Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Assessment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District math results show gains; grade 6 posts largest year‑over‑year increase
Summary
Dr. Shanda Buff told the board that Newton County Schools decreased the percentage of 'beginning' learners and that grade 6 saw the district's largest year‑over‑year gain (from 55% to 62%, a 7‑point increase); grade 5 declined from 58% to 54%.
Dr. Shanda Buff presented the district’s 2026 end‑of‑grade mathematics milestones and described the results as "one of sustained progress." She said the district decreased the percentage of students classified as beginning learners across grades 3, 4, 6 and 8, and that five of six grade levels increased the percentage of students performing at proficient or above, representing 134 more students meeting that threshold this year.
Buff cited specific grade-level changes: grade 6 rose from 55% developing-or-above to 62% (+7 percentage points); grade 4 increased by 3.3 points (65.7% to 69%); grade 8 increased by about 3 points (61% to 64%); and grade 3 rose 1.1 points (73.9% to 75%). She also noted grade 5 declined from 58% to 54%, and that 16 of 19 schools posted gains last year.
The presentation put results in the context of strengthened instructional systems — collaborative planning, professional learning communities and targeted coaching — and emphasized that the district will continue to study results and support school-developed improvement plans. "The goal is not simply improved assessment results. The goal is a stronger instructional system that consistently produces better outcomes for all students," Buff said.
