CCSD School Board’s laser focus on teaching and learning leads to positive improvements in student achievement

Our School Board’s laser focus on teaching and learning led to a strong year of achievement as indicated by today’s release of the Georgia Milestones Assessment results.  With an increase in 19 out of 27 performance areas compared to 2024, CCSD not only continues to outperform the state in all tested areas for what is now the 10th consecutive year but also has even further widened the performance gap in multiple subjects. 

With the most remarkable growth in high school Algebra I performance, the percentage of fourth graders achieving the highest performance categories in English Language Arts, and fifth graders doing the same in Math, it is a credit to the teachers in CCSD for their exceptional impact on student learning.

Overall Summary of Data:

·       In Mathematics, six out of seven categories showed improvement over 2024 (fourth through eighth grades and Algebra);

·       In English Language Arts, three out of seven categories showed an improvement over 2024 (fourth, sixth and seventh grades);

·       In Reading, five out of seven categories showed an improvement over 2024 (third, fourth, sixth and seventh grades and American Literature);

·       In Science, four out of four categories showed improvement over 2024 (fifth and eighth grades, Physical Science, and Biology); and,

·       In Social Studies, one out of two categories showed improvement (eighth grade).

This past school year, the School Board spent more time than ever centering discussions during board meetings around the core business of student learning and ensuring there is accountability across the district for student achievement. 

“As the chair of the Cherokee County School Board, I wanted to share how impressed and pleased I am with the most recent Milestones scores for our students,” School Board Chair Janet Read Welch said.  “As school board members, we make sure our students are learning and growing each year, and this year showed us we are on the right track.  These goals were reached because our students studied, our teachers focused on teaching every student, and parents encouraged and supported their students at home as well.  Thank you to everyone who made sure our students were successful!” 

For the first time ever, the School Board set clear improvement targets in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Reading.  In the 2024-25 school year, the School Board also made a shift to require student cell phones to be stored and out of sight during instruction, leading to a more focused classroom and less disrupted teaching.  This model has now been adopted statewide.

Coupled with a focused School Board, teachers across CCSD are among the most talented in the profession, and their focused instruction is to be credited for the continued growth in outcomes for students.  Highlights for CCSD performance include the following:

Mathematics

·        Increases in students scoring proficient and above compared to 2024 in every tested grade level except third grade, where the decline is less than a quarter of a percentage point.

·        Significant increases were noted in fifth grade (+3.7%), seventh grade (+3.6%), eighth grade (+6.3%) and Algebra I (+7.4%).

English Language Arts

·        Increases in students scoring proficient and above compared to 2024 in three grade levels (fourth, sixth and seventh grades)

·        The largest increases were in fourth grade (+4.7%) and seventh grade (+2.5%).

Reading

·        Increases in students reading at or above grade level compared to 2024 in five out of seven grade levels (third, fourth, sixth and seventh grades, and American Literature).

·        Significant increase in the percentage of students reading at or above grade level in sixth grade (+3.3%).

Science

·        Increases in the percent of students scoring at the proficient and above levels compared to 2024 in all four tested areas (fifth and eighth grades, Physical Science and Biology).

·        Significant increases were noted in fifth grade (+5.4%), eighth grade (+7.7%) and Biology (+4.0%).

Social Studies

·        Significant increase in the percent of students scoring proficient and above in eighth grade (+7.6%).

The Milestones results point to several areas where the district will need to focus improvement efforts including the following:

Mathematics

·        Slight decrease in students scoring proficient and above compared to 2024 in third grade (-0.2%).

English Language Arts

·        Decreases in students scoring proficient and above compared to 2024 in third, fifth and eighth grades, and American Literature; with the largest decrease in fifth grade (-8.3%).

Reading

·        Decreases in students scoring proficient and above compared to 2024 in fifth grade (-1.8%) and eighth grade (-0.2%).

·        Fourth grade increased compared to 2024 but continues to be our lowest scoring grade level by percentage.

Social Studies

·        U.S. History decreased slightly (-0.7%), but less than 60% of students are scoring proficient and above and will be a focus moving forward for social studies.

“I see measured and positive progress in student achievement and applaud our teachers for their work in ensuring CCSD is the best place to learn,” Superintendent Mary Elizabeth Davis said. “We are on a mission in this district to ensure students learn more, grow more, and achieve more in a CCSD classroom than they could anywhere else.  This year’s Milestones results are just the momentum we need.  We can celebrate where we see growth and we can focus our efforts to continue improving.”

A full summary of student achievement results is provided below.

CCSD is now heading into the second full week of a new school year, and the School Board remains focused on a quality education for every student and improved achievement outcomes.  They invested in teacher salaries to retain the talented teaching workforce and invested in English Language Arts and Mathematics resources to support teaching, elevate the quality of student work, and to improve the academic connection from the classroom to the kitchen table.

The School Board will hear a full report of the Georgia Milestones Assessment results at its next regular meeting work session at 5:30 p.m. August 21, 2025, at the Dr. Frank R. Petruzielo Educational Services Facility, 1205 Bluffs Parkway, Canton, 30114.  Following that report, all details and school-by-school data will be posted online here.