Stephens Co. Schools Get Four Stars

A state rating gives all Stephens County schools four stars.

Last week, the Georgia Department of Education released its 2015 School Climate Star Ratings.

The ratings are based on survey results and data from the 2014-2015 school year.

State education officials said that the school climate refers to the quality and character of school life, or the “culture” of a school.

Each school in Georgia received a one-to-five-star rating, with five stars representing an excellent school climate, and one star representing a school climate most in need of improvement.

All of Stephens County’s schools received a rating of four stars, which is considered an above average rating, for the 2014-2015 school year.

Stephens County School Superintendent Bryan Dorsey said that the staff of the system should be commended for the four-star rating and their efforts that went into achieving it.

“We are certainly glad that our communities and our schools are seen in a positive light and four out of five stars is a great rating,” said Dorsey. “We certainly are always striving for five out of five, but one of the things that we are really most proud about is the fact that our administration, our teachers, and our staff are constantly looking for ways to improve the school climate.”

The School Climate Star Rating is calculated using data from the Georgia Student Health Survey 2.0, Georgia School Personnel Survey, Georgia Parent Survey, student discipline data and attendance records for students, teachers, staff and administrators.

Education officials said a sustainable, positive school climate fosters youth development and student learning, which are essential elements for academic success, career-skill improvement, and overall quality of life.

Those officials went on to say the School Climate Star Rating helps determine whether a school is on the right path to school improvement and serves as an informational tool for schools, administrators, and parents.

Dorsey said that the system does not necessarily wait for these ratings to come out, however, before looking at ways to improve.

“We are way more concerned about what the folks think in Stephens County than waiting for ratings to come out of Atlanta, so it is just important for us to have that open dialogue with our students, to have that open conversation with our parents and community,” said Dorsey. “We have some feedback from some fifth grade parents and staff this year and I know our administrative team has already put some things into place. Our school governance teams are looking at ways they can improve so that is just an example of ‘Hey, if there is something we need to look at, let’s look at it now and not wait for someone else to have to tell us’,.”

Dorsey said he feels the school system staff does a great job in response to areas for improvement.

Officials with the state noted that this rating does not affect College and Career Ready Performance Index, or CCRPI, scores.