Improved State Test Scores Not a True Indication of Student Progress, Says Dorsey

Georgia students showed strong gains on the spring 2019 Georgia Milestones assessments.

That’s according to the Georgia Department of Education, which announced that scores in all grades increased or held steady on 25 of 26 assessments.

Specifically, the percentage of students achieving the Proficient Learner level and above increased or held steady on 25 of 26 End of Grade  and End of Course assessments, compared to 22 of 26 assessments in 2018.

Students who achieve the Proficient Learner designation are considered on track to being college- and career-ready.

That’s the strongest overall gains recorded in the five years the assessment has been administered.

In Stephens County, School Superintendent Bryan Dorsey said students continue to make great strides, but he questions the significance of the Milestones test results in terms of how it gauges a student’s overall achievements.

“Part of the challenge is that it’s defining success for all of us in a very short area,” Dorsey said. “And while these areas are important, for us to be called great we’re supposed to have every kid excel in everything, which I think is unrealistic for not only the kids of Stephens County, but for all of the counties that are taking this test.”

Dorsey pointed to construction workers currently working on projects at the high school as an example of what success can mean for many.

“I can assure you that some of those folks are getting paid really well. They’re working with steal, they’re working with concrete, and they’re working with electrical and plumbing. And none of that is measured in these tests,” he said.

Georgia Milestones measures how well students have learned the knowledge and skills outlined in the state-adopted content standards in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.

Students in grades 3 – 8 take an end-of-grade assessment in English Language Arts and Mathematics while students in grades 5 and 8 are also assessed in Science and Social Studies.

High school students take an end-of-course assessment for each of the ten courses designated by the State Board of Education.

However, Dorsey says the Milestone test results should be used only as a guide to current academic trends, not as the definition of how well a student is really doing.

“So, I do think that while it’s good to look at trends, to say that your child is inadequate or your child’s education is inadequate based off of this, it’s hard to see where a child has grown or not grown off of this and a parent knows that,” Dorsey said.

Dorsey said the Milestone test also does not take into account the socio-economic challenges many children and their parents in our area live with everyday.

He says a student’s academic and future success in life requires a team effort between parents, teachers, and the community.

“They’re important in the context of ‘let’s continue to move forward, let’s continue to look for ideas and suggestions. Let’s see what others are doing,'” Dorsey explained. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that your purple is bad because somebody else’s purple is a different hue. I’m proud of what I see kids learning and doing when I walk through the schools.”

However, Dorsey admits that there are challenges that still need to be overcome in Stephens County.

“There are some drug issues and economic indicators that are not what we want. So it’s my goal to see how many of us we can get to work together,” he said.