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Cherokee County board reviews Georgia Milestones results and new school improvement plans
Summary
District officials reported mixed Georgia Milestones results at the August work session, highlighted major gains in algebra and several grade-level bright spots, and introduced school improvement plans tied to board policy BAB that prioritize early literacy and principal support.
At the Cherokee County Board of Education's August work session, district leaders presented 2024–25 Georgia Milestones results and unveiled school improvement plans designed to align schools with board‑set student achievement goals.
Dr. Heath, presenting the closeout Milestones report, said the district showed "trending positives" in several middle‑grade levels and flagged algebra as a major area of growth: "Algebra is probably our our biggest place of celebration for this year," he said, noting double‑digit gains in algebra proficiency that translate to hundreds more students meeting the proficiency threshold. He also cited specific school‑level gains, saying "In fourth grade, we saw a 3% increase compared to our baseline. That's about 90 students scoring at the proficient level more than what than our baseline year." The report showed mixed results overall: gains in some grades and declines in others, with grade 3 ELA and certain high‑school literature measures identified as places for additional work.
Superintendent Dr. Davis framed the reports as the start of a public accountability cycle tied to board policy BAB: "We are going to be unapologetic that student learning is our focus," the superintendent said, describing the board's policy as the anchor for district action and quarterly reporting.
Dr. Murdock outlined how the district will translate those results into school improvement plans and supports for principals. She described a "principal support and accountability model" that combines coaching, instructional rounds and data reviews to give schools targeted help and to monitor progress against three‑year goals. "All students are highly engaged in their learning, in their education and capable of reaching their full learning potential," she said, explaining the expectation the board has set for schools.
Assistant superintendents then reported zone‑level results and action steps. Presenters highlighted multiple "bright spots" — schools or grade levels already at or above three‑year goals — while identifying common priorities for the coming year: strengthen K–3 foundational literacy, deepen middle‑grade math reasoning, and reduce chronic absenteeism to protect instructional time.
Board members asked how small year‑to‑year swings are judged. Dr. Heath said the district uses the three‑year targets (commonly 6–8 percentage points) to gauge whether an interim change puts a school "on track" or signals the need for additional intervention.
The district said the full school improvement plans and quarterly updates will be posted on the district accountability page and that the administration will return with ongoing progress reports to the board.
