Savannah-Chatham board hears GMAS results; leaders urge deeper reading interventions, coaching

Laura May, a district staff member who presented the results, told the Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education on Sept. 2 that the 2025 Georgia Milestones Assessment System (GMAS) shows mixed results across grade bands and subjects. The district outperformed its comparison group in several elementary math and science measures but fell below the state in many content-mastery measures and overall proficiency levels.

The presentation included a matched-cohort analysis comparing the same students’ scores year over year (for example, third grade in 2024 vs. fourth grade in 2025). May said the analysis showed gains in some elementary cohorts in ELA and math but drops when students transition into the middle grades.

Why it matters: Board members said the data show many students remain below grade level in reading — “proficient” was described by one member as the minimum expected standard — and that persistent low proficiency has long-term implications for students’ academic trajectories.

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