The Jackson County School System has seen another significant increase in test score data for the state’s Georgia Milestone Assessments. The system saw significant increases in student achievement in several content areas, including mathematics, physical science, biology and social studies. 

“The results released are a tremendous reflection of the hard work and commitment of our students, teachers, and school leaders,” JCSS Superintendent Dr. Philip Brown said. “We are seeing meaningful growth across multiple content areas, and that growth is evidence that our focus on high expectations, challenging instruction, and strong support for every learner is making a difference. Our goal is not simply to outperform the state average, but it is to ensure that every student is challenged, supported, and prepared for success in the next grade level and, ultimately, in college, career, and life. I am incredibly proud of our educators and students and the progress they continue to make.” 

Mathematics was a content area where Jackson County saw great improvement across all grade levels. JCSS saw a six percentage point increase in third grade students scoring Proficient or Distinguished on the Georgia Milestones Assessment, and JCSS students beat the state average by 12 percentage points. In eighth grade mathematics, JCSS students scoring Proficient or Distinguished increased by four percentage points and outperformed the state average by 14 percentage points. There was a five percentage point improvement in achievement rate for Algebra. 

JCSS eighth graders, who all take the high school physical science course and test, saw a ten percentage point increase in achievement rate, and there was a five percentage point increase in eighth grade social studies. In high school Biology, there was a nine percentage point increase in achievement rate.

Data for the English Language Arts portion of the exams will be released later in the fall, due to implementation of new ELA standards and assessments.