VALDOSTA – Lowndes County School System claim the 2018-19 Georgia Milestones Assessment System reflects “continued growth in student achievement.” 

In a statement released this week, the school system said the percentage of students demonstrating proficiency, Level 3 or Level 4, has continued to increase as much as 10 percent in some content areas compared to the previous year. 

“Results from this year’s administration reveal the Lowndes County School System earned the highest percentage of proficient students as compared to the Coastal Plains RESA district and the State of Georgia,” school officials said in the statement. “The Lowndes County School System attributes this success to the dedicated educators and the instructional rigor they provide students and to the diligent students who strive for excellence each day.” 

Students in grades three through eight are administered the Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade Assessment in English Language Arts and math, while students in grades five and eight also participate in the EOG assessment in science and social studies, school officials said. 

“The LCSS celebrates several perfect scores on the GMAS,” school officials said. “Four third-grade students and three fifth-grade students earned a perfect score on the math portion of the Georgia Milestones Assessment. Four eighth-graders earned perfect scores, two in science and two in social studies.”

High school students enrolled in one of eight courses designated by the State Board of Education are administered the Georgia Milestones End-of-Course Assessment. The EOC assessments are administered during two testing windows, winter and spring. 

Results of the 2018-19 End-of-Course assessments demonstrate an increase in achievement, school officials said. The End-of-Course assessment serves as the final exam and contributes 20 percent to the student’s final grade.

The Georgia Milestones Assessment System provides student achievement information in the core content areas. Four performance achievement levels are used to assess student learning.

• Level 1: Beginning learners are students who lack the knowledge and skills to be successful at the next grade level/course.

• Level 2: Developing learners are students who have some of the knowledge and skills to be successful at the next grade level/course.

• Level 3: Proficient learners are students who learned the required knowledge and skills to be successful at the next grade level/course.

• Level 4: Distinguished learners are students who have advance knowledge and skills to be successful at the next grade level/course.