CARROLLTON, GA – A Carrollton City Schools focused literacy initiative that has been in place for several years now is credited for the exceptional progress made on English/Language Arts proficiency on the Georgia Milestones, the state’s standardized assessment of student progress in grades 3 through 8.

This year, every grade met or exceeded state results in the percentage of students reading on or above grade level. Grades three, four, six, seven, and eight outperformed the state in ELA and American Literature.

English/Language Arts testing indeed improved over the previous year, but a real test of student growth is comparing outcomes to the district’s results prepandemic, according to Dr. Anna Clifton, assistant superintendent of Teaching and Learning.

In this comparison, Carrollton Junior High seventh graders saw an 11 percent increase while CJHS eighth graders increased their scores 2 percent over prepandemic results.

Clifton said the results for 2022 released this week are particularly noteworthy when considering the COVID-19 pandemic’s wide-ranging impact on all aspects of life, including education. Even with these challenges, Clifton said positive outcomes were achieved.

“The last couple of years have been challenging, but our teachers have worked tirelessly to support our kids and help them grow,” she said.

Math results were equally impressive. Scores exceeded the state in grades three, four, five, six, eight, and in Algebra I.

While the overall Algebra I increase for 2022 was substantial compared to 2021 at 7 percent, it also posted a 4 percent increase over the prepandemic results. Sixth grade math also posted a 6 percent increase compared to prepandemic test scores.

For science, all tested grades (fifth and eighth) and courses (Biology) exceeded the state’s results. Eighth graders also exceeded the state’s results in Social Studies this year.

Dr. Mark Albertus, superintendent, said Carrollton City Schools’ performance can be linked to the perseverance and hard work of students and staff.

“I am proud of our leadership team, teachers, and students,” he said. “Maintaining focus on student achievement while also navigating one of the most difficult times we’ve ever faced in education is not easy, but our staff has remained diligent and these scores are a direct result of their determination.”