it. I don’t expect improvement to be immediate because the change requires a fundamental shift in how we do business. I do expect to see steady sustained growth as professional development in 21st century skills becomes alive in each classroom.’The grades measure how each school performs on a scale from 1 to 100 based on CCRPI measurements. There have been changes to the CCRPI scale since its first year in 2013, increasing rigor for the index and not relying as heavily on CRCT scores and high school end-of-course test results.’Essentially the CCRPI measures three important areas: achievement, the percentage of students meeting and/or exceeding the bar on the CRCT or EOCT; progress, each student is placed in a historical achievement cohort; and the achievement gap, a measure of how well your highest achieving sub-group of students perform against other sub-groups of smaller number,’ said Dr. Duncan.The high school scored above the 2013 state average with a 73.3, outscoring Lamar’s score of 69.6 and Upson-Lee’s score of 58.7. In 2013, Pike County High School scored a 71.8. The primary school did exceptionally well with a CCRPI score of 92.3. Neighboring Lamar County’s primary school scored a 77.7. No state average was given for the primary school level.The elementary school scored a CCRPI score of 71.8 compared to the state average of 78.5. Lamar County scored a 70.6. In 2013, Pike elementary scored a 77.8.The middle school scored a 71.8 compared to the state average of 74.6. Lamar’s middle school scored a 75.7 and Upson-Lee Middle School scored 78.3. In 2013, Pike County Middle School scored a 74.6.School systems with students in high-level academic courses or with high performing students and school systems in high poverty areas receive an extra 10 points toward their CCRPI scores. ’The data reveals two things we’re addressing. One, the number of students exceeding standards is unacceptable. This is an issue of rigor; that is, the level of critical thinking required of students. We’ll begin year two of professional development in partnership with the Center for Authentic Intellectual Work to increase the level of rigor,’ said Dr. Duncan. ‘Our strategic plan includes a three-year professional development activities in 21st century skills as identified by our community: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, digital literacy and personal responsibility. Moving the rigor needle will require a shift in expectations for all stakeholders, including educators, students and parents. Secondly, improvement is needed in sub-group achievement. Improving rigor, along with more flexible learning options, will improve sub-group scores.’