Blackshear, Midway and Patterson Elementary and Pierce County High Schools were all presented with banners recognizing high achievement on Georgia Milestone testing last week.
State School Superintendent Richard Woods came to Blackshear last week to present the banners.
Blackshear Elementary received literacy banners for third and fifth grade reading. Midway and Patterson Elementary Schools received a math banner for fifth grade math and the high school received both literacy and math banners.
Pierce County Schools performed well overall on the Georgia Milestone assessments.
As a system, elementary schools scored at the top of the nine-county Okefenokee Regional Education Services Agency (RESA) and in the top 25% of the systems tested in the state.
Okefenokee RESA includes Atkinson, Bacon, Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Pierce and Ware.
Pierce County Elementary Schools ranked eighth in state for third grade math, 12th in state for fourth grade math, 11th in state for fourth grade students reading on or above grade level, 11th in state for percentage of fifth grades students reading on or above grade level, 12th in state for fifth grade English and language arts and seventh in state for fifth grade science As reported in a previous edition, high school students also performed well on the Milestones.
Over the last two years, PCHS students scored above 90% in Algebra I and American Literature, were first in the state in biology, second in state in Algebra I (206 districts) and seventh in the state in American Literature (195 districts).
Everyone knows that our motto at Pierce County Schools is “Excellence is the Standard.” We celebrate excellence in academics. Pierce County has consistently ranked at the top of the state and RESA area in academics. Credit for academic success goes to our hard working administrators, teachers, and students. We are grateful to have our State School Superintendent, Richard Woods come down to honor four of our schools for academic excellence in reading and or math,” said Superintendent Dara Bennett.
Superintendent Woods was presented with a huge basket donated from the Pierce County community.
While Pierce County Middle School did not score high enough to receive banners, students there also performed well.
Seventh graders finished in the top three in English/Language Arts in the Okefenokee Regional Education Services Area (RESA) and they ranked 10th of the 215 systems in the state.
Local students in grades seventh and eighth also ranked in the top three in the region in math and seventh grade ranked 13th in the state.
Eighth grade students were number one in the RESA in science and seventh and eighth respectively statewide.
Eighth grade students ranked second in social studies in the region and 33rd statewide out of the 215 school systems.
Milestones tests are given in English/Language arts, math, social studies and science at the elementary and middle school levels.
The test was administered in April to all third, fourth and fifth grade students at Blackshear, Midway and Patterson Elementary Schools and to sixth, seventh and eighth grade students at Pierce County Middle.
The test assesses student learning along four levels of performance (Beginning Learners, Developing Learners, Proficient Learners, Distinguished Learners).
The score is the percentage of students proficient in their coursework. Proficient learners are defined as students who demonstrate proficiency in the knowledge and skills necessary for this course, as specified in Georgia’s content standards.
The Georgia Milestones test was put in place in 2014 and is designed to be more challenging than other standardized tests, going beyond multiple choice with constructed and technology-enhanced questions.
