Muscogee County reports lower-than-state Georgia Milestones; district pins gains on attendance and targeted programs

Tim Smith, chief academic officer for the Muscogee County School District, opened the Aug. 11 board work session with a detailed review of Georgia Milestones results showing the district trailing state averages in many tested grades and subjects.

Third-grade English language arts scores, Smith said, were 54.4% reading on or above grade level compared with a state rate of 64.6%. Middle- and elementary-grade math and ELA measures likewise trailed the state in most cohorts; Smith summarized a wide set of grade-by-grade results in the presentation and said the district sees a clear pattern of improvement for students who remain in Muscogee County schools over multiple years.

Why the results matter: the district identified chronic absenteeism and gaps in writing and math implementation as primary drivers of low proficiency. Smith told the board that 22.9% of district students were identified as chronically absent — defined as missing at least 10% of school days — and said the district’s lowest-performing students also had the highest absenteeism rates. "What we know is we've gotta get our kids to school so we can teach them and and get them, learning what we need them to learn," Smith said.

District response and instructional priorities: Smith and other staff outlined a multi-pronged approach the district will emphasize this year: - Strengthened, ongoing formative assessment and school-level "data notebooks" to…